Northwest Florida chef and restaurateur Jim Shirley received the 2022 Torch Award presented by the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association (FRLA) and is bestowed each year at the organization’s Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show in Orlando. The award was presented to Chef Jim during the FRLA fall board meeting on November 3 at the Caribe Royale Resort.

Chef Michael Sichel of Soleil in Destin, Florida will host another Chef's Table Wine Dinner, only this time it will benefit the Emerald Coast Children's Advocacy Center. The dinner will feature wines from Thompson Winery in Russian River Valley, CA. Guests will arrive and be seated at the Chef's table for a five course dinner - each course paired with a Thompson Winery wine. Chef will walk guests through each course, describing the wines and why they were chosen to pair with the dish.

Fresh off their sold-out performances at the Edinburgh Fringe, distinguished artists Gavin Robertson and Nicholas Collett return to Seaside and light up The REP's new season. The Fall Play Series features the innovative work of Nic and Gavin with three different shows over three weeks that will provide endless entertainment. The series takes REP audiences on an epic spy adventure with Agent 007 in Bond: An Unauthorized Parody, encounters spooky tales with a comedic twist in The Ghost Of A Smile, and unravels a mysterious whodunnit in Done To Death, By Jove!

Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation (DCWAF) is pleased to announce that it’s adding two new organizations to its lineup of supported Northwest Florida children’s charities. DCWAF’s Board of Directors has selected Point Washington Medical Clinic (PWMC) and the Ellison McCraney Ingram Foundation to join 15 local children’s charities supported annually.

The Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation (DCWAF) is pleased to announce that the 17th Annual Destin Charity Wine Auction presented by the Jumonville Family raised more than $3.8 million for children in need in Northwest Florida. The record-breaking results are a staggering $1.8 million increase over the previous year.

Just in time for the 2022 season, Chef Jim Shirley opened two new establishments in Seaside, Florida—The Great Southern Cafe's Chicken Shack and C-Bar (Container Bar). Both are located between Sundog Books and The Great Southern Cafe and share a communal courtyard for dining and relaxing.

Tao Group Hospitality is excited to announce the opening of LAVO Ristorante this week on the famed Sunset Strip in West Hollywood. For LAVO’s fourth location, and first in California, LAVO Ristorante is a coastal Italian restaurant designed for an unparalleled year-round alfresco dining experience. The West Coast flagship offers an elevated indoor and outdoor dining experience comprising a spacious sun-drenched dining room, triple-height ceilings with a retractable roof, operable accordion windows, and luxurious Italian furnishings throughout.

Inspired by the endless acts of service across the U.S. from extraordinary non-profits, Land Rover launched the ‘Defender Above & Beyond Service Awards’ to celebrate U.S.-based charitable organizations that are making a positive impact in their local community. Navarre Beach Fire Rescue Inc. was recognized for its work providing emergency response to all emergencies on Navarre Beach, Florida, and automatic aid to all departments in Santa Rosa County along with the military.

Digital Graffiti at Alys Beach is pleased to announce the appointment of John Colette as the festival’s new curator. Colette takes the reigns from his award-winning and highly regarded predecessor and colleague, Brett Phares, who curated the festival for 14 years from inception, a contemporary with whom Colette has long worked. To Colette’s mind, Digital Graffiti is a dynamic platform for art to reach people, an abundantly open experience with unlimited opportunities for perceiving art in a conjoining of ideas, creation, space, technology. The 15th Annual Digital Graffiti at Alys Beach festival, underwritten by The Alys Foundation, will be held May 13-14, 2022.

With the upcoming grand re-opening following a multi-million-dollar renovation, Santa Rosa Golf & Beach Club (SRGBC) is hosting a hiring event to fill numerous positions. The hiring event began on September 20 and will continue throughout the month of October. Applicants are required to make an appointment, which can be arranged by emailing zach@santarosaclub.com. “While it sometimes feels as if these changes have happened overnight, we have been rebranding for a few years now,” said Sarah Brazwell, membership and marketing director for Santa Rosa Golf & Beach Club. The transformation of the course and club is sure to be a hole in one.

"We Interrupt This Broadcast" offers a behind-the-scenes look at the news coverage, funeral, and intrigue surrounding the death of Princess Diana. The podcast, based on Joe Garner's New York Times Bestselling book of the same name, celebrates the crucial role broadcast journalism has played throughout our nation's history. Hosted by legendary broadcaster Bill Kurtis and narrated by NBC's Brian Williams, each episode presents an in-depth look into the reporting of, and reaction to, events that have since become benchmarks in history.

Soleil Soiree will include the ribbon cutting and launch celebration of the VIE show home, a blessing of the house, and information on the show home and the Heritage Dunes north community. The event will take place at the homesite, 68 Heritage Dunes Lane North, on Thursday, June 24, beginning at 4:00 p.m. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be performed in partnership with the Walton Area Chamber of Commerce. A private beach reception will follow with small bites and cocktails catered by Éclat 30a.