Orlando Life May 2013

TV’S FLORIDA FANATIC ■ THE FRINGE GOES FAMILY FRIENDLY

SIMPLY the BEST OUR ANNUAL COMPENDIUM OF PEOPLE TO KNOW, PLACES TO GO AND THINGS TO DO.

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May 2013

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Miss UCF 2013 Erin O’Flaherty

4/16/13 11:48:03 AM

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To book a spa experience or give the gift of relaxation, call 407.345.4431. *Offer valid through 2/28/13. Does not include service charge. Visit PeabodyOrlando.com/spa for complete details.

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PHOTOS Š EVERETT & SOULE

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Pictured is Farina & Sons’ 2013 Parade of Homes entry.

Praised for professionalism and high aesthetic standards, Farina & Sons is family owned with a 63 year tradition of award-winning renovations, additions and custom homes. Grand or modest, each project receives Farina’s trademark attention to detail and teamwork approach.

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Before

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CONTENTS

may

Volume 14

Issue 5

DEPARTMENTS 8 JAY BOYAR’S LIMELIGHT

The Fringe is becoming more family friendly; the Orlando Phil does Business and Broadway Across America brings Memphis to the Bob Carr; twin tributes to the Everglades at the Mennello.

20 D esign/STYLE SHOES In honor of this month’s Wine, Women & Shoes fundraiser, two of the charity’s board members take a runway turn.

by Marianne Ilunga • photographs by Rafael Tongol

22 D esign/STYLE WATCHES Luxury wristwatches by Breitling bring mystique to The Mall at Millenia. by Michael McLeod and Ashley Annin

24 CONVERSATION: CHAD CRAWFORD The host of TV’s How to Do Florida discusses his passion for the Sunshine State. by Harry Wessel • photographs by Josh Letchworth

FEATURE 34 SIMPLY THE BEST You’ll find familiar faces and noteworthy newbies in our annual compendium of the best people, places and things to do in Central Florida. by the Orlando Life staff TV’S FLORIDA FANATIC ■ THE FRINGE GOES FAMILY FRIENDLY

ABOUT THE COVER: Erin O’Flaherty, Miss UCF 2013, reigns over our annual Simply the Best awards as its Best Beauty Queen. Photograph by Rafael Tongol.

SIMPLY the BEST

The odds are good you’ll be dining out on Mother’s Day, so check out our suggestions for Orlando’s top spots for lunches, brunches and dinners. by Rona Gindin • photographs by Rafael Tongol

60 PEOPLE & PLACES

Our new out-and-about columnist checks out a celebrity appearance for Florida Hospital, an Easter Seals Florida shoe auction and a Kids Beating Cancer fashion show. by Paula Wyatt

64 RESTLESS NATIVE

Is Mike a man or a moose? by Mike Thomas

OUR ANNUAL COMPENDIUM OF PEOPLE TO KNOW, PLACES TO GO AND THINGS TO DO.

$3.95

Miss UCF 2013 Erin O’Flaherty

May 2013

2

50 FLAVOR

ORLANDO LIFE

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Photos: (top left and bottom right) RAFAEL TONGOl; (bottom left) courtesy breitling; (top right) josh letchworth

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MAY 2013

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EXTRAORDINARY CANCER CARE WITHIN REACH

Backed by the strength of MD Anderson Cancer Center Orlando physicians, our new Health Central location is inspiring hope through exceptional, compassionate care. With support provided by a team of board-certified surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, nurses and counselors from MD Anderson – Orlando, Health Central Hospital brings the power of connected care to your neighborhood.

Call 321.843.7486 or visit healthcentral.org for more information.

1111 Blackwood Ave., Ocoee, FL 34761 • Located directly across the street from Health Central Hospital

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4/9/13 10:20 AM 4/15/13 2:24:04 PM

FIRST

from the editor

OMG! Eloquence, Electronics Don’t Have to Be Strangers Take Note

I

once had a friend who thought “LOL” meant “Lots of Love.” The poor woman was

sending out well-meaning messages such as: Hope your mom’s doing OK with her chemo. LOL! For those of you who have never been a modern teenager or had one of them in the house, LOL means “laugh out loud.”

Six billion text messages course across the country in a whitewater-rapids telecommunication foam every day. Even when you know the contraction code, you can get into trouble when you dip your paddle into those waters.

A website devoted to social-media commentary recently posted examples of text messages that were garbled by autocorrect — that ghostly, overzealous editing function that occasionally materializes like some paranormal entity.

Here’s one of the examples of a pitiable texter writhing around in the autocorrect net, scrambling in vain to get one word across — widow: Do you know there is a brown window spider?

Ug window Dammit window there is a brown spider that gets its name because it eats its husband Texting has always struck me as a throwback to one of the earliest forms of electronic communication: the telegram.

But at least in that era, expediency hadn’t entirely overtaken eloquence, as I fear it has today.

Legendary union activist Joe Hill got a good one across the night before he was executed for murder, combining the drama of a deathbed exhortation with a sense of his own defiant spirit in a jailhouse telegram that he sent to comrades in 1914: I WILL DIE LIKE A TRUE-BLUE REBEL. DON’T WASTE ANY TIME MOURNING. ORGANIZE. Albert Einstein sent this telegram to several hundred U.S. leaders after Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed in 1945: THE UNLEASHED POWER OF THE ATOM HAS CHANGED EVERYTHING SAVE OUR MODES OF THINKING AND WE THUS DRIFT TOWARD UNPARALLELED CATASTROPHE. And of course there was the very first message of the telecommunications era, sent out in 1844 by Samuel Morse, the man who masterminded the commercial usage of the telegraph: WHAT HATH GOD WROUGHT? What a blabbermouth, when all he really had to say was: OMG!

