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Mystery faces, 'moo-lay' and the 6-foot ruleBy ERNEST HOOPER © St. Petersburg Times, published May 25, 2001 The Palm restaurant is going to bring more than just a renowned reputation for cosmopolitan cuisine when it opens at WestShore Plaza in July. It's going to give an added dose of fame to a few lucky Tampa Bay residents. The restaurant, which began in Manhattan 75 years ago and has locations in 24 cities, features a caricature wall depicting famous men and women. You will find Julia Roberts, Robert DeNiro and Denzel Washington, but you are also going to find some 200 local icons from the worlds of business, arts, politics and the media. Who? That's a secret to everyone except the restaurant managers and those who began receiving letters from the Palm last week. But it's going to be fun to guess: I'll start with George Steinbrenner, Dick Greco and maybe Lee Roy Selmon, even though he's a competitor. You gotta have Lee Roy. Picked up this tip at the recent Tampa Chamber luncheon: If you are having a meal during a job interview, taste your food before reaching for the salt. If you shake first, the prospective employer may conclude you want to immediately alter your new job environment instead of trying to make it work. First impressions. Save a child and you rightfully receive a hero's reward. Ann Ashcraft, executive director of the Healthy Start Coalition of Hillsborough County, says her umbrella organization helped save the lives of 250 children over the past 10 years. Yet the coalition had to battle for funding in the legislative session this year. Fortunately, the group got the money it needed. On Wednesday, they celebrated with an aptly themed "Survivor" breakfast at the annual meeting. More than 10,000 clients are served annually through the groups that make up the coalition, and the infant mortality rate has dropped from 11.2 percent to 7.5 percent. That does not include the increasing number of healthy births. Challenges still abound. The infant mortality rate for blacks is twice as high as it is for whites, reflecting a national trend. Interested in volunteering? Call (813) 223-2800.Whether it's mullet or "moo-lay" for you high-class folks, there will be plenty of it at MacFarlane Park when the local FAMU alumni chapter welcomes football coach Billy Joe. The annual Rattlers Seafood Fest runs from noon-4 p.m. and features cajun crabs, potatoes and plenty of fish When Philadelphia 76ers basketball player Allen Iverson won the NBA most valuable player award last week, Sixers coach Larry Brown had to pay off a bet by sitting on Iverson's lap and giving him a hug at the press conference. Said ESPN's Reece Davis: "It's a good thing Brown delivered that little lap dance in Philly instead of Tampa. Larry might have violated the 6-foot rule." -- Ernest Hooper can be reached at (813) 226-3406 or hooper@sptimes.com. His column appears on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
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