After fire and hurricane, island restaurant owners team up for new concepts

A partnership born from tragic circumstances is leading to a pair of new eateries on Sanibel Island. 

The new places have been dubbed Wickie’s Lighthouse Restaurant and The Magic Bus Ice Cream & Caffeine. The owners, according to a statement, are longtime island restaurateurs Brian and Elke Podlasek and Max and Bridget Kolshak. The Podlaseks' Island Cow restaurant was destroyed by fire, while the Kolshaks' Mad Hatter was lost to Hurricane Ian.

That led the restaurateurs to team up.