What’s SOCIAL

Follow us on twitter: @OrlandoLifeMag and Facebook at: facebook.com/orlandolifemagazine.

We’re on Pinterest too: pinterest.com/orlandolife/.

What’s ONLINE Check out our expanded listing of arts organizations and their schedules of events for the upcoming season.

What you CAN DO Savor a brew or two at the Florida International Beer Festival at Heritage Square in downtown Orlando, featuring live entertainment and great beers from around the world.

What’s ON DECK In June, we’ll have our shoptill-you drop look at the area’s retailers and what they have to offer.

Michael McLeod Editor in Chief mmcleod@orlando-life.com 4

ORLANDO LIFE

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MAY 2013

4/15/13 3:06:36 PM

Ulbarri May

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Michael MCLEOD

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Editor in Chief

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HARRY WESSEL

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Managing Editor

LAURA BLUHM

Art and Social Media Director Style and Home Editorial Director

JAY BOYAR Arts Editor

RONA GINDIN Dining Editor

MarianNe Ilunga, mike thomas Contributors

rafael tongol

Senior Photographer

Ken lopez, Josh letchworth Contributing Photographers

ASHLEY ANNIN, DANNY ROMERO Editorial Interns

Editorial: press@orlando-life.com

Lorna Osborn

Senior Associate Publisher Director of Marketing & Public Relations

KATHY BYRD

Associate Publisher Advertising: LOSBORN@orlando-life.com

ORLANDO LIFE

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ORLANDO LIFE (USPS 000-140) (Vol. 14/Issue No. 5) is published monthly by Florida Home Media LLC, 2700 Westhall Lane, Ste 128, Maitland, FL 32751. Periodicals Postage Paid at Maitland, FL and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Orlando Life Magazine, PO Box 5586, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33310-5586 6

ORLANDO LIFE

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MAY 2013

4/15/13 2:27:49 PM

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Let us spoil you with poolside pampering.

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Let us guide you on a kayak through Shingle Creek.

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LIMELIGHT

jay boyar

The Ever-Expanding Fringe Is a Funny, Freaky, Frenetic, Family-Friendly Frolic

I

f I heard that Disney was open-

A Day in the Life of Miss Hiccup 8

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ing a strip club down the road from Cinderella’s Castle, I’d be pretty surprised. Both the castle and the club may represent fantasies, but definitely not the same kind.

That isn’t happening, of course, and I’m sure it never will. But something like the reverse of that did happen a year ago, and it’s happening again this month. Yet no one seems especially shocked.

I’m talking about the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival, which is rolling out its 22nd edition May 15 to 28. Traditionally, the Fringe has been known for its “100 percent uncensored” spirit, which means that adult content ranks high among its signature features.

For a long time, the Fringe had also included a small, kid-oriented component that had always struck me as a bit of an afterthought. But last year, Kids Fringe was dramatically expanded and aggressively promoted, even as the festival’s freewheeling spirit remained intact.

When I first heard about this, I wondered how it would all turn out. Michael Marinaccio, who had just signed on as the festival’s producer, seemed confident that the two-headed beast that was the reanimated Fringe would be healthy and happy. But still.

As it happens, Marinaccio was right, at least if attendance is any indication.

In 2011, he says, attendance at Kids Fringe was 1,750. Last year it was almost 10,000 — a giant leap for kid-kind!

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PHOTOs: (opposite page) RICHARD HANNA, (TOP) Omar Mack; (center aND bottom) courtesy orlando international fringe theatre festival

“It was almost like we were creating Kids Fringe for the first time,” says Marinaccio of that free, family-friendly part of the larger Fringe. “We really wanted to make it an event for kids — and parents responded.”

Attendance at the Fringe’s ticketed events was also up substantially, if not quite so dramatically, from 21,500 in 2011 to last year’s 30,000. This year, the producer adds, familyfriendly fare will be even more prominent — but not at the expense of the festival’s wilder side.

“Last year, despite having so much success in the familyfriendly realm, I think we had more shows that contained nudity than we ever had before,” he reflects.

Like last year’s Fringe, this year’s event will mainly take place in the Loch Haven Park area, where there are nine venues (including the Mennello Museum for Kids Fringe) plus a free outdoor stage. And this year three additional venues will be added, including the stage at Theatre Downtown and a location called The Venue on Virginia Drive in Ivanhoe Village.

The third new venue is a warehouse mainly devoted to a major expansion of Visual Fringe; it will include art vendors and a miniature golf course created by Fringe artists. All three are a bit of a trek from Loch Haven Park.

“We’re adding pedicabs because of the new venues,” notes Marinaccio. “The goal will be in the future, as we grow, to fill in the spaces in between.” The pedicabs may even help a bit with the festival’s perennial parking squeeze, which he calls “an ongoing struggle.”

Among the Fringe’s 100 ticketed productions (up from last year’s 85), Marinaccio mentions such international offerings as Magical Mystery Detour, a one-woman show by British “master storyteller” Gemma Wilcox; A Day in the Life of Miss Hiccup, an absurd adventure-comedy by Japanese performer Yanomi Shoshinz; and a couple of bawdy Australian shows whose titles I can’t print here.

Also on tap are a performance by Michael Winslow (the “Man of 10,000 Sound Effects” from the Police Academy movies); The Three Pussy Riot Sisters, a New York show about the beleaguered Russian band; and Little Miss Fringe Festival, which Marinaccio describes as “a fake little girls’ beauty pageant with large, unattractive men playing the little girls.”

He also notes that there are more dance performances than ever this year and several shows that combine theater, music and art.

Getting back to Kids Fringe, not only have parents and children taken note of it, so have festival sponsors.

