Florida Agenda

By DALE MADISON

One of the legendary figures in South Florida’s club scene is Victor Zepka, owner of the Boardwalk Bar. Looking back from the “vantage point” of 1984, who would have thought that what started as a piano bar in Sunny Isles would become one of the world’s most famous male strip nightclubs? Zepka found the location quite by accident, and at a time when there were far fewer gay bars in town.

“At that time there was a club called 13 Buttons, and the old Seagull Resort,” notes Zepka. “You would never walk down Lincoln Road after 6:00 p.m. There were no safe places and no lighted parking lots at the time,” he adds. At this point, the bar was far from the success it would achieve—or the theme it would adopt.

“It was ‘okay’ business-wise,” explains Zepka about the bar’s early days, “but I just knew that there was much more that I had expected.” The club had yet to take on the trappings that would make it famous.

“Then one day a customer said, ‘Gee I wish there was a club around that featured male dancers,’” Zepka remembers. “I started out with one dancer, who would come out between sets of the piano player, and then I added another and another and, finally, it was one of those things that happened on a lark, and the rest as they say is ‘history,’” Zepka says with a laugh.

Although he was enjoying the successes of owning a popular spot, the true impact of it had yet to hit. That was soon to change. “After the business really took off, I went to Amsterdam, as the boyfriend wanted to try marijuana legally. While we were there at a local bar, the bartender and two of the patrons asked where we lived,” says Zepka. “We told them ‘Miami,’ and after a second, they asked ‘Have you heard of a place called the Boardwalk?’ It was really quite flattering,” he admits.

“Can you imagine that in South Florida we get five million tourists a year, and Las Vegas gets 53 million a year? We are so fortunate to have the kind of quality people who visit, and Boardwalk is fortunate to have the staff and the boys who work for us,” he says.

Just after the turn of the millennium, Zepka relocated the business from Sunny Isles to its present location in Greater Fort Lauderdale. “It is hard to believe that we have now been here in the new location for 10 years,” says Zepka. Along the way, he acquired a new business partner in the person of Jim Kolkana, who himself boasts a highly successful history as an entrepreneur. The Boardwalk continues to grow: In their current location, Zepka and Kolkana have partnered with longtime community member and restaurateur Vicky Bennett to open the very popular Beefcakes Restaurant.

Zepka is grateful for his success, and for the ongoing community support. “At this point we don’t have to recruit people, they actually seek us out. One of the things that we really promote is that we are gay owned and operated. We support gay-owned businesses and hope that they return the support, and not just to us.”

Zepka tries to maintain a generous personal outlook on business. “Sean David, the owner of Johnny’s [a competing men’s strip nightclub], is a former business partner here at Boardwalk. I love him, as he is a gay man and I want people to support him and his business,” says Zepka, with the mark of a true gentleman.perfect fit to re-introduce the Jackhammer T-Dance.”

The pair teamed up recently with original “Studio 54” bartender Sal Defalco, and original “Studio 54” deejay Richie Rich, and held a “Studio 54 Reunion Weekend Party.” It was so successful, that another one has been planned for September. Get ready, too, for the Blackheart Ball in April, to benefit Broward House and the Leather Archives and Museum. If you haven’t stopped by recently, please do and make sure you tell them that Florida Agenda sent you.

By DALE MADISON

I always enjoy hearing the back stories of how so many entrepreneurs got their starts in business. This writer first met Russ Johannsen when he was a young, star bartender at the original Cathode Ray on Las Olas Boulevard. I knew him again for years at the Eagle, and finally after he became “Mr. Ramrod.” I met his partner, Chris Burdekin, when he and I worked for Party Concepts, a Miami-based event production company which stages events costing an average of $100,000. Is it any wonder that the events at Club Boom are over-the-top?

“We worked for so many bar owners in South Florida, and we really honed our craft,” says Johannsen.

“While Chris was involved in the party and event business, he learned how to build all sorts of props, walls, and create illusions for corporate events, weddings and other parties,” Johannsen recalls. “Myself, I just learned how to manage a bar. It’s not easy to effectively manage a bar, but I did it.”

The pair is perhaps best known as the successful team behind Jackhammer. “We signed the papers to purchase ‘Chaps’ bar, which had encountered a few problems.

But we believed in the location, and we closed on April 15, 2002. We shut down and Chris began his vision of construction. All of the staff told us there is no way you will meet your scheduled opening date,” he remembers.

Adds Burdekin: “I made up my mind that the construction would be done in two weeks. Now décor will take a bit more because I am a perfectionist and I won’t just slap on a coat of paint and say, ‘Look, we’ve remodeled.’ But I was so much of a perfectionist that the staff was walking out the back door with wet paint brushes at the same moment people were coming in the front door for the Grand Opening,” Burdekin says, laughing. That was on July 4, 2002.

Burdekin remembers the pain of having to once more change locations. “We had really developed such a great following, but when the development group purchased the property, we had to move. Steel Nightclub was available, and reasonably nearby, so we took a chance,” he says. Steel lasted for three years.

