WORK | Helen Freund's Recent Work

Restaurant & Dining Culture

Collage of images including a chef holding a plated dish, restaurant interior, building exterior, food dishes, and a sign for a restaurant called CUBE at 1202 N Franklin Street, with awards plaques, a pizza, a salad, and dining setups.

At one Tampa restaurant, a Michelin star followed by chaos

A chef’s high-end downtown Tampa restaurant netted a star within one year. Then employees walked out.

A table set with various Spanish dishes including sliced bread, green olives with red pepper, slices of cured ham garnished with rings of onion, a bowl of roasted vegetables topped with grated cheese and basil, a bowl of beans with soft-boiled eggs, and a plate with small fish wrapped in olive oil with red pepper.

Tampa Bay’s Top 50 Restaurants

Check out our food critic’s full list of the area’s best restaurants.

A dining table set with multiple wine glasses, brown plates, black chopsticks, and a small vase with yellow and white flowers, in a room with framed portraits on the wall.

She reviewed a Tampa restaurant on Yelp. Then came a lawsuit.

A Tampa woman was sued after reposting a restaurant review to several platforms. The legal battle illustrates the fragile relationship between chefs, restaurant owners and the people they serve.

A person holding a sea shell with visible barnacles attached.

Hot water, bigger storms: What’s the future of Florida’s clam industry?

Cedar Key clam farms, which produce 90% of the state’s clams, took deep hits after being struck by two hurricanes within the past year.

A person trimming or inspecting green plants in a garden near a sidewalk, with two beige Adirondack chairs placed on a grassy area nearby.

A Tampa restaurant garnished plates with foxtail ferns from outside. Is that OK?

Ko, a kaiseki restaurant that shares a space with a recent Michelin star winner, took plants from a plot of land behind the building and used them to garnish plates.

A large sign for The Helm Provisions & Coastal Fare with yellow and black text reading 'Helm Tampabay' in front of a pile of debris and garbage on the sidewalk, a building with a red roof and palm trees in the background.

After 2 hurricanes, Tampa Bay restaurants brace for an uncertain future.

Local restaurants are struggling to recoup heavy financial losses caused by Helene and Milton.

Two men serve food at an outdoor event, one smiling and placing food into a box, the other looking down. Food trays with meat, vegetables, and side dishes are in front of them, and they are wearing black shirts and gloves.

Tampa Bay restaurants were there when we needed them. Now, they need us.

After back-to-back hurricanes, restaurants sprang into action with community relief efforts.

A person walking through a farm with rows of young plants on the left and freshly tilled soil on the right, with greenhouses in the background.

Hurricanes left Tampa Bay farms in bad shape. What’s next for the industry?

After suffering devastating losses this hurricane season, local farmers assess the volatile future of their industry.

Two people standing inside a partially constructed building with wooden framing, insulation, and construction materials around them.

A look at Pinellas Beach restaurants, 6 months after Hurricane Helene.

Six months since storms forged a violent path across the region, Pinellas County beach towns still are struggling to come back to life. The local hospitality industry, which relies heavily on tourism, has been kneecapped.

Two people on a boat observing a muddy river, with grass and shrubs on the riverbank.

New Orleans chefs are joining the fight to rebuild Louisiana’s coast

In the ongoing effort to save Louisiana’s disappearing coast, a group of coastal restoration advocates and scientists are targeting a surprising ally: Chefs.

A woman with long blonde hair sitting at a table in a wine shop or bar, with bottles of wine on shelves behind her, and a wine glass in front of her.

Taste and smell were a part of the job for chefs, wine pros. Then they got COVID-19.

For some around Tampa Bay, it took weeks for their senses to return. Others are still waiting.

Woman wearing a black hat takes a photo of her colorful cocktail with a straw using her smartphone, while smiling at a social gathering.

How Instagram influencers are changing the restaurant industry

Social media entrepreneurs are getting paid to post about restaurants. And restaurant owners are scrambling to keep up.

Woman wearing sunglasses and a cap, holding a large fish over her shoulder near a marina, with boats and a walkway in the background.

Bagging an 84.5-pound amberjack? It's nothing for this local group of 'Femme Fatale' spearfishers.

Bristling at discrimination in the male-dominant spearfishing industry, a group of women formed Louisiana’s only all-female dive club.

Close-up of a gloved hand holding an oyster shell over a container filled with oysters.

Meet Tampa Bay’s newest oyster: the LoCo, from Lost Coast Oyster Co.

It’s the first aquaculture oyster farming operation of its kind in the Tampa Bay area.

Deadly Dose PART 1

Hundreds died using kratom in Florida. It was touted as safe.

Deadly Dose PART 3

Kratom’s path across the US is marked by deception and secrets

A woman wearing a black mask and black bandana with a white pattern, pouring ingredients into a large stainless steel brewing tank in a brewery.

For women working in Tampa Bay’s craft beer industry, there’s progress amid struggle

Fifteen women share their experiences working in a male-dominated field. Here’s what they had to say.

A woman with a braid wearing a green shirt and a black apron standing in a restaurant or cafe, with tables, chairs, and a bar area in the background

Lara is a love letter to Tampa Bay

The restaurant, apothecary bar and bazaar from Suzanne Lara is a chef’s love letter to Tampa. | Restaurant review

A plated gourmet dish featuring a glazed piece of meat atop a bed of vegetables, with sauce, garnished with pasta and microgreens, on a white plate.

Midtown Tampa restaurant Ponte offers a $39 martini — and solid fine dining

Restaurant review: Chef Chris Ponte’s highly anticipated restaurant isn’t cheap — but it is very good.

A bowl of Asian-style noodle dish with wide rice noodles, beef, and chopped vegetables, garnished with chopped green onions, cilantro, and microgreens.

At Lingr in St. Petersburg, Norwegian and Chinese flavors converge and harmonize

Restaurant review: Chef Jeffrey Jew’s ambitious newcomer fuses Nordic-inspired dishes with Asian influences.

Plate of cooked green beans with chopped nuts and a piece of meat topped with chopped nuts, served with brown sauce.

Award-winning chef Anne Kearney brings classic technique and Euro-American flair to Oak & Ola

The Tampa restaurant opened in early 2019 at Armature Works.

Takeout food with a vegetable and noodle salad, a breaded dish with greens, and sliced roasted meat.

A taste of Laos at Sap Sap Lao Cafe in Pinellas Park

Restaurant review: Bright and fiery flavors highlight the menu at this new Laotian restaurant.