“This year we got a grant from the Universal Foundation [as in Universal Studios], which is a huge help to us,” says Marinaccio, who adds that Blue Man Group, a new sponsor, will aid in bringing Fringe performers to local schools during ORLANDO-LIFE.COM

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As always, the Fringe’s offerings will be eclectic.The TheThree Pussy Riot Sisters (top) is about the Russian feminist punk band, while Magical Mystery Detour (center) is a onewoman show featuring at least 25 different characters. The Kids Fringe (above) offers children’s activities and familyfriendly fare. the run of the festival. And this year, he says, Walt Disney World has come on board as a presenting sponsor.

I’d never have guessed that the Fringe and the Mouse could play so well together.

Visit orlandofringe.org for more information.

Jay Boyar, arts editor of Orlando Life, has written about film and travel for the Orlando Sentinel and numerous other newspapers.

He’s the author of Films to Go: 100 Memorable Movies for Travelers & Others and a contributor to ReelRomance: The Lovers’ Guide to the 100 Best Date Movies.

ORLANDO LIFE

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plan on it 11th Annual Cabaret Festival

Through May 12 Mad Cow Theatre

With Broadway headliners Emily Skinner and Shoshana Bean as well as a roster of Central Florida favorites, the 11th annual festival features dozens of intimate jazz and pop performances.

orlandocabaret.com

The Wizard of Oz

Through May 26 Garden Theatre

gardentheatre.org

May 7 House of Blues

Shower The People: The Music of James Taylor

houseofblues.com

You’ve got a friend at the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra’s annual outdoor concert, which this year pays tribute to the iconic 1970s singer/songwriter.

The “Troublemaker” singer, who rose to fame through television’s The X-Factor, X-Factor has attracted legions of fans worldwide with his uptempo brand of pop and his charitable work for children.

Cirque du Soleil presents Quidam

May 18 The Springs Community

orlandophil.org

May 15-19 UCF Arena

Sanford Jazz Ensemble-Spring Concert

ucfarena.com

An 18-piece jazz band accompanies “Florida’s First Lady of Song,” Miss Linda Cole, who has appeared in jazz clubs throughout the southeast.

Dive into the imaginary world of Zoé, where interesting characters come to life, including the mysterious Quidam, featuring acrobatic and circus acts such as the German Wheel, aerial hoops and juggling.

May 19 Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center

wdpac.com

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Cirque du Soleil’s Quidam at UCF

Follow the yellow brick road with Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, the Scarecrow and Toto as they go somewhere over the rainbow and encounter flying monkeys, a wicked witch and the not-so-magical man behind the curtain.

Olly Murs

PHOTO: matt beard

LIMELIGHT

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LIMELIGHT

theater

Music Plays a Rocking Role in ‘Memphis’ prove of their love. There are battles left and right. And all you want is for the couple to be together.

But Romeo & Juliet it ain’t. It’s Memphis, a Tony Awardwinning musical that rocks and rolls its way into the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre as part of the Broadway Across America tour. The show runs May 14 to 19.

The work is loosely based on the life of Dewey Phillips, a manic but savvy disc jockey who showcased tunes by both black and white artists. In 1954 he had the distinction of being the first to play an Elvis Presley record (“That’s All Right, Mama”) on the air.

As the legend goes, Phillips got Presley to reveal his race in an interview by asking which high school the 19-year-old phenom had attended. In an era of segregation, he knew his

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listeners could use that information to figure out the singer’s ethnicity.

In Memphis, Huey Calhoun, the character based on Phillips, discovers the black dance-club scene on Beale Street and meets a talented songstress named Felicia Ferrell. Romance ensues; given the time and the place, you know what comes next.

Visit orlando.broadway.com for more information.

— Ashley Annin

photo: Paul Kolnik

They come from different backgrounds. Their families disap-

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At the Mennello, Twin Tributes to Florida’s Fragile River of Grass

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as anything North America had to offer. Then came a time when it all began to disappear.

Two concurrent exhibits at the Mennello Museum, opening May 17 and running through the end of the year, pay tribute to guardians of this fragile natural resource.

The first, Never No More: Storter’s Southwest Florida, is devoted to the work of Robert Lee Storter Jr., a self-taught artist and writer who chronicled the Everglades during the 1950s.

Storter, born into a “cracker” family that settled in the Everglades in the early part of the 20th century, witnessed the encroachment of commercial and residential development.

He often bemoaned the spoiling of the wilderness he loved in brief, plaintive notes that accompanied his sketches.

The second exhibit, Art and Artifacts of the Seminole: Selections from the Collection of I.S.K. Reeves V and Sara W. Reeves, consists of Seminole Indian clothing, jewelry, dolls, photographs and an authentic Seminole Chickee hut from the Reeves’ collection.

Visit mennellomuseum.com for more information — Danny Romero

PAINTING: robert lee Storter jr.

There was a time when the Florida Everglades were as wild

Off app in-r Com

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MAY 2013

4/15/13 2:43:18 PM

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Let us introduce your kids to the loggerhead turtle.

AbadiMTStd-Italic_abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz`1234567890-= [] \;’,./≠ ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ~!@#$%^&*()_+{}|:”<>? å∫ç∂´ƒ©˙ˆ∆˚¬µ˜øπœ®ß†¨√∑≈¥Ω`¡™£¢ §¶•ªº–≠“‘«…æ≤ ÷≠ÅıÇÎ´Ï˝ÓˆÔÒ˜Ø∏Œ‰Íˇ¨◊„˛Á¸`⁄‹›fifl‡°·‚—±”’»ÚƯ˘¿ Á¸`⁄‹›fifl‡°·‚—±”’»ÚƯ˘¿|áéíóúâêîôûàèìòùäëïöüÿãñõÁÉÍÓÚÀÈÌÒÙÄËÏÖÜŸÑÃÕÂÊÎÔÛ ”“’‘ '" € $‚Ǩ¬£¬•‚Ç©‡∏ø—Ä—É–±

Let us stoke the fire for one more s’more.