“Craig Attebury, along with his business partner Tim Fautch, the owners of Boom, became regular customers of ours at Steel,” Burdekin says. “When you own a bar, you like to escape once in a while and Russ and I were the same way. We became regulars at Boom on our nights off, and we all became good friends.” That friendship led to other things.

“One fateful afternoon we stopped by Boom, and Craig was there and we just started talking. Craig had some ideas of parties and pageants and asked if I would be willing to help with décor. God knows I have a warehouse full of stuff for most any event, and so of course my reply was ‘sure!’” remembers Burdekin. “After that, one thing evolved into another event, and before you knew it, Russ was on the bar and I was decorating, and it seemed like a perfect fit to re-introduce the Jackhammer T-Dance.”

The pair teamed up recently with original “Studio 54” bartender Sal Defalco, and original “Studio 54” deejay Richie Rich, and held a “Studio 54 Reunion Weekend Party.” It was so successful, that another one has been planned for September. Get ready, too, for the Blackheart Ball in April, to benefit Broward House and the Leather Archives and Museum. If you haven’t stopped by recently, please do and make sure you tell them that Florida Agenda sent you.

By DALE MADISON

Do the names Jean Doherty and Veronique Leroux sound familiar? These women own one of the hottest little restaurants in South Florida. Le Patio boasts just 282 square feet, making it one of the most intimate dining places around. It has certainly become one of my favorite eateries. On April 1, the duo celebrates three years as proprietors of “the tiniest, cutest restaurant” in town.

Sitting at the bar–which serves beer and wine—a sign caught my eye: “This is not Burger King: you don’t get it your way.” I chuckled about it as Veronique (“Vero”) quickly pointed out “that is NOT our philosophy! We will do what we can to make your dining experience just that, an experience.”

Friends took me to Le Patio last month for my birthday, and it was one of the best meals I have ever had. That was not the first time that I had been there, and I have always been intrigued by the tiny size of the place. When I finally caught up with these delightful women to get their back story, it turns out that it spans 24 years, and is fascinating.

Doherty and Leroux met while both were working as sales reps for a company in Leon, Spain. Jean’s boss told her “you need to take the new rep out for training.”

“At 4:00 p.m. we went to the local pub,” Doherty recalls. “Vero thought it was a test for her, but that was 4:00 p.m. and I think at 6:00 p.m. we were at U-Haul. Of course we all laugh about the fact that the girls always do that. We did rent a truck and moved in together. Been together ever since and neither of us can see us being apart,” she adds.

Leroux picks up the story: “We bought a house together. Our daughter Kathleen was so important in the relationship. She has been so supportive.” She remembers their first restaurant. “It was a little Tex-Mex with a bar,” recalls Leroux. “It worked out well but it wasn’t what we wanted.” It was while they owned the bar and restaurant in Leon, “The West Saloon,” that the couple made their partnership permanent. “The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence held our commitment ceremony,” says Doherty. “They waived a toilet bowl brush over us and pronounced us ‘wife and wife.’”

Three years ago, Leroux and Doherty were scouting locations for their signature Wilton Manors café. “We wanted the space where the tattoo parlor is next to Matty’s,” says Doherty. “We called the owner and were told, ‘Sorry, I just leased it. BUT, I have another space around the corner.’ We met him and fell in love with the space. And we have been so happy that we have it. It’s become our home.”

Doherty and Leroux attribute the success of Le Patio to its patrons. “One of the greatest testaments for our little restaurant is 98 percent of our clientele is gay, one percent is lesbian, and one percent is straight,” says Doherty. “We love our gay boys. They come in, have a wonderful time, they bring in their mothers, and all have a great time, and we love them,” she adds.

The couple is grateful also for their friends in the community. “If it not been for our general contractor, Jeb Sherer, I don’t know where we would be. He was our saving angel,” notes a thankful Doherty. “You know only one-in-10 restaurants succeed. We are proud to still be here and are energized every day to be here,” she says.

By DALE MADISON

Stephanie Lee, one of the owners of the new Wilton Drive eatery Pinché Taqueria, has enjoyed her share of twists and turns, both personally and professionally. Lee, along with business partner Jeff Chartier, has been a professional restaurateur for three years. She and Chartier met when both worked in the financial industry, he a broker and Lee a trader in the same brokerage.

Before becoming a broker, Chartier lived in Tijuana, Mexico, where he learned all facets of the food industry–from the “front of the house” to working the line and serving. Little did he think at the time that it would be something for which he would feel such passion.

While living in New York in 2009, with the mortgage business collapsing, both Chartier and Lee knew that something would have to change. Chartier opened his first Pinché Taqueria in the SoHo neighborhood of Lower Manhattan. Serving basic Mexican cuisine, the small restaurant could only seat about 10 people, but if you’ve ever been to New York City, many of the restaurants are small, basically with walk up service, allowing patrons to grab and go to get back to the office.

