The Local: Winter Garden—July 2022

Star Squeeze Temper, Struck Play Temper

WINTER GARDEN JULY 20 22

The Arthur Bros’ national treasures

Baseball comes back to the Garden

Keep your cool when emotions run hot

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Call Your * BFF. *Bryan Fifer First

16106 Marsh Road, Suite 104 407-614-2622 . bryanfifer.com State Farm Fire and Casualty Company, State Farm General Insurance Company, Bloomington, IL State Farm Florida Insurance Company, Winter Haven, FL State Farm Lloyds, Richardson, TX 1706446

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by the Lake!

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Re-GRAND OPENING Summer Celebration Thursday, July 21, 4 to 7pm Parents and their adult children are invited to enjoy cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and live music on Azpira’s lakeside courtyard.

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C⚫ ntents

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Barking Orders

Star Spangled Brothers

Squeeze Play

Brandon Marquez and Shimanski are on a mission to save lives.

Living history with Austin and Zander Arthur.

HEATHER ANNE LEE

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The Lo’ Down

HEATHER ANNE LEE

16 Tails to Tell

10 Garden Variety

Give Oakley the pleasure of greeting you.

10 Longtime local Reynold 36 Oh, Well!

Lemp’s hometown charm Hot under the collar?

12 Local History: The Local experts offer advice Citrus Freeze of 1983 on keeping a cool mood.

12 Market Watch: MangoKings 42 Eats + Drinks 14 Local News 42 A historical cocktail that 14 Charitable Spotlight: packs a summer punch.

Special Hearts Farm 44 Vanilla scoops that are anything but ordinary.

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WI N TE R G AR DE N

Baseball comes back to the Garden.

TARIN SCARBROUGH

50 Rhetoric

A distractable modern American’s daydream.

ON THE COVER

American heroes, on two legs and four—Marine Corps Veterans Brandon Marquez and Shimanski.

F R E D LO PE Z

Divorce, Paternity, Child Support, Modification and other family-related matters

Allison E.M. Budnik,Attorney 161 S. Boyd St., Suite 100, Winter Garden 407-499-2082 / WGfamilylawfirm.com

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of Managing Expectations Financial intelligence leads to financial freedom.

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I

The Lo’Down

I’m sitting

LOVING THE LOCAL?

in a darkened movie theater, expertly reclined in a plush faux-leather seat. As the first scenes starts to unfold, a surround-sound bass note reverberates… and the vellus hair on my arms stands on end. Top Gun: Maverick opens with the same iconic Harold Faltermeyer theme, set against an opening aircraft carrier montage that shifts into a “Danger Zone” nearly identical to the original, continuing via similar camera angles and dialogue across several iconic scenes.

In this moment, I’m both 50 and 14, and I’m shocked to feel tears well hot and heavy behind my eyes.

That’s the power of nostalgia.

Nostalgia is the song you set to repeat and belt out the window on every road trip since the first. It’s also the song that was the soundtrack to heartbreak, whose lyrics stung more than your own tears. Nostalgia is passing a stranger who wears the same cologne as an old love, casting you backwards to a storm of unfiltered emotion you thought you’d long overcome. And nostalgia is a sun-soaked July, where the night sky is colored with fireworks, a hypnotic cocktail of science and spectacle that never fails to connect friends and strangers in shared moments of wonder.

I believe this issue embraces the very best of nostalgia, weaving together the kind of stories that make you unabashedly patriotic and grateful to live in a community where such people coexist. Take, for example, Brandon Marquez and Shimanski, two combat-decorated veterans whose missions have taken them into the proverbial danger zone again and again. Their bond is both heroic and humbling, and I’m delighted to call them friends. There’s the bottle of We The People Chardonnay I shared with Austin and Zander Arthur, brothers whose unequivocal love for America, history and community color everything from businesses to billiards. And I’ve been thrilled to sit in the stands and cheer for the Squeeze, Winter Garden’s very own baseball team, and quite possibly its best-kept secret.

The support from our local advertisers make it all possible.

Please consider thanking them with your support.

FIND US ONLINE @thelocalwg

FIND US IRL

Abbott’s Frozen Custard Axiom Bank Hamlin Cariera’s Fresh Italian Foxtail Coffee Co. Jeff ’s Bagel Run Main House Market Pammie’s Sammies Pearle Vision Ocoee Pico Bistro Polka Dotz Puppy Dreams Rita’s Italian Ice Rosallie Le French Cafe Seacoast Bank Sweet Dee’s Cupcakery Thai Blossom The French Cafe Three Birds Cafe Tres Amigos W. Orange Public Library WG Heritage Museum Wheel Works E-Bikes Winter Garden Pizza Co. Writer’s Block Bookstore AntiquiTeas @Plant St Market and more!

This particular confluence of stories tells a pretty epic tale of community, with a plot that’s deeper and more profound than any movie script. Because the thing that makes this city—this country—so great is its people. Red, white,and you.

A

Heather Anne Lee Editor

P U BLI CAT I O N

emagency.com 407-573-6061 @EMagencyinc

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O F

“As an optometrist, being able to positively impact someone’s life by helping them see better brings me so much joy and fulfillment!”

—Dr. Angela L. Washington

MEET OUR NEW OPTOMETRIST Dr. Angela L. Washington is a member of the American Optometric Association, the Florida Optometric Association, the Central Florida Society of Optometric Physicians, and Black Eyecare Perspective. She is passionate about caring for patients with advanced eye diseases and preventing the progression of myopia in nearsighted children.

She is a native Floridian, a wife, and a mom of two girls.

See Dr. Washington at our NEW Hamlin location!

Ocoee: 11024 W. Colonial Dr. Winter Garden: 5736 Hamlin Groves Trail 407.565.9290 pearlevision.com

THE ADVISORY BOARD

Dr. Kim Dawson

Ralph Disciullo

Healthcare entrepreneur and owner of Pearle Vision in Ocoee and Hamlin. Kim has been passionate about health and wellness for over 20 years. She received her doctorate in Health Science at MUSC in South Carolina. Kim has lived in Winter Garden for 10 years and is inspired daily by her two children, Symone and Desiree. In her free time, Kim likes to cook, travel, and read novels.

Branch Manager with Success Mortgage Partners, setting the highest standards in the industry by putting people first. Prior to the mortgage industry Ralph played a key role in the startup of several businesses.

Originally from Emerson, NJ, Ralph attended USF in Tampa and now resides in Winter Garden with his wife of 17 years, Sandi, and their two daughters Daniella and Avery.

Tracey Forrester

Bryan Fifer

Tracey is a community advocate helping individuals, families and small business owners gain access to affordable legal coverage with LegalShield, as well as help protect against identity theft through IDShield. She has been a resident of Horizon West since 2007 with her beautiful teenage girls, Averie and Bryce. Cofounder of Horizon West Professionals and founding member of the Rotary Club of Horizon West, Tracey believes lasting relationships start with community .

Local agent with State Farm Insurance. Bryan is a Central Florida native, Founding President of the Rotary Club of Horizon West, Horizon West Who’s Who Award Winner, and Team Captain for All-Pro Dad. He is married to his beautiful wife Angie and they have two wonderful children. Bryan is highly invested in making Horizon West the best place to work, live, and play.

Becca Lanterman Pam Thomas

Mark Schmidt

Owner of Winter Garden Senior Home Care. Becca is a second-generation Winter Garden resident, and her local roots run deep. She is the true embodiment of joy, and has never met a stranger. Becca loves living the “bubble life,” where her golf cart is her primary mode of transportation. She has dedicated her life to tending to the special needs of our local senior adults.

Owner of Pammie’s Sammies, a “thoughtfully sourced, tastefully adventurous” restaurant in the heart of downtown. She is a passionate foodie with a degree in Wine, Spirits, and Beverage Management at the International Culinary School in Tampa. Pam is a staple of the Central Florida community, having operated in Universal Orlando, Dr. Phillips, and now Winter Garden.

Mark has been a resident of Central Florida for 34 years. He spent over 30 years in the Radio and Television industry and currently works for Boyer Building Corp. as the New Business Development Manager. Interests include cheering on the Buffalo Bills, golf and enjoying the next great glass of wine. He is married to his wife, Gina, and has a “Morkie” named Finley!