Let us tell them pirate stories almost as good as the ones they’ll take home.

Let us turn a taste of the good life into a memory of a lifetime.

Comfort You – The ideal package to create fond memories for the entire family. Includes breakfast and daily resort credit. For reservations, contact your travel professional, call The Ritz-Carlton at 800-241-3333 or visit ritzcarlton.com/ameliaisland.

Offer valid at participating hotels through December 31, 2013, subject to availability. Rate is per room/per night based on single or double occupancy, exclusive of taxes, gratuities, fees and other charges; does not apply to groups; cannot be combined with any other offer and is not applicable for Rewards redemption. Advanced reservations are required. Daily breakfast is available in select hotel restaurants and not valid for in-room dining. Credit is applied per night, has no cash value, and is not valid on room rate, alcohol, or third-party services. No refund or credit for unused portion. Void where prohibited. ©2013 The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C.

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4/15/13 2:43:25 PM

LIMELIGHT

theater

Orlando Phil Stages a Play That’s Bound to Succeed to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, he spent a full year in preparation.

“The choreography is just insanity,” Radcliffe said of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning romp. The songs, by Frank Loesser, are pretty good, too.

Of course, you’d expect that from the guy whose score made Guys and Dolls one of the most beloved musicals in theater history.

The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra presents this sly, satirical look at workplace romance, office politics and corporate ladder-climbing on May 11 at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre. It’s part of the Phil’s ambitious 2012-2013 Super Series.

The play, adapted from a 1952 book of the same name, is firmly rooted in the male-dominated Mad Men era. It spotlights the unlikely career of 27-year-old J. Pierrepont Finch, who manages to rise from window washer to chairman of the board of the World Wide Wicket Company by following the advice he gleans from a smarmy self-help manual.

Visit orlandophil.org for more information.

— Danny Romero

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photo: courtesy orlando philharmonic orchestra

Before Daniel Radcliffe tackled the role of J. Pierrepont Finch in a 2011 revival of How

MAY 2013

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4/15/13 2:43:45 PM

LIMELIGHT

theater

If there’s a show in this year’s Fringe Festi-

val that exemplifies the event’s renewed emphasis on family fare, it’s IUWe, an original musical revue by local musician and performer Molly Conole.

Conole, who wrote the show and all the music, also leads an ensemble cast that includes a cadre of seasoned performers as well as her two teenaged daughters, Penelope and Amelia. “It’s an outward-leading journey through the kaleidoscope of life, as experienced by three generations of women,” she says.

IUWe — pronounced “I, you, we” — has already generated local buzz via several preview performances. It also had a trial run at last year’s Provincetown

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Spring Playwright’s Festival in Cape Cod, after which Conole and company continued tightening and polishing.

From the upbeat pop-style theme song through its twisted spin on everything from manic blues to bassoon-featured rap, the music in IUWe is as eclectic as the multigenerational cast of six. And the topics range from love to loneliness, from politics to puberty.

In addition to Conole and her daughters, the IUWe cast includes Christina Carter, Amy Gifford and Kathy Slage.

The production is choreographed by Talia R. Raymond and directed by Sally McArthur, local attorney and wife of

Orlando Life publisher Randy Noles.

McArthur and Conole collaborated on Psalms of the Heart, a Christian-themed Fringe show in 2002.

IUWe is slated for seven performances (May 16, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23 and 25) at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater’s Margeson Theater (the Orange Venue) during the run of the Fringe.

For more information visit iuwe.me.

PHOTO: COURTESY IUWE

Family-Friendly Fringe Revue Is Rollicking Through Real Life

MAY 2013

4/15/13 3:06:02 PM

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2/25/13 4:02 PM 4/15/13 5:17:44 PM

DESIGN STYLE

fashion

Sole Sisters

THE WOMEN BEHIND WINE, WOMEN & SHOES.

by Marianne Ilunga photographs by Rafael Tongol

K

elly Gaines and Diane Heiken

have been laboring behind the scenes of Wine, Women & Shoes long enough. We decided it was time for them to take a star turn as models for this month’s Orlando Life.

The women co-chair the annual fundraiser, which combines wine and fancy footwear to benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, which feeds the hungry through 500 nonprofit agencies in Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Lake, Brevard and Volusia counties.

Kelly, vice president of marketing at Costa Communications Group, has been a Second Harvest volunteer for six years. Diane, a stay-at-home mom, has been a Wine, Women & Shoes volunteer since 2011.

This year’s event will take place at SeaWorld of Orlando’s new banquet facility, Ports of Call, on May 18 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Kelly is wearing a white BCBG sheath dress with black and white pattern detail, $268. It’s accented by a coral statement necklace, $395; a coral and horn bangle, $95; and a gold tone statement ring, $95; all by Nest.

All are available at Saks Fifth Avenue at the Florida Mall. The coral peeptoe shoes are Kelly’s own.

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MAY 2013

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Diane is wearing a mint-colored leather tank

by PJK, $248, and snake print jeans by Seven 7 Jeans, $259. Accessories include a black and white pyramid bangle, $65; a white enamel oval ring, $90; and a pair of black enamel drop earrings, $100; all

by Kenneth Jay Lane. All are available at Saks Fifth Avenue at the Florida Mall. The black sandals are Dianeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own.

ORLANDO-LIFE.COM

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ORLANDO LIFE

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DESIGN STYLE

accessories

High Time for Haute Watches BREITLING MAKES ITS ORLANDO DEBUT.

by Michael McLeod and Ashley Annin

W

hen Swiss watchmak-

er Breitling came to Orlando this spring as part of an influx of high-end shops at Mall at Millenia, so did a timepiece bloodline dating back to 1884.

