A series of curated dinners are out to showcase St. Petersburg's lighter dining options and neighborhoods while also highlighting a citywide community engagement initiative.
Deputy Mayor Dr. Kanika Tomalin is launching new Virtual Progressive Dinners, the latest extension of her overall health efforts, with the city of St. Petersburg. As part of her Healthy St. Pete initiative — designed to help residents eat, shop, play and live healthier — the dinners act as self-guided tours, allowing people to socialize and order health-conscious tastes from eateries within walking distance of each other.
To kick off the campaign, four different five-stop routes for downtown St. Pete were revealed Monday. They can be found online.
The tours don't skimp on drinks, either, suggesting cocktails alongside starters, entrees and desserts from spots like La V, Brick & Mortar, The Birchwood, Sea Salt, The Lure, Cask & Ale and Stillwaters Tavern. Local squash bruschetta, chicken ramen, an espresso martini, Apalachicola oysters, Tahitian vanilla bean mousse, a cucumber margarita, seafood fra diavolo and a mango-habanero popsicle are some of the suggested items.
"With so many options, it was impossible to include everyone, so we want this to serve as inspiration to find what works for individuals at their favorite establishments," the deputy mayor said.
The campaign, which Tomalin described as "an engagement opportunity around eating," isn't meant to have a start or end point. And while every route is modeled after one progressive meal, the stops don't have to be completed all at once.
Through the Virtual Progressive Dinners, the city aims to emphasize that eating healthy isn't always restrictive. According to Tomalin, who said dining out is one of her favorite things to do, the idea is to identify great choices.
"We want health to be an integral part of our community's culture," she said.
This article appears in Mar 31 – Apr 6, 2016.