Angie Layfield NHA/CDAL

Iliana Ramos Jones Family, faith,

Kirsten Harrington

Executive Director at The Blake at Hamlin, a senior living and memory care community in Hamlin Town Center.

Angie has been in the senior housing industry for over 20 years and brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, and insight to our Horizon West seniors and their families. Though originally from Maryland, she has called Horizon West home since 2016.

Angie and her family reside in Village F’s Watermark.

and passion are the three major pillars of Iliana’s life. She and her brothers own Empire Finish Systems, of which she is the active CFO. A retired marathon runner, she has transitioned to the more tranquil pastime of acquiring house plants. When not working, she loves spending time with her amazing husband, Charlie, discovering new food, traveling and quiet evenings on Lake Apopka.

Kirsten is a freelance magazine writer who just returned to Winter Garden after two years of living in China. She loves to travel and explore new places, especially where food is concerned. You can often find her out on the bike trail, in the kitchen with her family, or checking out the local food scene and sharing her finds on Instagram, @ wintergardenfoodie.

WINTER GARDEN July 2022 Vol. 1 No. 11

ADVERTISING Jamie Ezra Mark Publisher jamie@emagency.com 352-425-6400 Nicole Spooner Account Executive nicole@mpactorlando.com 407-595-4793

EDITORIAL Heather Anne Lee Editor heather@emagency.com Rheya Tanner Art Director Josh Clark Designer Wendy Mak Designer Andrew Ontko Designer Caleb Jensen Web Karen Pazik Production Director Fred Lopez Chief Photographer Tarin Scarbrough Writer Kelsi-Ann Bailey Intern MacKenzie Hancock Intern Maia Slowinski Intern

JOIN THE LOCAL COMMUNITY

We get even better when you get involved Know someone extraodinary?

Want to write for the magazine?

Got a story to pitch?

Send ideas and images to:

thelocalwg@emagency.com

PRO U D M EM BER S OF

The Local Volume 1 Issue 11 ©2022 Em Agency. All rights reserved. Published monthly. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Opinions expressed in the articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Em Agency. Reader submissions have been edited for length or clarity. Advertising of products does not imply endorsement. Em Agency can not be held liable for the business practices of these companies.

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The Local

WI N TE R G AR DE N

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Winter Garden’s favorite pastor is living his best life at 94 years young.

Everybody Loves Reynold

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The Local

WI N TE R G AR DE N

VOCAL LOCALS

THIS MONTH’S QUESTION

What’s your favorite thing made in America?

Shauna T.

Jim H.

Paola C.

Mark F.

Vanessa M.

Hallmark Greeting Cards. I save almost every card I receive; they’re like a time capsule, taking me back to the moment I received them.

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts.

Made in America since 1937!

Movies and shows! There are many American classics that will forever be remembered, like “Forrest Gump” and “Friends.”

I like most things that are made in America, but especially microbreweries or local beers. That’s always good.

The mix of cultures that we have here since it’s like no other place in the world. Oh! And I love chicken and waffles.

I

t’s a Friday night ritual: Pad Thai and Pineapple Fried Rice at Thai Blossom, followed by dessert at Scoops. Fed and happy, Pastor Reynold Lemp finds space on a bench or chair along Plant Street, close enough to hear the live music playing at the gazebo, but far enough to still enjoy conversation. And there will be conversation, for wherever Reynold is, good conversation soon follows.

Ever since he hitchhiked his way to Florida from Greenville, SC, in the 1950s, the charming 94-year-old has been delighting Winter Gardeners with colorful stories, heartfelt hugs, clever one-liners, and deeply appreciated prayer. In a word: Joy, personified.

All it took was one trip to the sleepy town surrounded by citrus groves and agriculture to call it home. “God closed all the wrong doors and opened the right ones to bring me here. I’ve been blessed,” he remembers.

The young preacher made such an impression on a group of strangers that they asked him to join them in founding a new church: Calvary Baptist. “There was never any doubt that I would say yes,” he says. And in 1953, Calvary was born in Winter Garden’s American Legion Hall with 17 charter members. For 50 years, he served as pastor, taking Calvary from humble

American Legion beginnings to its current home at 631 S. Dillard Street, a structure he helped build, with his bare hands. Whose floors he swept.

Whose walls he painted. Whose families he tended. Patiently, diligently, passionately. “I just love people,” he says, his broad smile lighting up his face, crinkling his blue eyes.

Spend 10 minutes with him and you’ll know, instinctively, this to be true. His stories are peppered with memories of friends, past and present. His late wives. The Ropers. Mayor John Rees. Even Effie Turner, profiled on these pages in March 2022, is a close friend. “Effie and Collie’s wedding was the very first I officiated,” he says with a smile. “They were so in love. We were friends for years, going on vacations together, raising families. Good people. This town is just filled with good, good people. I’m just so blessed.”

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Garden Variety

LOCAL HISTORY

Orange Crushed

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WI N TE R G AR DE N

MARKET WATCH

MangoKings

The sweet beginnings of one of the market’s sweetest treats.

After getting married in 2012, Elaine Oquendo and Walter Hernandez were craving something sweet. They wanted to run a business side-by-side and after months of consideration, an idea fell seamlessly from a tree right into their laps. Sweet mangoes! Taking recipe inspiration from countries like Puerto Rico, Guatemala, and Mexico, they established MangoKings. In the fall of 2017 they would open their booth at the Winter Garden Farmers Market.

To their amazement, MangoKings hit the ground running. Hundreds of people flock to their stand weekly in hopes of tasting of juicy, sweet Mango Flowers and their refreshing Mango Coladas. Not surprisingly, Elaine and Walter’s small stand would become a mobile paradise.

The momentum of MangoKings has yet to stop. The wide variety of tropical drinks and mango-fied recipes offered continues to keep people excited and coming back for more. MangoKings is proud to provide Winter Garden with the best and sweetest mango-inspired treats in Central Florida.

Stop by their booth and discover a sweet sensation that will usher you to paradise. —Kelsi-Ann Bailey

Image and research for Local History courtesy of the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation

Imagine it … Winter Garden, Christmas 1983. For two nights in a row, the mercury dips below 19 degrees, bringing wafts of snow and leaves of trees frozen solid to their roots for more than 10 hours each night. For some, it’s a rare, picture-perfect Florida white Christmas. For the citrus industry, it’s pure devastation.

According to the West Orange Times, the orange “pickers cut their season short with nothing much to look forward to for the next year.” Employees faced bleak possibilities due to the abnormal season. The citrus trees that made people their living had become either heavily pruned or dead, caused growers to make the painful decision between preparing to grow new trees or waiting a couple of years. The few citrus trees that survived were so frozen that juice didn’t drizzle out of the citrus when cut. Growers also faced “die back,” which according to the Times is the “process whereby limb-frozen trees die due to their inability to support foliage and themselves.”

All told, one-fourth of the state’s $1 billion citrus crop was lost when this arctic blast rearranged Florida’s citrus landscape. In Winter Garden, citrus families remember the freeze of Christmas 1983 as the “winds of Christmas,” or “the Christmas massacre.” —Mackenzie Hancock

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THERE IS ALWAYS GOOD NEWS IN THE GARDEN

Just when you think summer can’t get any hotter…

A second HOTWORX location in Winter Garden (@hotworxwintergarden_wcolonial) is now officially open.

What pairs best with an extra hot workout? Food, of course!

Cariera’s new pizza oven has finally arrived, and your favorite local Italian joint will be slinging pies later this month.

Eat Fresh Kitchen (@eatfreshkitchen) has been jam-packed since their opening last month in Winter Garden Village. And guess what? We definitely #giveaFK about their healthy choices. But rest assured, when Southern Home Bakery (@southernhomebakery) opens on Plant Street later this summer, we will be there, too. It’s all about balance, people. Speaking of Plant Street changes, The Ancient Olive (@theancientolivewintergarden) replaced The Sacred Olive, bringing a delicious new experience to the space; and Fat Mike’s Hot Chicken has been sold to new owners and is now Orange Crate Cafe. They’ll keep some of Fat Mike’s favorites as well as debut some new options. One of Winter Garden’s favorite OB/Gyn’s launched a new practice last month. Shweta Patel debuted Gaya Wellness (@gaya_wellness) last month, bringing an integrative health and telemedicine experience to the ladies of Winter Garden. Shout out to Mrs. Winter Garden, Alyson Chu for being honored with the community service award from the Florida America Pageant Committee. You made us proud, Alyson! And if you haven’t already, swing by Frozen Cow (@frozencowicecream) and drop off your gently used suitcases and backbacks to help Florida foster kids in need.