He had just opened his second store: “Are you ready to leave that desk job?” he asked. The rest is cliché, or history, as we say. Lee continued to work at her office day job, and at night learned the Mexican food business inside and out.

Both Lee and Chartier realized that they really didn’t want to spend winters in the New York cold. Besides, as Lee pointed out, “our business really slowed in the winter months.

Enter Lee’s hairstylist, Eric, who is friends with Wilton Manors Mayor Gary Resnick. When Lee mentioned that she and Chartier were thinking of opening a store in Florida, Eric’s immediate response was “Go to Wilton Manors.”

The pair packed their bags, boarded a plane, and flew to Greater Fort Lauderdale to search for a location. “We found this big white box building,” Lee described the Wilton Drive complex across from City Hall that now houses their restaurant. The two designed the architectural layout, and presented their ideas to the building’s owner, who loved the look, was excited about the plans, and approved it on the spot.

Lee and Chartier are hoping to make a splash in the Gayborhood, with their Grand Opening scheduled for Wednesday, March 28 at 6:30 p.m., an event that’s sponsored by Herradura Tequila. Lee says that food delivery service starts this week, with delivery from Commercial Blvd. to Las Olas Blvd., and from Powerline Rd. to Federal Highway. Curiosity got the best of me and I had to ask, “What is the meaning in Spanish of Pinché Taqueria?” Lee paused with a twinkle in her eye: “I don’t know if you can put this in your article but it is Mexican slang meaning ‘that f’ing Taqueria.’” I will let the editor make the call on this one.

I stopped by Pinché Taqueria for lunch later that afternoon, and I will say the food was great and the place a wonderful addition to the growing restaurant community on Wilton Drive.

As for co-owner Stephanie Lee, one look at her face is all you need to know about her feelings for her new venture and her new town: “I am having the time of my life and I will never go back to a desk job,” she said. When you visit Pinché, tell them Guy Magazine sent you.

By BOB KECSKEMETY

At the “tender” age of 31, Jason Tamanini, general manager of The Manor Entertainment Complex in Wilton Manors, already has an impressive list of accomplishments. And with ten years of restaurant, nightclub, and bar management under this belt, Tamanini has no intention of slowing down.

A Philadelphia native, Tamanini took accelerated classes in high school, and graduated at the age of 20 from the University of Pittsburgh, with a major in psychology and a minor in business administration. At Pitt, Tamanini became vice president of Alpha Epsilon Pi, the international Jewish fraternity; and during his senior year, came out to his fraternity brothers.

“They were very accepting,” he recalls. “I was really nervous and I
ended up coming out to everybody in one day. I just ripped off the
bandage and, thankfully, everybody was accepting. Some of them said
they weren’t surprised and were just waiting for me to say it.”

As a summer job, Tamanini went to work at the Hilton in Key West,
which gave him an opportunity to study their business model as well as
to put his degrees to good use. They could come in handy again when he
moved to the Boca/Delray area to attend FAU, to study for his Master’s.

To earn extra money, Tamanini got a job at Dakota 624, an upscale
steak house and nightclub where he accepted a management position
at the age of 21. While Dakota 624 closed not long after, Tamanini barely
paused to catch his breath, having been introduced to the owner of the
about-to-open China White, a youth-oriented nightclub in downtown
Fort Lauderdale. “It was a learning curve,” admitted Tamanini, “but I
think he was impressed with my work ethic. Some people live to work,
others work to live. I work to live. I enjoy setting a concept, a goal, and
moving forward with it.”

Tamanini believes his own youth at the time had something to do with
getting the general manager’s gig at China White. “I was young. Older
managers bring older habits with them and [the owner] wanted to start
fresh, young, creative, and fun.” Tamanini started at China White in
2002 and remained there until 2006. Essentially a straight club, China
White had a number of successful weekly gay nights.

While still at China White, Tamanini was contacted by the management
of Halo nightclub in Washington, DC., who convinced Tamanini to join
them in opening their Miami Beach location on Lincoln Road in 2007.

Tamanini remained at Halo for two years until October 2009. It was
then that he was contacted by Paul Hugo, The Manor’s co-owner (with
business partner Brett Tannenbaum), and offered the position of general
manager at the soon-to-be-opened entertainment and dining complex.

“I had heard about the project and found it interesting,” remembers
Tamanini. “Rarely does a 16,000 square foot restaurant, bar, and
nightclub open, and I knew it would be an interesting opportunity for
me.” That opportunity has taken him to the present, with The Manor
building an impressive following both from within and outside of Greater
Fort Lauderdale where Tamanini serves on the board of the Rainbow
Business Coalition (RBC) as its co-chair.

Where does Tamanini see himself 15 years from now? He says he
would like to own a venue that he can call his own, as well as have
children—two of them, not for the legacy, but to help him settle down.
“I would like to get them soon,” said Tamanini. “I don’t want to be in
my 70s with two 18 year old kids.”