You could use Breitling watches as history-lesson props, assuming you brought a security guard to the classroom with you: Most Breitling timepieces are priced in the $5,000-$8,000 range, and many — such as a $330,000, 18-karat white gold model decorated with diamond baguettes — retail for much, much more.

Over the generations, the instrumentation on Breitling timepieces became synonymous with aviation. Reconnaissance pilots in World War II used their watches to calculate bombardments while private pilots in the 1950s used their watches to calculate flight plans.

In 1961, Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter asked the company to create a 24-hour model to reflect the absence of day and night in space. Carpenter and his Breitling Cosmonaute wristwatch orbited the earth three times.

Breitling currently produces watches in three categories – aviation, diving and luxury.

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MAY 2013

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Transocean Chronograph 38 Clean, chic and slim, the Transocean Chronograph 38 (this page) is the sister to the Unitime, with a feminine redesign in a variety of styles. Intricate 38-millimeter dials in black, midnight blue and mercury silver are cased in steel or rose gold, and two hollowed counters at 3 o’clock and 6 o’clock provide a sleeker face. Like its larger counterpart, band options are a mesh Milanese bracelet or leather band in a variety of colors. Priced at $6,350$17,785 (varies with band and metal.)

Available at Breitling at The Mall at Millenia.

Navitimer 01 You don’t have to be an aviator to appreciate the bold statement made by the Navitimer 01 (opposite page), but you’ll probably want to jump in a cockpit after putting it on. In honor of the model’s 60th anniversary, Breitling has added a splash of color to the classic red-on-black dial, which is now available in limited-edition blue or silver variations. Both feature a transparent crystal case back. Three interior rings function as an analog computer for pilots. The bracelet is available in three variations, and the limited-edition versions feature a white-gold Breitling emblem on its 43millimeter face. Priced at $7,945-$25,000 (varies with band and metal). Available at Breitling at The Mall at Millenia.

ORLANDO-LIFE.COM

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ORLANDO LIFE

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CONVERSATION

Roads Less Traveled THE ADVENTURES OF A FANATIC FLORIDIAN.

by Harry Wessel photographs by Josh Letchworth

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chad crawford

S

anford native Chad Crawford, a third-generation Flo-

ridian, is host of How to Do Florida, a syndicated, half-hour outdoor adventure show that starts its fourth TV season in June. Crawford, 40, lives in Lake Mary with his wife, Kristy, and their four children, who range in age from 16 months to 10 years. He spoke with Orlando Life about his show, his passions and the benefits of living in a place where everybody knows everybody.

Q. What was it like for you growing up in Sanford?

A. My grandfather, John Angel, was the principal of my high school [Seminole High]. My other grandfather owned the only gas station in Sanford. So between the two — everybody needed gas and everybody had somebody in school — everybody knew my family and we knew everybody else.

MAY 2013

4/15/13 2:48:59 PM

An Evening at the Palace h W ŽĨ ĞŶƚƌĂů &ůŽƌŝĚĂ͛Ɛ ϮϬƚŚ ŶŶƵĂů 'ĂůĂ͕ An Evening at the Palace͕ ǁĂƐ Ă ŐƌĞĂƚ ƐƵĐĐĞƐƐ͕ ƌĂŝƐŝŶŐ ĨƵŶĚƐ ƚŽ ĨƵƌƚŚĞƌ ŽƵƌ ĐŽŵŵŝƚŵĞŶƚ ƚŽ ƉƌŽǀŝĚŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ďĞƐƚ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ͕ ĞĚƵĐĂƟŽŶ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞƌĂƉLJ ĨŽƌ ĐŚŝůĚƌĞŶ ŽĨ Ăůů ĂďŝůŝƟĞƐ Ăƚ ƐĞǀĞŶ ůŽĐĂƟŽŶƐ ŝŶ ĞŶƚƌĂů &ůŽƌŝĚĂ͘ :ŽŝŶ ƵƐ ŝŶ ƚŚĂŶŬŝŶŐ ŽƵƌ ĞǀĞŶƚ ƐƉŽŶƐŽƌƐ͕ ƚŚĞ ϴϬϬ ŐƵĞƐƚƐ ǁŚŽ ĂƩĞŶĚĞĚ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ ŚƵŶĚƌĞĚƐ ŽĨ ǀŽůƵŶƚĞĞƌƐ ǁŚŽ ŵĂĚĞ ƚŚŝƐ LJĞĂƌ͛Ɛ 'ĂůĂ ŽŶĞ ŽĨ ŽƵƌ ďĞƐƚ͊ &Žƌ ŵŽƌĞ ŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƟŽŶ͗ ǁǁǁ͘ƵĐƉĐŇ͘ŽƌŐ ͮ ϰϬϳ͘ϴϱϮ͘ϯϯϱϮ

WƌĞƐĞŶƟŶŐ ^ƉŽŶƐŽƌ

ORLANDO-LIFE.COM

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ƌĞĂƟǀĞ ^ƉŽŶƐŽƌ

WƌŽĚƵĐƟŽŶͬDĞĚŝĂ ^ƉŽŶƐŽƌƐ

ORLANDO LIFE

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CONVERSATION

chad crawford

Crawford, who describes his on-screen persona as “kind of a bumbling idiot asking stupid questions,” prepares to wakeboard on Orlando’s Lake Ivanhoe. He wants viewers to know that if he can do it, they can do it.

Q. Sounds like you were a child of privilege.

A. I was rich in community; there’s a sense of being rich in that regard. Even living in Lake Mary now, my kids go to the same elementary school I went to.

My parents live a mile away. It’s very rare I can walk down the street and not see someone that I know. I still hang out with people I went to high school with.

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That’s kind of an oddity in Florida.

