Business Observer

+ Travel + Leisure names Key Club in top 500 resorts
Travel + Leisure magazine named the Resort at Longboat Key Club in its annual listing of the top 500 hotels and resorts worldwide.

The Key Club was one of three Ocean Properties included on the list.

Sunset Key Guest Cottages, a Westin Resort, in Key West, and the Sandpearl Resort, in Clearwater, were also recognized.

Other recent honors the Key Club has received include the AAA Four-Diamond Award for the 30th consecutive year; Condé Nast’s “Top 40 Florida Resorts”; Tennis Resort’s Online “Top 25 Gold Metal Tennis Resort Worldwide”; Successful Meetings “Pinnacle Award”; The Knot “Best of Weddings” 2013; TripAdvisor’s “Certificate of Excellence”; and the “Florida Clean Marina” award for the 11th year.

+ Maison Blanche owner featured on ‘Emeril’s Florida’
The episode of “Emeril’s Florida” that features Maison Blanche chef/owner Jose Martinez aired Sunday, Jan. 5, and Monday, Jan. 6, will re-air at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 9, on the Cooking Channel.

Celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse filmed the segment for the episode, titled “Coming to America,” in September at Maison Blanche. Lagasse sampled Martinez’s signature French cuisine with an American twist.

Martinez is one of three Florida chefs who moved to Florida from other countries who is featured on the episode.

Lagasse also filmed a segment for a future episode at Beach Bistro on Holmes Beach.

+ Mediterranean restaurant to open on St. Armands
Mediterranean restaurant Blu Kouzina will open in February at 25 N. Blvd. of the Presidents on St. Armands Circle, in the former Square on the Circle space. The location will be the second Blu Kouzina for owners Dennis and Effie Tsakiris, whose other restaurant is in Singapore.

Restaurant meals are prepared with organic extra-virgin olive oil imported directly from the couple’s private olive grove estate in their native Greece.

+ Longboat Key Chamber moves to the Centre Shops
The Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce began its move to the Centre Shops Jan. 2 and aims to be “assembled, organized, networked and clean” by Jan. 10, according to a notice sent to members.
The chamber signed a three-year lease in December for Unit 102 of the Centre Shops of Longboat Key, 5370 Gulf of Mexico Drive. The chamber had operated out of Mediterranean Plaza since March.
 

Contact Robin Hartill at [email protected]