Things We Loved (And People We Lost) in October

Things We Loved in October

Well, it has been an interesting month.

Sadly, we lost several community icons in October. These were people who made a difference in our lives and left an enduring legacy. Their influence will last, but we will miss them.

Among the notables whose lives we celebrate this month: Elizabeth “Libby” Wesley, founder of the Roots Cultural Festival, noted architect Bob Currie, Lt. (retired) Larry Garito of Delray Beach Fire Rescue, retired firefighter/paramedic Bernie Paul and former city manager Don Cooper. We’re sure there are others and if we’ve missed anyone we mean no harm. Condolences and prayers for all.

 

A Community Icon

Great to see Tony Allerton honored with a special event celebrating his contributions to Delray and The Crossroads Club.

We adore Tony. He’s an inspiration to so many and just a terrific guy.

 

 

Cocomania Continues

Delray’s own Coco Gauff won her first WTA event in October. We have a feeling there will be many, many more. Her first singles win came in Linz, Austria.

 

A New “It” Restaurant

Rose’s Daughter is a great addition to Pineapple Grove.

Delicious pastas, a great flat iron steak, wonderful pizzas and delicious shrimp diablo. Check it out.

 

Happy Retirement Roger!

Nelson Lazo, a veteran chief executive at Baptist Health South Florida, has been named CEO of Bethesda Hospital East and Bethesda Hospital West in Boynton Beach. The hospitals merged with Baptist Health in 2017.

Mr. Lazo will succeed our longtime friend Roger Kirk, who will retire as CEO in December. Lazo will oversee the continued integration of the hospitals with Baptist Health, as well as expansion of services to support growth in Palm Beach County. Bethesda Hospital East was recently recognized by U.S. News & World Report as among the best regional hospitals. Expansion plans are underway at Bethesda West for an ambulatory surgery center, additional beds and more operating rooms to better serve the growing community.

As for Mr. Kirk, he will be missed. He was deeply involved in the community and is just a terrific guy. We wish him well in his next chapter.

 

Pizza

We all know that a great pizza is so much more than bread, sauce and cheese.

That’s why we anxiously await the Daily Meal’s annual list of the 101 best pizzas in America.

This year a local restaurant made the list.

Delray’s Scuola Vecchia placed 97th, which is incredibly cool.

 

We’ve been long time fans of Scuola Vecchia and have recommended their pizza to out of town guests for years. We’ve never had a complaint but we have heard a lot of raves.

So how does the Daily Meal choose the best pizza. We’ll let them tell you:

“To come up with the best pizzas in America, we research the newest, best places, then build a survey of great pizzas from around the country — nearly 1,000 pizzas in total were considered in 2019.

We start by defining the perfect pie. What are the essentials? Considering the varied pizza styles (Neapolitan, Sicilian, New York, Connecticut, California, Detroit, St. Louis, bar pie, deep-dish, grandma… we’ll stop ourselves there), that’s a loaded question. Suffice it to say, no matter your pizza denomination, we believe the following qualities are essential: a nuanced sauce, neither too sweet nor too salty (assuming that the pie has sauce); quality, well-distributed cheese (assuming that it has cheese); quality, sensibly combined toppings; a flavorful, savory crust; and, perhaps most importantly, a judicious, well-balanced and pleasing ratio of sauce, cheese, toppings and crust that maintains a structural integrity no matter the style.”

Whew. Sounds like exhausting work.

 

Daily Meal then called upon a blue-chip, geographically diverse list of pizza panelists — chefs, restaurant critics, bloggers, writers and other pizza authorities — asking them to take the survey and vote only for places where they’ve actually eaten.

This year, pies from 30 states and Washington D.C. were considered. Here’s what the Daily Meal said about our local champ.

“Scuola Vecchia brings a host of traditional Italian pizzas to Delray Beach, Florida, with options for every pizza lover. Guests can choose from 24 different pizzas, from the traditional Margherita to more complex pies like the capricciosa with fresh mozzarella, tomato sauce, Italian ham, artichokes, mushrooms and extra-virgin olive oil. But if you can’t find exactly what you’re looking for, there’s the option to build your own pie.”

We hope you’ll check out our local winner Scuola Vecchia on East Atlantic Avenue.

 

 What we’re listening to:

I’m listening to classic albums while working. It’s a great way to get inspired and to rediscover old favorites.

This month we listened to Abbey Road on its 50th anniversary, Gregg Allman’s “ Laid Back” and rediscovered the Go Go’s with their classic “Beauty and the Beat”. We also checked  in on Blondie’s “Parallel Lines “to mark the new Deborah Harry book and listened to The Beach Boys 1966 classic “Pet Sounds”.

We also can’t stop listening to the new Bruce Springsteen album “Western Stars.” I’ve seen the movie (twice) at the Palace and it’s just awesome.

Until next month…have a safe and fun Halloween.