SHARE YOUR LOCAL GOOD NEWS! Email heather@emagency.com

CHARITABLE SPOTLIGHT

Special Hearts Farm Originally concepted as a small program for Dr. Phillips High School by Kathy Meena in 2014, Special Hearts Farm expanded its mission in November 2017 to be a collaboration between Orange County Public Schools and the Special Hearts Farm (501c3). The mission: To give individuals with disabilities and unique abilities real life, vocational experience. Located in Winter Garden at 1100 East Maple Street, the Farm offers two programs: adult day training and one for OCPS students. Both programs work together to take care of the animals and make things to sell, including goat milk soap and woodworking crafts. Today, Special Hearts Farm is working on a new initiative called the Forever Home, which will include an event barn and a series of residential homes that will allow individuals to live, work, and play on the farm for years to come. —Mackenzie Hancock

Get Involved!

www.specialheartsfarm.com / 407-347-8431

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WI N TE R G AR DE N

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Tails to Tell Homeward Bound Oakley Lab/Great Pyrenees, age 3 Hello! Welcome! I’m Oakley, and it’s my goal to make everyone feel right at home. That’s what my humans did for me a few years ago, when they adopted me from the South Lake Animal League. They welcomed me and loved me, and even reunited me with my littermates on my first birthday.

Since that day, I’ve said hello to everyone I meet, people of all shapes and sizes, because I want them to know they are welcome, like I was.

Does your pet have a tail to tell?

Share it at in.thelocalwg.com/tell-tails

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703 Vineland Rd., Winter Garden puppydreamspetboarding.com 407-654-8885 FAMILY OWN ED

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Brandon Marquez with Reilly (left) and Shimanski (right)

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The Local

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Heroes. Best Friends. Marines. How Brandon Marquez and Shimanski are helping locals live better lives.

H E AT H E R AN N E LE E

S

himanski’s bright brown eyes scan the reaches of Tucker Ranch, his pointed black ears half flop forward in relaxation. He pads alongside Brandon Marquez, off-leash, a loyal, confident gait, tongue lolled to the left in a nod to the late afternoon Florida summer heat.

Shimanski’s 55-pound, wiry Belgian Malanois frame stands in sharp contrast to the tumble of puppy enthu-

siasm that frolics behind: a fluffy golden retriever named Reilly, only five months old.

Shimanski ignores the puppy play, choosing instead to sit just to the left of Brandon’s feet, in response to a simple, almost unnoticeable hand gesture. Reilly takes notice, stopping to sit as well.

This is literally a walk in the park for the 35-year-old veteran and renowned dog handler. After more than a decade together, Shimanski

F R E D LO PE Z

and Brandon are attuned to each other in a way that defies any normal dog-owner relationship.

Together, they are war heroes, both recipients of numerous combat and valor awards.

Together, they have saved innumerable lives in the Middle East, Afghanistan, and Somalia, sniffing out bombs and weapons caches.

And together, they are training up Reilly and her

sister Lucky into a new form of service.

Corps Values When Brandon joined the Marine Corps in 2010 as a teenager from New Hampshire, he was assigned to security forces—a good assignment, one that offered a variety of options for his future, but enough action to fulfill his adrenaline-seeking side. He sailed through bootcamp, enjoying the physical

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challenges, excelling at tactical training, and quickly making a name for himself at military police school.

“I didn’t have a real career goal in the beginning,” Brandon remembers. “I just wanted the challenge. But when I got to tech school and heard about the dog handling program, something shifted. Like, immediately.

Training dogs for the military? That sounds fantastic!

Sign me up,” he laughs.

Brandon laser-focused on the highly selective program, continuing his rigorous military police training while navigating the application process.

After months of essay writing, speaking, and interview after interview, he was one of four selected to the program — just before it lost its funding, and he was shipped off to protect and serve in Japan instead.

“So when I got to Japan, I was like, ‘No, I still really want to do this. How do I make it happen? So I just started sorting it out on my own. I found a dog training facility and volunteered.

Kind of like an internship. I spent every minute I could at the doghouse, learning, learning, and learning.”

Within one year, Brandon grasped the concepts of working dogs and various dog-training styles while working with many different breeds and various capa-

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The Local

bilities. And in that time, funding came back to the handler program, and Brandon found himself back in the San Antonio, Texas heat, at tech school. From there it was back to Japan for another year, before being highly recommended and selected to move to North Carolina to join the Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) as a Multi-Purpose Canine (MPC) Handler.

The MPC program for MARSOC was in its infancy, so much so that Brandon’s assignment included starting the kennel program from scratch. “We had a really great group of people who came in to launch that program, it was almost carte blanche.

Well, as much as the military allows that kind

WI N TE R G AR DE N

of thing,” Brandon jokes.

“But that first team, we wrote all of the policies, procedures, training manuals … everything.”

Brandon literally wrote the handbook on dog training with Shimanski— his first and only military working dog—by his side.

One year later, Brandon and Shimanski were in Afghanistan. And over the course of the next seven years, four deployments and hundreds, possibly thousands, of missions, the pair elevated the program, refined it, and built it to what it is today.

Brandon’s program with MARSOC differs from the Department of Defense’s 341st Training Squadron at Lackland, Air Force Base.

Lackland trains about 300

dogs (plus their handlers) per year in basic field and combat tracking. The most intensive training is reserved for dogs and soldiers who are paired up for the specialized search dog program, which trains the teams for war and danger zones. Dogs in that program are trained for two months on bomb and weapon detection and another 60 days on aggression.

The dogs at MARSOC, meanwhile, are trained as multipurpose canines.

“One mission might be explosives, another may be tracking, every situation is different. Our dogs need to be able to do it all. So while we all go through the initial program at Lackland, once you get selected to MARSOC, we have another intensive training site where the handlers get paired with their dog—singular.”

Indeed, the bonding is paramount to the success of the program. “We are with our dogs 24-7. They live with us, day in and day out. Even on your day off, you’re taking care of your dog. Because the dogs don’t take a day off from being alive, right? So the bonding just kind of happens. I make the joke that I was with Shimanski more than my wife and kids. And it’s kind of funny, but it’s also true. Very, very true.”

BASIC TRAINING Brandon literally wrote the MARSOC handbook on dog training with Shimanski—his first and only military working dog. Over the course of the next seven years, four deployments and hundreds of missions, the pair elevated and refined the program into what it is today. Both Shimanski and Brandon earned Combat and Valor Awards for their service, (shown left) on Shimanski’s collar.

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Second Acts Truthfully, Brandon loved his military career. His colorful stories aren’t tainted by any form of regret, only pride. Still, the cumulative toll of repeat deployments, routine explosions, hard-won battles, intense warfare, and never-ending adrenaline over the course is palpable. “There are compound effects of traumatic brain injury that I started to see. I chose to ignore it. But one day, I’m pouring a glass of juice for my daughter, and my hand starts shaking like I’m an 85-year-old man, and my wife was like, ‘That’s enough.’ And it really was.”

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Brandon took his time exiting from the military, prioritizing his health and wellness. “It was probably close to a year or so that I was just going through treatment. I was still at the kennels every single day, working with the dogs and the new guys, revamping the program based on all our combined real-world experiences. In fact, what had started as a three- to four-month program back in 2011, 2012, is now a nine-month thing for new handlers. It’s such a great program, and I’m so proud of the work I did there…”

Of course, the slide out of active duty wasn’t with-

WI N TE R G AR DE N

out challenges. “At first, I was like, ‘Wow, this is great.

I’m not traveling anymore.

I’m at home with my family, enjoying my wife, my kids, my dog.’ And I was really putting a concerted effort into taking care of myself, improving my life and my health, keeping up with my treatments — which will be a lifelong thing. You don’t spend seven years shaking your brain like a blender and not have any long-term effects. But I had so much time, I didn’t know what to do with myself. So I got a part-time job.”

