Around Town

While Kelly Merkur was earning her bachelor’s degree in textile design at the University of Kansas, she purposefully managed to avoid all painting electives. “I think I was intimidated by it,” she says. Though she did work in the textile industry, she set her art aside to focus on raising her daughters. But just last

Meals for Heroes: Emergency room doctors and nurses working the night shifts at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach and the University of Miami’s Jackson Memorial received a gourmet surprise, courtesy of some well-known philanthropists and a star chef. Restaurateur Shareef Malnik and his wife, actress Gabrielle Anwar (pictured above), delivered frontline workers meals

As part of both state and city task force discussions on reopening, Tim Petrillo has brought decades of restaurant experience to his meetings with Gov. Ron DeSantis and Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis on the looming challenges facing his beloved industry. But as the co-founder and CEO of The Restaurant People suggests, there’s really nothing

Saying thanks. This month, Weston resident Sandra Mattsson, managing broker at ONE Sotheby’s International Realty’s Weston office, and her colleagues united to reach out to local hospital workers. They’ve partnered with local restaurant Bolay to prepare box meals for about 250 day shift and night shift health care workers and cleaning staff every week at

Emergency Funds: The Jewish Federation of Broward County’s board of directors recently approved a mammoth $1.525 million relief package. The COVID-19 Response Package consists of four tiers, starting with a combined $600,000 in emergency funding for several partner agencies—including $250,000 for Goodman Jewish Family Services, $70,000 for Broward Meals on Wheels, $25,000 for the Dorit

Lifestyle reached out to businesspeople all over South Florida—in categories ranging from retail and real estate to medical and automotive—and asked three questions: How did COVID-19 and the shutdown impact your business; how did you position your business in the interim; how will experiencing this unprecedented pandemic change the way you conduct business moving forward.

Dining Rewards: It pays to dine right now at three restaurants inside Mizner Park. The mixed-use project in downtown Boca Raton and its managing company, Brookfield Properties, are offering a $20 Visa rewards card for every takeout purchase of $50 or more (not including tip, tax, delivery charge or gift card) at Ruth’s Chris Steak

For college students who rely on more than grants and financial aid to make their ends meet, the pandemic has presented its share of unanticipated challenges. When Deidra Edouard lost her work study job at Florida State University, the graduate of Lake Worth Community High School not only couldn’t send money home to help her

Students at Florida Atlantic University’s The Florida Atlantic University’s Cane Institute for Advanced Technologies at A.D. Henderson University School get a thorough education in robotics, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. And, this month, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, they got a real-world education in how what they’ve learned can help others. It all started when Giovana

It’s the question that’s on everyone’s mind as the stay-at-home directive continues to loom over everyday life. When will our communities begin to re-open? As a prominent figure in the South Florida hospitality industry, John Tolbert, president and managing director at Boca Raton Resort & Club, has been involved in discussions with Palm Beach County

Junior League distributes diapers: Nineteen nonprofits that work with infants and toddlers throughout Palm Beach County, and into Broward, received much-needed diapers courtesy of the Junior League of Boca Raton. Responding to supply demands due to the coronavirus shutdown, volunteers filled trucks and one school bus with a combined 100,000-plus diapers, part of the League’s

Two Miami-based initiatives, already serving their respective target groups, have joined forces. In mid-March, the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) launched “Miami Eats: Order Out, Help Out” (gmcvb.com/MiamiEats), giving locals a place to survey the restaurant takeout scene and thus assist an industry devastated by the pandemic. On April 1, the nonprofit “Meals