Orange Park griller wins regional award as top steak master for LongHorn
JACKSONVILLE – Local grill master Makiva Tuisano was recently named one of the top steak masters in the country.
The Jacksonville LongHorn Steakhouse griller from Orange Park took home the regional win after competing in the Steak Master Series, an epic culinary competition where the restaurant’s grilling experts are put to the test on their relentless execution of grilling quality steaks for each guest.
Tuisano is one of 60 team members from across the country to achieve this distinction, out of the more than 5,000 who were invited to participate in the competition.
“Every LongHorn Steakhouse restaurant in the country has a team of certified grill masters who are specially trained in the art of grilling,” said Thomas Hall, executive vice president of operations. “We’re all about quality, and Makiva has proved day in and day out that he is passionate about serving great quality steaks to our guests. That passion and expertise really came to life during the competition.”
Tuisano has worked at LongHorn for 11 years. His favorite part of the job is interacting with his fellow employees. His favorite item on the menu is the Blue Ridge Salad.
The fourth annual Steak Master Series has awards cash prizes totaling more than $200,000. This year’s competition began at the restaurant level, where grill cooks across more than 510 locations competed to move on to the regional round.
Tuisano will soon grill off at the semifinal rounds for the chance to become one of seven top contenders to battle in the finals in Orlando in May.

Lake Asbury Winn-Dixie final Clay store to be remodeled

LAKE ASBURY – Winn-Dixie last week completed its final remodel in Clay County.
The Lake Asbury store at 2851 Henley Road in Green Cove Springs became the newest store to be rebranded with a fresh concept and features, including new signage and a wider selection of items in the produce, deli, meat, bakery, seafood and hot bar departments.
Winn-Dixie also has upgraded its organic and natural products to keep pace with Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and Aldi.
The overhauls are part of a commitment by parent company Southeastern Grocers to remodel 100 stores nationally.
Counting the store at Orange Park that was completed last year, all five Clay County locations now have been completed.