As it turns out, this parttime job ultimately gave Brandon the vision for life

outside of the military. “I would train dogs virtually over the internet, and it was great! For 30 minutes, once a week, clients would sit down with me, and I’d demonstrate the lesson for the week. For example, you want to teach your dog how to sit —I would explain to you exactly how to make your dog sit while watching him do it until you got him to sit. And then we’d move on and teach the dog something else. It was a really great experience, and it really gave me the passion and drive to take dog training into my civilian life.”

Which he has done, only now full-time in Winter

Garden, a location that he and his wife specifically chose to raise their family and launch Crux Canine.

“When I exited the Marine Corps, I was medically retired at 100% permanent disability, which Florida has great benefits for. So part of choosing to come to Florida was the fantastic veteran benefits, but when we visited, we just fell in love with this area. Winter Garden immediately felt like home; it’s a great place to raise kids, it’s a great place to start a business. It’s a small-town feel with bigcity connections.”

Shimanski is along for the ride, of course, as is a shelter dog named Nala. But Lucky and Reilly are the beginning of an entirely new initiative called Southern Cross Service Dogs. “Our goal with it is that we can fully train these dogs and give them away at absolutely no cost to the people who need them,” says Brandon.

He pauses, to reflect. “I looked at this a lot from my own personal experiences.

You know, I talked a little bit about the year-long therapy that I went through.

Training dogs is very, very therapeutic to me. I find so much bliss and relaxation in the process, and that’s just the beginning of what dogs can do. Dogs are being trained to help with autism, to sense seizures

and diabetic shock, to help the blind and deaf.

There’s mobility assistance dogs that can help people perform everyday tasks.

Anxiety, depression, PTSD.

It’s limitless. And I want to be able to give that experience to people. To veterans.

To anyone in need. Without the crazy $20,000 or higher price tag.”

Brandon and Shimanski may have written the book on dog handling, but Reilly and Lucky are well on their way to crafting a brilliant second edition.

ALL IN A NAME The initial logo for the Marine Corps Special Operations included the Southern Cross Star Constellation, and Crux is the formal name of the Southern Cross constellation. Now Southern Cross is the name of Brandon’s new 501(c)3. “Everything—the name, the logo—ties together, as a way to honor my time in the military, which has really given me so much,” says Brandon.

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Star Spangled Brothers How two brothers are connecting the past to their present.

H E AT H E R AN N E LE E

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horeau had Walden Pond. Elvis had Graceland.

Superman had the Fortress of Solitude. And, here, on the third floor of the TD Bank Building on S.R. 50, the Arthur brothers have the Churchill Room.

Austin and Zander Arthur rest against the edge of a blue felt, competition-level billiard table that sits in the center of the room. Distressed wood planks panel every wall, a moody, masculine canvas for an impressive array of World War II memorabilia, both family heirlooms and eBay finds.

The Churchill Room—originally an office filled with cubicles—may have been born of COVID downsizing, but it’s become a nod to the brothers’ shared passion for American history.

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Newspaper clippings with WAR and PEACE in 100-point type. A collection of colorful wartime propaganda posters. An authentic officer’s uniform. World War II aircraft posters. A piece of the Berlin Wall. A mirror, globe, and set of scales from the 1930s, each an heirloom passed down from their grandfather. Their grandfather’s Naval bayonet.

Perhaps the pièce de résistance is the cartoon from the Chicago Tribune drawn by their uncle’s grandfather. “It’s one of our favorite pieces,” says Austin. “A cartoon satire of 1942, during the Battle of Midway. This godlike figure, writing history on the planes as they’re bombing the Japanese carriers.”

Also among the favorites

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is a 150-year-old family Bible passed from generation to generation, most recently left to Austin.

“I loved that Bible growing up,” says Austin. “I always had an affinity for things of Christian faith, and this Bible is special—more than a hundred years old. But I never said anything to my grandmother about wanting it. One day, just after she had passed, I happened to be looking through it, and there was an inscription from her, gifting it to me. So it was a very emotional surprise none of us knew about.”

Zander’s favorite piece, if he had to choose, would be the scale, another heirloom from their grandmother.

“It’s just an old-school scale that was used to measure food, but we have it in here

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to show the scale of powers. On one side there are Reichsmarks, the currency in Nazi Germany. On the other side, you have the Peace Rose, symbolizing the triumph of good over evil.”

If plants could talk, the Peace Rose would tell a tale of faith and grit, where a rare hybrid rose was smuggled out of German-occupied France, only to be renamed after the fall of Berlin.

Grower Francis Meilland, anticipating the occupation would ruin his fields, took cuttings from his beloved plant and methodically

shipped parcels to fellow plantsmen in Germany and Italy in 1939. A third package made its way to Robert Pyle of the Conard-Pyle Company in West Grove, Pennsylvania.

When the Nazis left France, Pyle informed Meilland that he had successfully propagated it, and would introduce the rose to the public at the war’s end. He decided to name the rose Peace in celebration of that event.

Original Patriots So, how do two brothers from Miami develop such a shared passion for American history? For Zander, it started as it does for many boys: playing war in the backyard. “I always wanted to be a soldier. Austin always wanted to be the general or the captain, coming up with

the strategy. I never wanted to be the leader. I just wanted to be the guy that goes to battle,” he laughs. “It never happened, of course.

My father wasn’t opposed to it, but he felt strongly that we could better serve our country by being good citizens, passionate Americans active in our communities.”

For Austin, the passion was more cerebral.

History books captured his attention, especially early American history and the Revolutionary War.

“During middle school, I would sneak my Walkman into class and listen to talk radio— Paul Harvey and other greats—during math class. The very first book I read for pleasure—not for any school assignment—was a history book.

So I just fell in love with history, especially George Washington, who to me is the greatest man who ever lived that wasn’t God. What he did totally changed the world. He did what no man had ever done before, to

have ultimate power and relinquish it.”

Despite these seminal memories, Austin and Zander both attest their greatest influence came from family.

“My real love for America came from Dad and Granddad,” says Austin. “Both lived in our house growing up, and they deeply loved America, just in very different ways. My granddad was a New York liberal, and my dad was an all-American kind of conservative. Politically, they disagreed on ev-

erything. But their arguing never outweighed their love for each other. They taught me that you can have these two opposing views and still share the same values and principles. No matter which side of the aisle, we can all love our country.”

Zander is quick to agree.

“Austin and I have always seen eye to eye on our country, and that definitely comes from how we grew up. Sure, we have our own ideas ,and sometimes we debate, but at the end of the

ART & ARTIFACT Austin and Zander’s collection includes a fragment of the Berlin Wall (shown left), a hundred-year-old family Bible, their grandfather’s Naval knife, a preserved Peace Rose resting on heirloom scales, and an authentic WWII uniform.

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day, we have the same values, one hundred percent.”

er-growing list of initiatives: One Winter Garden, Eight Waves, West Orange Habitat Common Core for Humanity, Challenge 22 Today, that common value Veteran Suicide Awareness, system has led them both to and more. dive deeply into the commu“I love America, but Winnity they now call home. As ter Garden has my heart,” CEOs and entrepreneurs, says Austin. “We can do it’s woven into the fabric more for America’s democof their businesses, from racy by serving our commucolor choices (red, white, nity first. It truly is about and blue) to names (Stars the people we call friends, & Stripes Management family, neighbors. When and Gymnastics USA). But we take care of one another it’s much more personal and put community over than that, too. Austin is politics, everyone wins.” a passionate community Zander, while equally advocate, involved in an ev- involved in community

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initiatives, keeps his eyes on the kids and families that come through Gymnastics USA. “We have around 1,500 families that go to the gym, almost 2,000 students this year. Every kid lasts an average of two years, and we’ve been open for eight years. Nearly 20,000 families. That’s my community. Moms, dads, brothers, sisters, cousins. The past, present, and future of Winter Gar-

den. It’s such an amazing sense of community. That’s what I love. That’s America to me.”

DRAWN TO LIFE “With History Riding the Wings” illustrated by Joseph Parrish, their uncle’s grandfather.

