It’s September, …So What???

Time to sizzle & savor, sow & grow

 

September has always been a transitional month in Southwest Florida. Some see it as one of the hottest months of the year, hyper-heating the waters around Florida which enhances the formation of hurricanes. In the past, many residents left the area on vacation to find cooler, more hospitable surroundings before coming back to face the busier months of fall and winter. Foreign-born restaurateurs would head back to their homelands to visit family and perhaps develop a new menu item or two to add to their repertoire.

Today things are quite different! It seems like the heat is arriving earlier and earlier each year and lasting much too long. We have already dodged a Category 5 hurricane, the earliest in two decades! By the time September arrives, most of us are already anxious for slightly cooler temperatures to arrive — by Halloween, but not always.

Having lived in Southwest Florida for more than 30 years, I can remember when you could walk into just about any restaurant and be seated within a minute or two without bothering to call ahead. Local restaurants now stay busy year-round, but September is typically the slowest month for them. That’s why many restaurants are arranging special dining options. This has been magnified by something called Sizzle Dining, designed to create more opportunities for the restaurants and the dining public with specially priced menus that also support the nonprofit Blessings in a Backpack. Check out your favorite restaurants to see if they are one of the 128 participating restaurants between September 3-30. Enjoy good value while helping a good cause.

September marks the beginning of gardening season for many vegetables, flowering plants and shrubs as local gardeners begin to realize that the planting season is reversed compared to northern climates. Our cover story this month, “Estero in Bloom,” highlights how two Estero nurseries, Driftwood Gardens and Juniper Farms (formerly Battista Farms), help thousands of area gardeners each year. We invite you to stop in and look around. We are certain that you will find something beautiful to enhance your home or landscape.

The fiscal year for the Village of Estero runs from October 1 thru September 30 each year, so with that brings the annual opportunity for residents to hear, understand and comment on the proposed budget for the upcoming year. Our Village Connection gives the details of this process, including two opportunities for public input on the evenings of September 10 and 17. We hope you will consider participating.

While our celebrated, monthly dining reviews typically feature special-occasion, fine dining experiences, we have reserved the summer months to focus on the local, Estero experiences for our year-round residents. We want to highlight the many opportunities and show our support to our local restaurant owners who put so much time and effort into their businesses. That brings us to a wonderful local restaurant in the Shoppes at Grande Oaks. Mario’s is one of the few restaurants that offers breakfast, lunch and dinner, and it has become even more popular since the closing of Perkin’s in the same plaza at the corner of Ben Hill Griffen and Corkscrew roads. Majan Bujaj, aka Mario, has migrated from Albania to Michigan and now to Estero to build a friendly dining experience. Mario has mastered his craft and offers a great variety at each meal of the day. We invite you to stop in and tell him that Estero Life Magazine sent you. You’ll be glad you did!

As we approach the height of hurricane season, we encourage everyone to take precautions, be smart and stay safe, as we are only halfway through. God speed!

 

Until next month, remember to…

Enjoy the Good Life: Estero Life!!!

Gary

Gary Israel, President & Publisher

Estero Life Magazine