Exclusive cigar club hosts community for hurricane relief

After losing his home during Hurricane Helene, Longboater Edward Principe was the new neighbor on the block when he started renting at Beach Harbor Club.

Even though his living situation was temporary, residents at the condominium were quick to include him in their community by inviting him to all their outings. 

When they decided to check out an open house at the island's exclusive cigar Louge, Principe couldn't say no to his new friends. The gathering gave him some comfort and relief after weeks of uncertainty. 

"This was the outing I needed after these past few weeks," said Principe. "Our group is great, especially after these weeks have been so unpleasant. So, for them to invite me to enjoy free drinks and music at this club has been a treat."

Club Leaf and Bean opened its doors for the first time to Longboaters apart from its exclusive members for three days only.

From Oct. 22 to 24, Longboaters had a free chance to see inside the private, members-only club. After the island endured three weeks of damage and uncertainty from Hurricane Helene and Milton, co-owners Mark Zini and Matt Kaltenberger wanted to offer a comfortable space for people to relax, reflect and connect with friends. 

Zini said it has been a great week to reach out to new Longboaters and make new connections for potential members. The club was fairly busy throughout the week, with a few people coming in to enjoy the free wifi. 

Originally owning two cigar clubs in Pennsylvania, Zini and Kaltenberger opened Club Leaf and Bean on Longboat Key in January as a space for like-minded men and women to build a community around the exclusive experience, even if they didn't smoke cigars. The club is only limited to 55 members, inspired by the year that Longboat Key was founded. 

To celebrate the last day of the open house, local musician Mike Martin performed live from 4 to 7 p.m. on Oct. 24. Along with the live music, free drinks and wifi, residents said that the open house provided the first look at normalcy on the island. 

"This is the first thing that has allowed people to be a bit lighter," said Connie Darrah from the Longboat Chamber of Commerce. "It was so great that they opened it up to the community so people could go, have a drink and sit down in a comfortable chair. I think some people might be considering joining as well."