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rly a a e n k ch bac t e r tching t s a y w a n story m exciting tha i h l l mer. a b m d e u n s s a a s i b re new field th rden’s o a e m G h t r s i e e Wint othing Squeeze tak n t u Z b y, LOPE n FRED centur inter Garde H OUG ARBR C S the W N TA R I

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Local favorite Tracy Mitchum is a graduate of West Orange H.S.

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ears ago, a Seminole County family friend’s baseball team had a game at West Orange High School, and I went to show my support.

I didn’t question why the game brought him to our side of town; it was just a great opportunity to sit under the summer sunset, watch a few innings, and cheer for my friend.

Little did I know, I was watching history.

If you grew up in Winter Garden, you grew up around baseball. America’s Pastime has played an active role

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not only in the shaping of this nation, but particularly in our community. Winter Garden’s baseball history stretches back nearly a century, most notably with its own baseball academy and as a host to the Washington Senators’ spring training.

Central Florida even hosted an adult league at Walker Field, where the whole town would gather on Sunday afternoons for ballgames.

(Don’t miss the exhibit at the History Center!)

Although the Senators left, and Walker Field became better known

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for Pop Warner, baseball still runs in the Garden’s blood. Turns out, our tiny West Orange town hosts a major-league-sanctioned wooden-bat league, drawing top-level collegiate players from all over the country each summer: the Winter Garden Squeeze!

Created in 2014, the Winter Garden Squeeze is one of six teams in the Florida Collegiate Summer League, or FCSL, competing for their first championship.

Each summer, 28 players merge into the community, abandon their prospects of

a lowkey summer to play ball. It takes dedication to play almost 40 games in two months, battling both a grueling schedule and the Florida heat. The players walk into an unfamiliar environment, going to bat with unknown teammates and living in quarters with generous host families.

The program experienced a few setbacks during the pandemic, as most organized sports did, but the lights once again illuminate the diamond at West Orange High. Talk to any member of the Squeeze, from Adam

Bates, the general manager, to Mike McDaniel, the head coach, to the players themselves, and you’ll feel them radiating what can only be true passion.

Adam, the general manager, works tirelessly for the league. Our first meeting, he is already gathered with interns, canvassing out their vision for the season.

He organizes host families for each player, secures donated meals to feed both home and visiting players, and sparks hype and attention from sponsors and spectators town wide.

“Don’t call it a comeback, it’s a welcome back.” Even with the setbacks facing a traveling league during the time of Covid, Adam never stopped pushing for the Squeeze. His other profession is with the Varsity Sports Network, connecting aspiring athletes with the possibility to play at collegiate levels and to simply promote achievements in the high school sports community. Bottom line: he never stops working for the kids. His ultimate goal is to gain traction in the Winter Garden community, whether it be organizing celebrity golf tournaments to gain funding for the league or marshaling a new advisory board to help gain the attention the league is quite worthy of. He is even in the works of altering the

mascot, petitioning for a Marvel character named “Captain Citrus” in hopes of garnishing more notoriety for the group. His work is ambitious and infectious, forcing one to want to contribute after just one conversation with him.

Adam isn’t the only one who devotes the majority of his time to the league.

Coach Mike McDaniel wakes up every day and chooses baseball as life.

Having had the privilege to coach at both a professional and collegiate level, he has now settled into the head

coach position at Olympia High School. While he previously coached another league in the division, the Seminole County Snappers, as well as the 2020 Loggerheads, he is finally stepping into his head coach role on his home turf.

His dedication and leadership extend to his staffing choices, bringing longtime colleagues Jason Sanders, Scott Garland, and Angel Otero to the Squeeze’s

Even with the setbacks of Covid, Adam never stopped pushing for the Squeeze.

“Don’t call it a comeback, it’s a welcome back.”

— Adam Bates, General Manager

coaching roster. Together, their first goal is to teach the players respect. Their focus: to display how to play baseball in a clean and gallant manner, all while excelling the player’s talents and abilities. The schedule is gruesome, and Coach experiences the taxing days alongside the team.

He opens the high school fields to give them practice time and sits out in the heat, actively batting punts and gathering equipment to keep the boys at float.

He never stops, and the commitment to the sport is overwhelming as I bask in the afternoon heat watching both the athletes and coaches race back and forth across

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the field. It truly takes a village in this group, as even the coaches’ kids attend practice, taking control of the music and water to keep the team happy, hydrated, and harmonious.

Let’s talk about these players. The FCSL is a less “high stakes” environment, giving all contenders the opportunity for equal playing time without the contingent pressure of success. While many will travel nationwide for an opportunity to participate in summer ball, some get the privilege to play in their hometown, or relatively close to it. Tracy Mitchem, a West Orange High School graduate just finishing his first year at

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Tulane University, gets the chance to play for his hometown team. With a business and computer science double-major monopolizing his time, this first baseman is happy to trade his grueling college schedule to spend the summertime playing ball close to his family and friends.

“Summer travel ball has always been one of my favorite seasons, and last year I played in a South Florida league. I’m excited to have more freedom to play and get to live at my own home while doing it,” he says.

A lot of the local guys have had the pleasure of playing against each other in travel leagues, like Reagan

Spolyar. The LHP, left-handed pitcher, originally from Timber Creek, now playing for Ave Maria in Miami, knew several players from previous seasons, which helps him get a little sense about the way they move.

He sustained a shoulder injury in previous seasons but never faltered on his baseball dedication, as his ultimate goal of the season is just “more play, more power, more pushing.”

Other players have the privilege of playing together on a collegiate level, like Santino “Sonny” Rao and Frank Micallef, who are teammates at the University of South Florida. Sonny hails from Bishop Moore, Frank from

Tampa, and this summer they are lodged in the Rao residence spending yet another season together. Sonny has an active summer, still maintaining credit hours and taking two classes, but Frank has one agenda: “Wake up, eat, work out, chill, baseball, shower, sleep. Repeat.”

Regardless of their choice of pace this summer, all these

gentlemen demonstrate hard work, discipline, and a love for what they do.

Truth be told: The extent of my summer baseball knowledge consisted of that one Squeeze game years ago and the classic 2001 film “Summer Catch,” which I only watched to see Freddie Prinze, Jr. in baseball

pants. The coming-of-age movie focuses on romance, so it is easy to write off as a dated rom-com.

But after meeting these gracious men and jumping into this culture, 20 years later I view the movie, and baseball in general, in a completely new light.

Passion is energy, and these driven men vigorously

enamor you with their love of the game, and that energy is unavoidable. I urge you to go to West Orange High School and attend a Winter Garden Squeeze game this July, and that passion will envelop you too.

The Winter Garden Squeeze will play regular games through Saturday, July 23.

Playoffs will run from July 24-27, and the championship series will take place July 29-31. To see the entire schedule, visit www.floridaleague.com

Outfielder Will Quinones is originally from Orange City.

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Oh Well!

Temper Your Temper

Everyone feels angry at times; what you do with it is important.

Mirsha Alexandre weighs in on how to keep cool when things get hot.

From Twitter tirades and road rage to airplane meltdowns and family feuds, the world feels angrier than ever. And lingering pandemic effects, with unpredictable ebbs, flows, and sudden changes, dump more fuel onto the fire.

“People are on edge,” explains Mirsha Alexandre, MS, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and National Board Certified Counselor.

“They’re dealing with the stress of

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the pandemic. They’re dealing with a stressful economy, political division, kids’ safety at school, family, work, you name it. And I don’t think people recognize how omnipresent that is.”

But Mirsha believes the word “anger” isn’t exactly right. “As a culture, we are so good at labeling, but we are really bad at labeling accurately,” she says. “Yes, there is anger. But there’s also frustration, overwhelm, fear, anxiety. Clinically speaking, anger is

most often a secondary emotion. So much of what we’re experiencing— what we’ve labeled as ‘anger’—is an elevated baseline of anxiety, isolation, confusion, burnout, stress, fear, and more.”

We’re constantly anxious, and with so much instability in our present world, we’re primed for action all the time — and that action tends to be an overreaction. “That’s the escalation that we’re seeing.

Every time we go up a level, we stay there,” Mirsha says.

