Their life together hasn’t always read like a romance novel. They lost a baby daughter, and they’ve struggled with the challenges of earning a living and raising their two young sons and her teenage daughter. But Oscar’s “heart” and absolute commitment to family held them together, she says, providing strength and tender comfort in the toughest times.

Today Oscar is one of the managers at Caragiulo’s. He still turns heads on the street and gets the occasional modeling gig. But the man who caught Christine’s eyes as “Sarasota’s hottest piece of eye candy” 15 years ago has turned out to be so much more. “He’s evolved as a human being and a whole man,” she says. “I consider myself blessed to walk through life with him.”

Jeff Kaiser

Look at Jeff Kaiser and you’ll see a handsome 46-year-old in peak condition. That’s hot—but it’s even hotter that he’s fought his way through a life-threatening condition to achieve the vitality he has today. Much to his and his wife Cindy’s shock, last summer Kaiser, a trust officer known for his drive and work ethic, both on the job and in the gym, was diagnosed with a congenital heart condition that required immediate open-heart surgery. The diagnosis hit especially hard because his division at work had just been eliminated. But Cindy says Jeff refused to give in to self-pity, even when the first surgery was followed by another emergency surgery. In fact, the picture she sent us with his nomination was of a grinning Jeff showing off his foot-long scar.
Within a few months he had regained his former health and energy—and landed an even better job, as a regional trust executive for a major national bank.

That’s characteristic of Jeff, says Cindy. “He’s overcome so much”—including times in their 25-year marriage when they made all the usual mistakes, focusing too much on their kids and work and not enough on each other. “My husband is hot because he’s worked at being a better partner,” she says. “Now we wake up every day and realize that everything we want is right here.” It doesn’t get any hotter than that.

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A HOT CAUSE
Sarasota’s Hottest Husbands benefits one of Sarasota’s hottest causes—the men’s programs at The Wellness Community of Southwest Florida. The programs, which were the beneficiary of our kickoff party at Saks Fifth Avenue, offer a wide range of support and counseling services to men who are dealing with cancer. And that’s just a small part of what the Wellness Community does. Serving more than 1,400 people every year, the Wellness Community gives cancer patients and those they love information, encouragement, support and solid hope. And all of its programs and services are free and led by licensed professionals. To learn more about the Wellness Community, go to www.wellness-swfl.org; you’ll also find stories about the Wellness Community in our online edition this month at sarasotamagazine.com.