FOOD&DRINK ROUNDUP
Chef Richard Blais opens a new restaurant at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress this month.
As 2021 draws to a close, we take a closer look at some fresh new faces and trends on the Orlando dining scene. BY BROOKE FEHR
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IF YOU HAVEN’T heard the news, Orlando is welcoming a brand-new celebrity chef to the fold. Richard Blais opens a new restaurant this month at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in the attractions area. The restaurant replaces Hemingway’s at the lush, sprawling resort. Fans of cooking shows will recognize Chef Blais from his numerous television appearances. As winner of Bravo’s Top Chef: All Stars in 2010, Blais went on to write two cookbooks, and has appeared on Guy’s Grocery Games as a judge, among other shows. In 2022, viewers will find him with Gordon Ramsay on Fox’s Next Level Chef. Prior to his career in the spotlight, Blais attended the Culinary Institute of America, and honed his skills post-graduation at spots like The French Laundry, Daniel and Chez Panisse, among others. While he currently resides in California with his wife and two children, Blais is happy to be returning to the Southeast—at least in terms of a business interest. “Florida has been a target of mine for a long time,” he explains. “My wife’s family is from Florida, so I’ve spent a lot of time here.” Previously, Blais had also traveled through Orlando extensively with his corporate show, Stand Up Cooking with Richard Blais, which basically marries—you guessed it— stand up comedy and cooking. Those visits gave him a window into the Central Florida food scene.
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“I’ve gotten to know Orlando outside of the theme park zone, and I think it is a vibrant, community-based scene with lots of great chefs and businesses. And that’s really important to me: To be a great chef who happens to have a restaurant here, not a celebrity chef who just has his name on the door and is not going to be there at all.” Blais is also aware that he’s going into a prime spot; Hemingway’s, the restaurant that previously occupied the space since 1984, was an award-winning guest favorite for seafood and special occasions. His vision for the menu? Tropical. “Warm weather cuisine for sure,” he elaborates. The
COURTESY HYATT REGENCY GRAND CYPRESS
New to the Scene