So, when you’re feeling on edge, like one wrong word from your kid or your boss could send you into a tailspin, how do we start bringing this anxiety level down?

Mirsha’s advice is, before all else, stop and take a breath. “Thirty seconds, one minute, five minutes…

Whatever you need to reflect on what is happening in the moment,” she says. “The word ‘mindfulness’ comes up a lot these days, but what that truly means is to slow down your thought process and evaluate the situation from a non-judgmental state of mind.

In an emotional state, our brains go places they don’t need to go, places that are downright unhelpful. We all do it. So stop, reflect, evaluate… take a look from a logical perspective and an emotional stance, bring them together. Try and be objective. Find alternative rationales to the situation.

If you still find that you are angry or anxious or overwhelmed or whatever emotion comes up, ask for help.”

According to Mirsha, that’s often the biggest hurdle.“What would you do if you couldn’t lose weight? What do you do if you can’t get your blood pressure under control? What would you do if your tooth ached? You would go to the right professional to help fix the issue. Mental health — anger, anxiety, sadness, happiness, depression, overwhelm — there are

trained professionals that can really help, before things go too far. But we are still battling a culture where seeking help for mental health is taboo. The pandemic has really placed a spotlight on that, and we are starting to normalize self-care, but there are still cultural, societal, ethnic, and other factors at play.”

Mirsha is quick to point out, however, that anxiety and stress are natural parts of everyday life. “As long as you’re alive and breathing, you’re going to have to deal with stressful situations. So, how do you deal with it in a healthy way? Stop, be mindful, and most importantly, practice acceptance. Instead of wasting energy on being angry, focus on what you can do. Is there anything I can problem-solve? Can I talk to the principal? Can we set up a neighborhood watch? Can we lobby for mental health care? Like, is there something I can actively do? And if not, then what you can control is yourself and your reaction. I am in control of how I react. I’m not in control of how this other person is reacting.”

While we might not be able to solve the world’s conflicts, we don’t have to contribute to them either. Instead, we can learn to make our own lives, and those of the people around us, a bit more pleasant. And when you’re ready to turn down the volume on the anger in your life, take a concerted effort to start with yourself.

“So much of what we’re experiencing— what we’ve labeled as ‘anger’— is an elevated baseline of anxiety, isolation, burnout, stress, fear, and more.”

—Mirsha Alexandre, MS

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Oh, Well!

Mindful Meltdowns Michelle Urquhart and Jessica Villegas uncover the truth about anger in kids and teens.

Managing anger is tough enough when you’re a fully formed adult. But what about kids? Oftentimes, children don’t have the words or skills to accurately express themselves, so difficult feelings come out in the form of meltdowns.

Temper tantrums. Tears.

Outbursts. Withdrawal.

As the Behavior Specialist at Maxey Elementary, Michelle Urquhart, PhD, sees this every day. “The school system has a specific set of procedures called a Multi Tiered System of Supports.

As a school team, we look at the specific needs of our

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students, academically and behaviorally, and make recommendations based on the type and amount of support they need.”

In student evaluations, Michelle’s team has a scale for the degree of a feeling (annoyed or furious? disappointed or distraught?), but it also displays a broad spectrum of emotions so young children can have a chance to give a different name to that vague “bad” feeling.

“We have visuals for those who are nonverbal or who have difficulty identifying their feelings. They might know it based on a smiley

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face, a frown, flames coming out of you—whatever the case is. Once they can target how they feel, we try to help them process why they feel that way.”

As kids grow older, they have more experience with emotions in a broad sense.

However, for the stereotypical “moody teen,” that doesn’t always mean they know what to do with those feelings.

According to Jessica Villegas, success coach for teens and young adults at Hi-Lite Coaching, this is the result of natural cognitive development.

“Yes, it can be anger, but more often, it looks like withdrawal, ambivalence, avoidance, low self esteem, lack of confidence.”

—Jessica Villegas

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Oh, Well!

“Since the rational part of the brain isn’t fully developed until age 25, teenagers and young adults can easily misinterpret their own emotions,” she says.

“So it’s important to ask the questions: ‘What is the emotion I feel?’ ‘Am I angry when someone or something displeases me, or is it something else?’”

But much like with adults, she says, it helps to pause and reflect. “I give my clients space to think and gather some ways to describe how they’re feeling. Then I encourage them to pull themselves up above their emotion, as if they were looking down on it, and try to pick some of its primary elements.”

Michelle says it’s important to not only recognize children’s feelings, but to validate them. “A lack of validation tends to lead to a buildup of emotions that, over time, can trigger an outburst.”

For teens especially, anger can present itself in

“Once [children] can target how they feel, we try to help them process why they feel that way.”

—Michelle Urquhart, PhD Behavior Specialist at Maxey Elementary

a variety of ways: “Yes, it can definitely be anger or aggression, but more often it looks like withdrawal, ambivalence, avoidance, poor performance, low self-esteem, lack of confidence,” says Jessica.

By defining, compartmentalizing, reflecting, and learning from emotions, people of all ages can find ways to successfully deal with them.

Teaching your child coping mechanisms can help prevent their emotions from overwhelming them.

“I think journaling—documenting how you feel—is important,” says Michelle.

“Also, identifying things that help reduce stress or anxiety, such as bike riding, art, sports.”

Jessica recognizes the role physical health can

play as well. “One of the big things I talk to my clients about is their overall health.

Are they exercising? Are they eating well? Are they getting enough sleep? A lot of my clients are teenagers, so the last question is typically no, because they stay on their phone until 1am and then have to get up at 5. So that is a common conversation, where I challenge them to spend less time on their devices, because we know that can increase isolation.”

Ultimately, finding healthy outlets can help children, teens, and young adults overcome insecurities, develop appropriate emotional responses, and live an authentic, happy, and productive life. ~ Kelsi-Ann Bailey and Mackenzie Hancock

WELLNESS COUNTS

190 1 in 5 84% 9.4% Million The number of people who reported experiencing significantly higher stress in 2020 than in years past.

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The percentage of people who believe Americans are angrier today compared with a generation ago.

The proportion of teens who have difficulty controlling their anger.

However, with treatment, around 70% of those teens overcome those issues.

The percentage of children ages 3-17 who have a diagnosed anxiety disorder.

4.4% of children have diagnosed depression.

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Eats+Drinks

Drag ned A 240-year-old recipe of ingenious American tradition.

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wo words come to mind this time of year: booze and BBQ. I love the camaraderie of gathering all my friends and family, basking in the sun, hunched over a smoker full of good eats, then walking down to Lake Apopka to watch the sunset. As the resident cocktail maker, I tend to batch punches on days like these, mostly for easy access, but also to keep it light enough for picnic-level perseverance. And almost always, it’s Dragoon’s Punch that I’m batching.

I first experienced Dragoon’s Punch while traveling around Charleston.

(I’ll never stop talking about that city.) I am a fangirl of chefs, and Charleston’s Sean Brock, creator of Husk, is my number one. His focus is low-country elements and keeping his menu as authentic as possible to the Southern culture it exists in.

Dragoon’s Punch fits exactly within that lane, and also happens to be a delightful tipple of American history.

Dragoon’s Punch was adapted from a 19th century recipe hidden in records kept by the Charleston Historical Society. Basically, soldiers in the “Charleston Light Dragoons”

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military unit spent more time drinking than fighting, and if a soldier did break the rules—like falling off his horse due to intoxication—he was to batch this punch and share it with the militia as penance. The recipe got lost over time, but historians and bartenders united in their efforts to procure the recipe, bringing it back to We the People. At Husk, it remains the most popular drink on the menu, and in my heart.

The punch stays as genuine as it can be in pursuit of historical accuracy. The mélange of English, West Indian, French, and West African influences epitomizes the melting pot of America, as does the addition of black tea, which as we all know, spawned our independence. It’s a 240-year-old recipe, you are not going to mess it up.

This punch is meant to be shared in groups, so do not be intimidated by the size of the batch. Cut the recipe in half, or store in sealed mason jars in the fridge for up to seven days. It was created to be shared among friends celebrating this great nation, so enjoy it in a manner worthy of its history.

Just don’t fall off your horse!