Q. Where did you get your love of the outdoors?

A. John Angel, my grandfather, was my idol. Everybody knew him as an outdoorsman. I would sit at his feet and listen to story after story about fishing and hunting. And I loved being outdoors. It’s why I had a great relationship with my dad. We bonded over fishing. Very little was said on the water, but I watched how my dad treated the environment, how he treated other sportsmen and I learned a lot about being a man, about being outdoors and the value of that.

Q. What did you want to be when you grew up?

A. My last day of high school, my video-production teacher said that if I wasn’t such a goofball I’d be good at film. He was the only teacher who ever told me I’d be good at anything, and I remembered that. Out of high school I went into the Navy because I wanted to see the world. They sent me down to the Caribbean, and I spent three years in Antigua and the West Indies. I got to fish and do all kinds of cool stuff down there. Then I went to Full Sail and graduated in 1995. I started bumping along, doing some freelance here and there. I was fired from every job I ever had and finally realized I should probably go work for myself. My wife and I started the Crawford Group in 2005.

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4/15/13 5:21:53 PM

CONVERSATION

chad crawford

Crawford gets tips from instructor J.P. Lurkin on kiteboarding, which involves being pulled across the water on a wakeboard attached to a kite.

kids wanted to go fishing or surfing or scuba diving. I decided that there was a market for a show here because so many people aren’t from Florida and don’t know how to do Florida.

Q. How did How to Do Florida come about?

A. The Crawford Group predominantly does corporate video: commercials, TV shows, Web videos. But it was always my dream to produce and own my own content. How to Do Florida was our first stab at doing that. I talked to so many people who weren’t from Florida and were raising families here. Their

Q. Did you envision yourself as a television personality?

A. Originally I wasn’t slated to be the host. I brought in over 40 different “talents” from throughout Florida. My wife finally said to me, “You need to be the host.” I was like, “You’re crazy. I’m a behind-the-scenes guy, I’m the director/producer.” She said, “No, you need to be the host.” We tried a show with

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me being the host and, you know, I’m still the host.

Q. How many shows have you done?

A. We do two [outdoor activity] segments per show. I’ve done at least 100 different segments. I want to do it as long as I can. No one has done Florida like me. There’s been no one who’s experienced as many activities, who’s traveled throughout Florida, who’s met as many experts as I have over the last four years. We want to continue that. The first couple of seasons the show wasn’t successful. It’s becoming successful from a business-model standpoint.

MAY 2013

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CONVERSATION

chad crawford

their little niches in life and what they do and what they contribute. I think Florida has a lack of state pride because so many people who live here are from someplace else. We don’t have tremendous architecture; we don’t have cathedrals and big skyscrapers. We have the Everglades. We have the St. Johns River. We have the Intracoastal Waterway.

We have the Florida Keys. Those are our treasures, and if you’re not comfortable engaging those treasures, then you don’t see value in them.

Chad and Kristy Crawford live with their four children in Lake Mary, not far from where he grew up. “The key for me is to let my kids and family into my crazy world,” he says.

da commodities. I want people not just to see and do Florida; I also want them to taste it. I want them to fall in love with Florida’s flavors: our seafood, our fruits and vegetables, our citrus. I want people to engage Florida agriculture.

Q. How so?

A. I didn’t want the show to look like a local news crew went out to do a piece on manatees. The goal was always: national quality, local content.

People love local programming, but a lot of times they don’t like how it’s produced. I wanted to bring what people traditionally associate with national programming — a Discovery Channel, a Travel Channel — and bring that to the local level. It took me a while to find the kind of advertisers willing to come on at levels that allow me to do what I needed to do.

Q. What are you planning to do that you haven’t done already?

A. There are some things my wife won’t let me do. Skydiving is one thing I’d like to do but she won’t let me.

Q. One of those advertisers is the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services.

A. Yes, they’re one of our bigger sponsors. The show is perfect for them because it allows them to showcase Flori30

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Q. Not even tandem?

A. Not even tandem. I’ve got four kids and a mortgage.

Q. But it’s OK to hand-feed a 10foot alligator, as you did on one of your shows?

A. Apparently. She’s had me increase my life insurance. I want to go alligator hunting, and I haven’t done that yet.

Q. How about python hunting in the Everglades?

A. Yes, that’s on my list, too. Florida is just so full of really unique characters, people who are passionate about

Q. You run a production company and host a TV show. Meanwhile, you and your wife are raising four children. How do you balance all that?

A. The key for me is to let my kids and my family into my crazy world. They come out on shoots; they’re part of the show. Our schedule is crazy, but the best way I’ve found to make it work is just to blend them together and not try to separate them.

Q. Are you away from home much?

A. Our shooting season starts in February and goes through April. There are times I’m away for at least a week — down in the Keys or up in North Florida. But most of our productions are one- or two-day trips. But I’ll take one of my kids with me, or my wife will come with me. We try to mix it up, because this show can’t be like, “Oh, there’s Chad doing something amazing; we could never do that.”

My character on the show is kind of a bumbling idiot, asking the stupid questions, falling out of the kayak. I want viewers to connect with my character and feel like, “Hey, if this guy can do it, anybody can do it.”

Q. Are you an expert at anything?

A. Fishing is my passion; I love to fish.

But I am definitely a jack-of-all-trades, a master of none. I love doing all kinds MAY 2013

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of stuff, and I grew up that way in Florida: surfing, fishing, hunting, skateboarding, scuba diving, skim boarding, skurfing [waterskiing on a surfboard], all those things. I didn’t do one thing well. I did all of them OK. Q. Are all your kids as enthusiastic about the outdoors as you are?

