Naples Illustrated April 2022

On the heels of my last year in college, I decided I was going to become a runner. I wasn’t a natural by any stretch. In fact, I hated running. Nevertheless, I became almost obsessive about my new hobby, cranking out several miles a day. Running gave me purpose, cleared my mind, and provided immense satisfaction. Although I devoured plenty of pizza and hamburgers back in those days, running helped me take the first steps of my health journey, a voyage that I’m still trekking today. What I’ve learned from those many miles of road coursed is this: Health and wellness extend far beyond the parameters of eating well and intense exercise. Physical fitness and diet are certainly important elements of wellness. However, we can’t neglect the magnitude of our mental…

NAPLES WOMAN’S CLUB WHAT: A Culinary Adventure That Gives Back WHERE: Eighteen premier restaurants, Naples DETAILS: A series of multiple-course chef luncheons at local restaurants in January, February, and March raised funds for four local food pantries. Patrons and participants purchased a ticket or table and were informed before each month’s event where their mystery dining location would be. SUPPORTS: Meals of Hope, Meals on Wheels, St. Vincent DePaul Food Pantry, and the Judy Sullivan Resource Center of Catholic Charities Diocese of Venice MEDIA SPONSOR: Naples Illustrated PATH2FREEDOM WHAT: Sixth Annual Red Gala WHERE: Hilton Naples DETAILS: Cocktails, dinner, and silent and live auctions SUPPORTS: Providing a safe environment and longterm recovery programs for adolescent girls rescued from human trafficking JEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER NAPLES WHAT: Groundbreaking for the Nina Iser Jewish Cultural Center WHERE:…

Wonder Gardens recently dedicated the Jim and Julie Oberweis Golden Pheasant Pavilion in one of the garden’s four Victorian-era solariums. The Oberweises, who live in Bonita Bay, donated $75,000 to create the exhibit where four golden pheasants and a mated pair of violet turacos fly freely and wander the enclosure’s lush landscape and waterfall. “Their donation covers the creation of the exhibit and its ongoing care and maintenance,” says Wonder Gardens President/CEO David Rahahe:tih Webb. “It also supports the care of the birds,” which were chosen for this exhibit’s habitat. (A limited number of visitors each day can purchase food to hand-feed the birds.) The solariums, built in France, were donated to the Wonder Gardens in 2018. The Oberweises recently became full-time Bonita Springs residents after Jim’s retirement as chairman…

boasts two Ritz-Carltons, and both are undergoing renovations that are making them even dreamier destinations. That’s already happened at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Naples, which recently debuted The Reservoir, a 14,000-square-foot aquatic play area featuring a 600-foot lazy river (called Drift), three waterslides, and a kiddie splash zone. The golf resort’s new features appeal to the whole family and expand amenities for non-golfers, says marketing spokeswoman Kristen Kelleher. “It’s a great family experience.” The new outdoor Ría restaurant features Latin American flavors from chef Aldo Novoa Rodriguez while six private cabanas at the adults-only pool—each boasting a wet bar, flat-screen television, tableside butler service, and alfresco dishes from Ría—enhance guests’ personal paradise. The Ritz-Carlton, Naples is “being fully renovated from top to bottom” and expanding with new luxury accommodations, Kelleher says.…

A movement to restore the Bank of Everglades in Everglades City has crystalized since Naples resident Robert Flick gifted the half-million-dollar historic landmark to the Everglades Society for Historic Preservation in March 2021. It was the first bank in Collier County in 1923 and inhabited its two-story home on Broadway Avenue from 1927 to 1962. It was later used as a newspaper office and a bed and breakfast but has deteriorated after sitting empty for several years. The nonprofit has worked with a contractor to clean out the building and remove upstairs partitions, has teamed with a pro bono architect, and has been raising money to fund the renovation project. Marya Repko, preservation society secretary and the author of some 15 regional history books, says facilities will be updated to meet…

Cheers to the patrons of the Naples Winter Wine Festival, who outdid themselves by raising a record $23 million-plus at the twenty-second annual event themed “Rise Up: Twenty Twenty TWOgether” in January at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Naples. The wine festival raises money for the Naples Children & Education Foundation, which funds 50 nonprofits’ health, education, and mental health programs supporting underprivileged and at-risk children in Collier County. The top luxury auction lot—“Million Dollar Meal: All for the Kids”—sold for $1 million to 40 couples who contributed $25,000 each. They will partake in an intimate cocktail and wine reception and multi-course meal prepared and hosted at Bleu Provence by coowners Lysielle and Jacques Cariot. (napleswinefestival.com)…