Dragoon’s Punch YIELDS 20 SERVINGS

2 qts water 7 bags black tea 2 c raw sugar 1 ½ c lemon juice 12.7 oz brandy (California is fine) 12.7 oz rum, preferably from Barbados or Bermuda 6.4 oz peach brandy 20 large ice cubes 2 ¾ c soda water 20 thin slivers of lemon peel (about 3 lemons) • To prepare the punch base, bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat.

Add tea, remove pan from heat, and let steep 20 mins.

• Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Let cool to room temperature, about 20 mins.

• Add lemon juice, brandy, rum, and peach brandy. Cover and refrigerate until cold.

• To make the cocktail, serve 3oz of punch base into a cup. Add ice cube, top off with 1 ½oz soda water. Garnish with lemon peel.

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Eats+Drinks

Not So Basic

Understated and underrated, vanilla gets a bad rap.

H E AT H ER AN N E LEE

T

o say I love ice cream is an understatement. It ranks among my favorite comfort foods, and when it comes to freezer staples, I always have a pint or two around.

When I’m feeling healthy, it’s Dolcezzo Roasted Strawberry Gelato.

When I’m feeling sad, it’s Tillamook Cookies n’ Cream. When I’m feeling extra, it’s all things Jeni’s Ice Cream. Yet no matter what, there’s always, always, a pint of good ol’ vanilla.

Hear me out. I’m not entirely sure when being “vanilla” got a bad rap. It’s luscious, versatile, and quite possibly the oldest flavor on record (Thomas Jefferson famously wrote his own recipe in 1780).

Plus, any dessert gets elevated when you add a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream on top—grilled peaches, apple pie, skillet brownies, root beer float, affogato. So of course I wanted to know: What is

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the best vanilla ice cream in town?

I headed to four local parlors to find out: Kelly’s, Abbott’s, Frozen Cow, and Scoops. To keep the vanilla-to-vanilla playing field level, these are all hard ice creams that can be scooped into a cone or cup. Soft serve is an animal in and of itself, my friends; and a story for another time.

Kelly’s Homemade Ice Cream: Vanilla should never overwhelm. It shouldn’t taste like extract or sugar alcohols, and it shouldn’t taste like someone beat you over the head with a vanilla bean pod. Kelly’s is just that kind of perfect vanilla, and the attention to detail shows. Wonderfully creamy and rich, and by far the most complex of all the local options.

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Frozen Cow: It was light and creamy, but still rich enough to coat the tongue.

The vanilla flavor shone through, but wasn’t too heavy-handed.

Scoops: Classic in a nostalgic way, Scoops’ vanilla invokes childhood birthday parties and homemade ice cream cones.

The Takeaway: If you want an unparalleled vanilla experience, try Kelly’s.

For your everyday vanilla ice cream needs, you can’t beat Frozen Cow. Head Abbott’s Frozen Custard: to Scoops for the biggest Texture is where Abbott’s bang for your buck. And if vanilla truly dominates. you’re a die-hard, softIt lives in a velvety place be- serve fan slumming it with tween soft serve and hard your scoop-only friends, ice cream, and is the perAbbott’s is both delightful fect vehicle for toppings. and delicious.

DINING GUIDE I

Eats+Drinks

Buku Vegan Kitchen HOURS Tue-Thu 12–5pm Fri 12–6pm Sat 11am-2pm & 3-6pm Sun 11am-3pm

ALSO TRY

COFFEE OR KOMBUCHA FLIGHTS

108 S Main St. Winter Garden / 917-740-2497 bukukitchen.com Tucked inside of Main House Market, Buku Vegan was established in 2018 to satisfy any cravings without animal products. Treat your taste buds to an authentic Haitian-inspired menu and heavenly desserts created by Chef Chicoye, daily. Cruelty-free and delectable shouldn’t be two separate concepts, rather, one that creates an appetizing union. Come in and enjoy our famous brunch and pair it with a delicious vanilla oak kombucha!

AT MAIN HOUSE MARKET

Cariera’s Fresh Italian HOURS Mon-Sat 11am-9pm Sun 11am-8pm

VING NOW SER

PIZZA!

1041 S. Dillard St., Winter Garden / 407-554-3622 carierasfreshitalian.com If there’s two things most people can agree on, it’s that a hearty plate of pasta is always a good choice, and the best place to get that fix is Cariera’s. Heavy with Italian tradition, Cariera’s features timeless favorites, such as spaghetti and meatballs to chicken Saltembocca, white Cacciatore to Eggplant Parmigiana. There’s even a lite menu featuring Keto versions of your Italian favorites! Whether celebrating a special occasion or simply feeding the family, Cariera’s strives to make every guest feel comfortable enough to laugh out loud, reminisce, and be indulged.

David Ramirez Chocolates WG HOURS Mon-Thur 12pm-8pm Fri 11am-9pm Sat 10:30am-9pm Sun 11am-6pm

Experience

OUR BRAND

NEW

PASTRIES

WINTER GARDEN 426 West Plant Street / 407-614-8278 ORLANDO 2154 Central Florida Parkway / 407-816-7400 davidramirezchocolates.com At David Ramirez Chocolates, we place a high value on using the best ingredients available, sourced from across the globe. Our goal is to bring you a superior product, and create an immersive and memorable culinary experience. We approach every creation with a focus on quality and artistry. Our team is trained in the old-world style, while incorporating innovative and pioneering techniques and flavors.

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Eats+Drinks I D I N I N G G U I D E

The French Café WINTER GARDEN 16412 New Independence Pkwy / 407-500-4050 WINDEMERE 5855 Winter Garden Vineland Rd / 407-500-0306 thefrenchcafe.com Do you feel like you’ve been transported to a cozy neighborhood café in Paris, sipping a French coffee while the smell of fresh pastries fills the air? You may be surprised to find you’re not in France at all; instead, you’re enjoying a meal at The French Café. Try our one-of-a-kind pastries baked fresh daily by our acclaimed chef. Join us for a relaxing breakfast on the weekend or stop in before that evening movie for a delightful dinner. We can’t wait to say bienvenue to you!

The Hangry Bison

MENU

HOURS WG Sun-Sat 7am-3pm WIN Sun-Sat 7am-5pm

10% OFF DELICIOUS CRÊPES SWEET OR SAVORY

MENU

250 W Plant St, Winter Garden / 407-347-9099 thehangrybison.com / Reservations Available The ultimate build-your-own-burger experience has landed in the heart of Winter Garden! The Hangry Bison is known for quality bourbon, craft beer and cocktails, and award-winning bison burgers, but our vast menu of savory appetizers, fresh salads, and hearty handhelds of all kinds has a little something for even the hangriest appetites.

Check us out on weekday evenings* for discounted selections of drinks and small plates. Your parents did happy hour; we do Hangry Hour! *4–7pm Mon-Thu and 4–6pm Fri.

HOURS Sun-Wed 11am–10pm Thu-Sat 11am-12am

$5 SINGLE WELL COCKTAILS +MORE

HANGRY HOUR SEE WEBSITE FOR DETAILS

Naan Stopp Indian Restaurant 5845 Winter Garden Vineland Rd., Windermere / 407-347-5487 naanstopp.com If you haven’t soaked warm, garlic naan into velvety butter chicken sauce or scooped chana masala with tandoor roti, get ready to be delighted. Fresh, flavorful and well-priced modern Indian cuisine is finally here! This mouthwatering West Orange outpost glimmers with its roster of succulent tandoori, rice dishes, and fragrant curries—a world of vegetarian and non-vegetarian delights, each imbued with vivid seasonings that never lose their spark. You’re sure to be coming back naan-stopp.

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WI N TE R G AR DE N

HOURS Every day 11am-3pm 5pm-10pm

TRY ONE OF 4

LUNCH

PLATTERS SERVED 11AM–3PM

DINING GUIDE I

INFO HOURS Tues-Fri 5PM-9PM Sat 11AM-2PM & 5PM-9PM Sun 11AM-3PM

JOIN US FOR

BRUNCH Saturday 11am - 2pm Sunday 11am - 3pm

Eats+Drinks

Market To Table 146 W Plant St, Winter Garden / 407-395-9871 market2table.com / Private Dining Available Nestled in the Heart of Historic Downtown, Market To Table creates Modern American cuisine with classical influences. Chef/Owner Ryan Freelove’s seasonal dinner menu offers a delightful mix of traditional, yet elevated, dishes, like the Filet Mignon or Braised Short Rib, along with an exciting array of specials. But it’s the newly inspired brunch menu that is truly buzzworthy. Come for the giant Bloody Deluxe (trust us!), House Cured Gravlax, and Parmesan Truffle Fries. Stay for the “Fry Up” English Breakfast and Market Steak & Eggs.