A. Some of them are, and some of them not so much. That’s the way God creates each child. They’re all bent in different ways. But they do like spending time with their father and their mother, and we try to make that time as much as we can outdoor time. They could be under a tree reading a book, and that’s fine with me. They could even be playing a video game outside.

But as much as we can, we try to raise our kids to not sit in front of the TV, to be outside.

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Q. Your show covers the entire state, but since you’re talking to Orlando Life, what’s a favorite place in this part of Florida?

A. One of the really hidden gems is a place called Wallaby Ranch, which is about 30 minutes south of Orlando. It’s a hang-gliding facility. It is one of the premier sites to do hang gliding, and you wouldn’t expect to do hang gliding in Florida.

Q. One of your past segments was on the Kennedy Space Center. Is a theme park an outdoor activity?

A. We chose to do the Kennedy Space Center because that’s such a part of Florida history. The piece wasn’t how to do the Kennedy Space Center; it was how to do Florida space history. The emphasis was to recognize the role Florida played in the history of space.

Q. So what’s the bottom line with your show?

A. It’s a call to action. Because to “do

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How to Do Florida, created and hosted by Chad Crawford, is a half-hour show featuring two outdoor activities somewhere in the state. It also includes a “Florida Cooking” segment with Chef Justin Timineri, who works for the Florida Department of Agriculture as an “international culinary ambassador.” The show, which debuted in 2010, begins its fourth season June 8 on WFTV-Channel 9, as well as a dozen other ABC affiliates in Florida and Alabama. It’s also shown regularly on Fox Sun Sports cable channels, and is available online at howtodoflorida.com.

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OUR GUIDE TO O-TOWN’S COOLEST PEOPLE, PLACES AND THINGS TO DO

From acupuncture to Zagat, there’s a lot more going on in Orlando than you might think. And what struck us as we pulled together this year’s cover-the-waterfront compendium is how much of it is new — and how much more is on the way.

by the Editors

A tasty tribute to Simply the Best winners by Charlie’s Gourmet Pastries.

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MAY 2013

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NEW TO-DOS LEARN TO FLY

Daring young men, women and kids as young as 5 can try their hand at the flying trapeze at Orlando’s new Trapeze Federation. The instructional facility on Kirkman Road offers two-hour group lessons to beginners and confidently claims that just about anybody (under 200 pounds) can learn to fly and live to brag about it, thanks to its safety harness system. trapezefederation.com

RAISE A GLASS

Orlando’s first and only winery does more than just finish, blend and bottle wines from some of the world’s finest vineyards. Quantum Leap Winery also features a snazzy wine bar, a tasting room and a venue suitable for private events. quantumleapwinery.com

PHOTOS: (OPPOSITE PAGE AND TOP) RAFAEL TONGOL; (BOTTOM) COURTESY PUB AT POINTE ORLANDO

POUR YOUR OWN

International Drive’s Pub at Pointe Orlando features two “Pour Your Own Beer” walls with touch-screen tablets that provide information on the many brews on tap. A cool gizmo lets you chill your glass, and with a swipe of a pub-provided card you get 20 seconds to pour the beer of your choice. experiencethepub.com/orlando

REPORT TO THE KINSEY

Philanthropists Shirley and Bernard Kinsey have amassed an impressive collection of art, artifacts and documents that trace four centuries of African-American history. The Kinsey Collection recently went on permanent display at the American Heritage Gallery in Epcot’s American Adventure Pavilion. thekinseycollection.com

NEW TO-DOS: Quantum Leap Winery

RAP WITH A RHINO

Jahi, a year-old, one-horned Indian rhinoceros, is the star of a new rhino exhibit at Sanford’s Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens. Jahi will be joined later this summer by PJ, another young Indian rhino. Each of the massive but oddly endearing creatures weighs about 3,000 pounds and will put on another ton as they grow to adulthood. centralfloridazoo.org

TAKE THE CAKE

Charlie’s Gourmet Pastries has been delighting Central Floridians since 1971 with its made-from-scratch confections. Nothing new to report on that front: still in the same family; still in the same Orlando location. But since last September, the bakery has been taking it on the road with a new ORLANDO-LIFE.COM

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NEW TO-DOS: Pub at Pointe Orlando ORLANDO LIFE

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NEW TO-DOS: Khalil, Shirley and Bernard Kinsey of The Kinsey Collection at Epcot

GO WILD AT WAWA

The popular convenience-store chain headquartered in Wawa, Pa., and famous for its custom-made hoagies, has moved aggressively into Central Florida. Since last summer nine Wawa stores have opened in metro Orlando, with dozens more planned over the next few years. wawa.com

COMING ATTRACTIONS FARMERS’ MARKET

The home cooks who scour farmers’ markets seeking wholesome foods will enjoy one-stop shopping when the East End Market opens its doors this spring. Created by developer John Rife from a defunct Baptist church facility in Audubon Park, the foodie emporium and its vendors will offer handmade sausages, hearty breads, Italian baked 36

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goods, a juice bar, a coffee roaster and a seafood vendor. Also on tap: a Basque restaurant. eastendmkt.com

DOWNTOWN HOTEL

The old Orlando Utilities Commission building next to City Hall will come back to life as Aloft Orlando Downtown, a 118-room hotel with loft-like rooms, a bar, a café and plenty of meeting space. Slated to open in October, its guests will be within walking distance of Church Street, the Amway Arena and, of course, the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center, which opens for business in 2014. starwoodhotels.com/ alofthotels

CAMPUS HOTEL

On the site where the legendary Langford Hotel once stood, Rollins College is building the Alfond Inn, a spiffy, 112-room “boutique inn.”

Slated to open this summer, the Alfond will boast a ballroom suitable for weddings and galas. Other than the 28-room Park Plaza Hotel on Park Avenue, it will offer the only accommodations within walking distance of the campus and the heart of the city’s

shopping and dining district. thealfondinn.com

AT SEA WORLD

Billed by SeaWorld Orlando as its largest expansion ever, Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin opens later this month with glaciers and icebergs fashioned from rebar, concrete and liquid acrylic.

