Customers, staff keep Veranda going strong at 30

The Veranda restaurant is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year and owner Paul Peden attributes its success to local patrons and a loyal staff.

The restaurant, which is made up of two early 1900s houses with a common kitchen, cooks up southern food that is served by a tuxedoed wait staff.

"It's our favorite place. We've traveled the world and it has a Europe feeling to it," said Julie Rush, whose been having lunch at the Veranda every Thursday for years. "The staff is so wonderful and dear with us and we just love them."

Rush eats at the restaurant with her husband, Richard, who enjoys the crab cakes while his wife takes in the view.

"Everything is just so good and it's just a beautiful place and it's wonderful for Fort Myers," said Rush, who has practically tried everything on the menu.

Customers like the Rushes are what Peden prides himself on as well as a staff where the average employee has worked for 10 years.

"It's been through a lot of change but people come here because they know what they are going to get," Peden said about the restaurant that is constantly renovated and updated. "The location isn't that great but our customer base is from Tampa to Naples and they drive here just for the restaurant."

And, that's what Peden is hoping continues to happen as the restaurant turns 30 and continues to offer southern cooking in a relaxed atmosphere.

"It's not a rustle and bustle kind of place," said Rush, adding that the outdoor seating area is nicely lit at night and she has celebrated many birthdays and anniversaries at the Veranda. "It's so beautiful with crystal, linen napkins and [the] tablecloths are exquisite. We sit in our same spot and it's a bit of England for us."

That bit of old world charm is why customers such as Barbara Mann visit the restaurant occasionally.

"I order the crab cakes every time I go," said Mann, who mostly visits the restaurant at lunchtime. "Whatever they serve is more than satisfactory. I always enjoy eating there."

Pottery Garden a creative oasis

Elizabeth Webb, owner of The Pottery Garden, helps Rachael Wohl, 10, of south Fort Myers, write her name on the back of a wine-bottle shaped piece of pottery. Wohl decided to paint the works "Would you like some cheese with that whine?" on the front of the piece. She will be giving it to a family friend.

The creative juices are flowing at the Pottery Garden in south Fort Myers and locals are gathering to learn about the world of pottery painting and ceramics.

Elizabeth Webb is the owner of the shop on McGregor Boulevard that teaches customers how to work on a pottery wheel, paint pots or make a mosaic.

"We are an art studio that offers complete instruction for painting your own pottery," said Webb, of south Fort Myers. She will be celebrating the second anniversary of the shop in February. "It's a nice place to get together with friends and learn something new."

The learning, Webb said, takes place in the studio, which is lined with unfinished pieces and customers' art.

"It is fun and people of all ages come to paint with brushes and other techniques," said Webb who teaches painting using blown bubbles, splattered paint or tissue paper. "It's about having fun and finding out ... we are creative."

Getting that creativity out in the open is why customers can purchase any blank piece to paint or create their own pieces like plates and coasters.

"It's very informal and it's fun to see what everybody does with their creativity," said Gail Reynolds, of Fort Myers, the day manager of the shop, who was once a customer herself.

Reynolds runs the children's day camps, which are available when school is not in session.

Attendees spend the day or half a day playing games, learning to paint on ceramic and making new friends.

Julie Bobman's daughter recently attended a kids day camp. "She loves being here and we have quite a collection at home.

"It's a good way for her to spend her time."

Giving locals a place to spend time and express themselves is why Webb offers Diva Night for adults and after school programs, and she can accommodate large groups.

"It's a fun, safe and creative environment," said Webb about the shop, which uses non-toxic, food-safe products. "We even have an early bird program and specials for those that come often."

Webb opened the shop because of her daughter Victoria Shaker, who teaches art at Gateway Charter.

"I was always crafty and she is artsy so we combined both in the shop," said Webb who created a newsletter as a way to keep customers up to date with the shop's events. "We want this to be a place where the community can come, spend time with friends and enjoy themselves."

Local science whiz loves Google gig

This story ran in the south Fort Myers weekly and in the business section.

Jonathan Hamilton works at California-based Google Inc. and his south Fort Myers parents couldn't be happier.

The 25-year-old is a hometown boy who attended several schools in the area and used his love of science to gain a job at the 2007 Forbes Magazine Best Place to Work.

"It's a dream come true ... It takes a village to raise a family and my teachers helped me a lot," said Hamilton, who grew up in south Fort Myers and now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. "I was encouraged by people in the area who were heavily involved in the sciences."

Born to Ann, an area nurse, and Paul, a pharmacist, Hamilton became enthralled with science and computers in elementary school.

"He got first place in the science fair in fifth grade by creating a computer," said Ann Hamilton about her son who attended San Carlos Elementary. "He was always a really good kid and even the principal didn't believe he could build that kind of project."

The project was just the start for Hamilton who would later get involved in the community as a boy scout, attend Cypress Lake Middle, Cypress Lake High and graduate from Florida State University in Information Studies.

"He had a couple of teachers at Cypress that really took an interest in him and challenged him," Ann Hamilton said adding that she has a few family members who were also in the science fields. "We always encouraged his computer interest and it helped him."

Helping him is what got Hamilton out of college and into Google's Atlanta office where he worked as a paid contractor. He was eventually hired full time and promoted to the Google campus in California.

"After you prove yourself then you move up ... it's been an adjustment because traffic up there is so bad," said Hamilton who lives 15 minutes from work but spends 45 minutes on his morning commute. "When I was growing up here, Fort Myers was a small town but now it's growing more and more."

The growth Hamilton has seen since he moved away shocks him every time he comes to visit his family.

"California looks a lot like Florida with the palm trees but now every time I come back home, there are more buildings and FGCU is here," Hamilton said adding that he can no longer say he is from a small town.

But moving away to work at Google has its perks.

Employees of the company benefit from free on-site day care services, three catered meals daily, laundry facilities and even haircuts.

"It's a dream come true and sometimes I wonder 'if I ever quit working for Google, where would I go?'," said Hamilton, adding that employees are also compensated in different ways when they complete a project successfully. "I wake up in the morning and I don't hate going to work. It's a good way to make a living."