Before you leave, you’ll be making dinner reservations. It’s just that good.

Pico Bistro HOURS Tues-Thu 5pm-9pm Fri 5pm-10pm Sat 12pm-10pm

WEDNESDAY

SELECT EMPANADAS

BOGO!

1201 Winter Garden Vineland Rd, Winter Garden / 407-395-9012 793 W Montrose St, Clermont / 321-315-9197 wintergarden.picobistro.com Come discover a slice of Brazil in the heart of Winter Garden. Inside this cozy space, you’ll find Chef Romulo Costa’s family traditions paired with elevated technique, fresh and locally sourced ingredients, and always-happy-to-see-you service. Come for the housemade Brazilian empanadas; stay for Brazilian specialties like Wild Shrimp Bobo, Grilled Picanha Steak, and vegan Gnocchi. An unpretentious drinks menu offers wine, beer and house-crafted cocktails, and no meal is complete without at least one dessert pastel. Bom apetite! WITH A  YELP RATING

EDIUG GNINID I

sknirD+staE

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Eats+Drinks I D I N I N G G U I D E

Pammie’s Sammies 121 S. Boyd St / 407-730-3212 / pammiesammies.com Feed the Soul. Craft with Love. Serve from the Heart. That’s the record-setting recipe behind Pammie’s Sammies, a fun sandwich space with funk woven into its atmosphere and baked into every dish. And yet, the Pammie’s Sammies Experience is more than just great food. Our goal is to create a vibe where everyone feels like family. Go ahead, come as you are. Rest your head, put up your feet, sing to the music, and talk with your neighbors. Eat with your hands, if you must! With food that is thoughtfully sourced, earth friendly, and tastefully adventurous, our menu is composed of old family recipes alongside new and tasty trends. Each visit delivers something new and different on the plate, perfectly paired with great tunes and better conversation among friends.

MENU HOURS Mon-Thu 11AM-7PM Fri 11AM-8PM Sat 10AM-7PM Sun CLOSED

Rita’s of Winter Garden

MENU

119 S Boyd Street Winter Garden / 407-347-8698 ritasice.com Carrying out its motto of “Ice Custard Happiness,” Rita’s is now making downtown Winter Garden a whole lot sweeter. Passionate about scooping, scraping, swirling, and blending, Rita’s famous Italian Ice is made fresh daily.

And with a rotating selection of over 95 mouthwatering flavors, your favorite is almost always available. At Rita’s one thing is always true: Our treats may be frozen, but our hearts are always warm. Open Year round!

HOURS Sun-Fri 1pm-9pm Sat 11:30am-9pm

TRY OUR

OCEAN SPLASH ITALIAN ICE LIMITED TIME ONLY

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DINING GUIDE I

Eats+Drinks

STK Steakhouse HOURS LUNCH Mon-Fri 11am-3pm DINNER Sun-Thu 3pm-10:45pm Fri & Sat 3pm-11:15pm $30 BOTTOMLESS

BRUNCH MIMOSAS & BLOODY MARYS BRUNCH HOURS: SAT & SUN 9:30AM-3PM

ORLANDO 1580 Buena Vista Drive / 407-917-7440 stksteakhouse.com/venues/orlando/ STK is “not your daddy’s steakhouse,” offering a high-energy dining experience combining the superior quality of a traditional steakhouse with a Vibe Dining atmosphere. Delectable cuisine, upscale cocktails, elevated Happy Hour and chic décor along with an in-house DJ, all come together to offer a memorable fine dining experience. The menu features reimagined classic American cuisine for lunch, brunch and dinner — the brand’s beef program focuses on the highest quality craveable steaks while emphasizing transparency and traceable sourcing practices.

RESTRICTIONS APPLY

MENU

Thai Blossom 99 W. Plant St. Winter Garden / 407-905-9917 mythaiblossom.com

HOURS Mon-Fri Lunch: 11AM-3PM Dinner: 5PM-9PM Sat: 11AM-9PM Sun: 12-8PM

NO.1 BEST

THAI RESTAURANT

ORLANDO READER’S CHOICE ORLANDO MAGAZINE MULTIPLE YEARS INCLUDING 2021

Fragrant curries and soups, silky noodles, stir fries, and grilled meats, with plenty of options for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free diners, too—Thai Blossom serves some of the most delightful and crave-worthy experiences on Plant Street. Authentic, easy and always cooked to order, it’s the perfect choice for workday lunch, go-to dinner dates, and special celebrations alike. Experience our culinary flavors and your love of Thai will blossom.

Recognized by The Orlando Sentinel and Orlando Magazine for having delicious and A-grade Thai cuisine.

Foodie Award Critic’s ChoiceOrlando Sentinel | Orlando Dining Awards- Orlando Magazine

Tres Amigos Grill HOURS Mon-Sat 11 am-8 pm Sun Closed

GET A FREE PINT OF OUR FAMOUS

SALSA!

ONLINE ORDERS ONLY

JUST TYPE LOCALWG IN THE SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS SECTION

1025 S. Dillard St., Winter Garden / 407-614-3975 tresamigosgrill.com Born in faith, created with love. That’s how John “The Take Home Chef” Kresl built his craveworthy Tres Amigos Salsa brand. And now there’s nothing more satisfying than to pair it with Chef John’s made-fromscratch, Tex-Mex-inspired platters, bowls and tacos.

Choose from authentic carnitas, Certified Angus beef skirt steak, wild caught jumbo shrimp, USDA Grade A chicken, or seasoned local vegetables. All served with homemade corn or flour tortillas, pico de gallo, guacamole, black beans and rice. Do yourself a favor and order online—it’s the fastest way to get your fix.

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Rhetoric Rheya Tanner muses on life as a local

Train of Thought A modern American’s daydream

T

he shape of downtown comes into focus during my first (and definitely last) morning walk. Oh, shit.

How long was I zoned out?

My car was at least a mile back on the West Orange Trail—another mile in this endless locker room shower we call summer.

I kick myself for losing track of time, and losing chunks of my thighs along the way. I plop down to rest at a nearby stoop, the one leading up to the Heritage Museum, and my fourlegged walking partner flops over in my shade.

Alongside me, assaulting my retinas with yellowness, sits a lone traincar enjoying a quiet retirement

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in the La-Z-Boy that is a slab of railroad. Of course, a train isn’t capable of enjoying things, but hell, neither am I some days.

My mind wanders again, and I wonder what it would think of the Winter Garden that has grown around it.

Once a juggernaut of industry, subsisting entirely on a diet of coal and oranges, it was part of a vast network of iron arteries that gave vagabonds somewhere to go and old-timey villains something to tie women to. I wonder how it felt as it watched asphalt and automobiles suck the soul out of the city it knew.

I wonder how it felt when it saw its tracks uprooted and repaved, replacing

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locomotion with leisure paths for recumbent bicycles and little fat dogs who flop onto stoops. Replacing the holler of a train whistle with the trill of a bike bell as it tries not to mow down some schmuck with a selfie stick.

I wouldn’t call myself a philosopher so much as a Millennial with ADHD and opinions. But I can’t help seeing this canary caboose as old Americana overseeing a new America, where the roads are wider, where there are more places to go but fewer ways to get there. I wonder whether it looks on proudly at its revived hometown, one of many victims of progress, one of

few that gets to breathe in again. Or whether it harbors resentment for the latest generation, as older generations often do, for having things too easy, even though an easier America is what it spent its life working toward.

There I go again. I shake the old smokestacks from my mind and stand up, leaving an imprint of butt sweat on the old bricks where many men once sweat to make the America I live in. When I spare a parting glance at the single yellow car, sunlight glints off the trim, as if it was … winking at me?

OK, actually I’m blaming that one on the heatstroke.

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