The scores of adélie, king, rock hopper and gentoo penguins, however, will be real. Visitors will be able to ride among them in state-of-the-art cars guided by computer program rather than metal tracks. seaworldorlando.com/antarctica

AT UNIVERSAL

Universal Orlando Resort will bring battling Autobots and Decepticons to life this summer in Transformers: The Ride 3D. Passengers will team up with Optimus Prime in a daunting task to “defend mankind before it’s too late.”

Universal also has major expansions in the works for The Simpsons Ride and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Park officials are mum, but insiders predict openings this fall for Homer and next year for Harry. universalorlando.com

PHOTO: courtesy ©disney

food truck stocked with cake squares, pie cups, cookies, brownies, cannoli, éclairs and — there’d be a customer revolt otherwise — Charlie’s perennial bestseller: strawberry cheesecake. charliesgourmetpastries.com

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NEW TO-DOS: Jahi the rhino, Central Florida Zoo

NEW TO-DOS: Wawa

AT THE MAGIC KINGDOM

The Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland has undergone a major upgrade that isn’t finished yet. Already open is The Enchanted Forest — with landscapes and characters from The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, — and Storybook Circus, a big-tent homage to the 1941 classic, Dumbo. Two other major additions, the The Princess Fairytale Hall and The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, are slated to open later this year. disneyworld. disney.go.com/new-fantasyland

photos: (top left) courtesy Wawa; (top right) courtesy central florida zoo & botanical gardens; (bottom) rafael tongol

At the ORLANDO Shakespeare Theater

For a company known for staging epics, it will be the biggest show ever.

The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickelby, which the Orlando Shakespeare Theater will stage early next year, is based on a novel about a young man who must take care of his family after his father dies. The novel was written by Charles Dickens, who was never known for brevity. Neither is the play: It’s so long – 6 ½ hours – that it’s usually presented over two nights. orlandoshakes.org

leased toy series, video game and The Legend of Chima cartoon that runs on Cartoon Network. The expansion, set to open in July, will include a new water ride, a 4D movie and a “Speedorz Arena” where kids can build and race Lego chariots. florida.legoland.com

history buff who’s been known to appear at schools and meetings as 19th century suffragist Susan B. Anthony, has been lauded by the Florida Commission on the Status of Women as well as by the Orlando Sentinel, which named her the 2012 Central Floridian of the Year.

PEOPLE

PROTÉGÉ

CRUSADER

Since becoming president of the statewide League of Women Voters in 2009, Winter Park’s Deirdre Macnab has increased the organization’s size and clout while spearheading redistricting reform, fighting against voter-registration restrictions and lobbying to extend voting hours. Macnab, a high-octane

In his first season as a full-time performer with Orlando Ballet, 17-yearold Sanford resident Arcadian Broad has become a star, which is impressive.

But he’s also earned acclaim as a choreographer, which is unheard of. Broad choreographed Time, a solo for himself, and Psychological Recovery, a quirky, internalized piece that was inspired by the movie Inception. orlandoballet.org

AT LEGOLAND

Legoland Florida, which opened its doors less than two years ago, is already expanding. Its new addition, World of Chima, is based on Lego’s recently reORLANDO-LIFE.COM

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NEW TO-DOS: Charlie’s Gourmet Pastries Food Truck ORLANDO LIFE

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FOOD FINDS: Rocco’s Italian Grille

FUNDRAISERS

Matthew Swope, chair of the Performing Arts Department at Winter Park High School, has kids so excited about singing that more than 400 — yes, 400 — participate in the school’s various award-winning choral programs. Maybe it’s the Glee effect, but parents and kids think Swope’s professionalism, enthusiasm and charisma are what has made chorus cool. wphs.ocps.net

BEAUTY QUEEN

Erin O’Flaherty, the first openly gay winner of the Miss University of Central Florida competition, is active with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and dedicated to raising sensitivity about the LGBTQ community. “Part of the reason why I feel so good about where I am and what I’m doing is because I finally feel like I am who I am,” she says. erryberry1. blogspot.com

AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHERS

To create a unique photography project, graphic designer Elizabeth Kruckemyer assembled a staff of volunteers without meeting a single one of them — or snapping a single shutter herself.

She planted 10 disposable cameras in the downtown Orlando area, with instructions for the finders to take pictures of the city and submit them for an exhibit at Urban ReThink entitled Panorama. The result was an eyeopening display of 100 photos that captured the cityscape through the eyes of passersby. urbanrethink.com

PRETEEN SINGER

COMING ATTRACTIONS: Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin at Sea World 38

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A 12-year-old girl with a guitar just about stole the show from the pros during the live entertainment portion of the 2013 Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival. Bailey Callahan of Winter Springs, who delivered a polished set of country/folk covers and original songs that stopped festival-goers in their tracks, has recently performed at several showcases in Nashville and has some major record labels interested.

Taylor Swift, look out. Check her out on YouTube. reverberation.com/baileycallahan

PHOTOs: (top) courtesy Rocco’s italian grille; (bottom) courtesy Seaworld orlando

MAESTRO

Central Florida has its share of major events to raise money for good causes. But none can match the effort of Victoria Petrucelly, 8, and her best friend Jesse Theobald, 9, who decided to open a lemonade stand to raise money to fight breast cancer, the disease that had claimed Victoria’s mom, Angela. The goal was to clear $50, but after two days the enterprising third-graders had amassed nearly $24,000. “The thing my mom wanted to tell everybody was to count their blessings,” said Victoria. We’re counting.

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COMING ATTRACTIONS: John Rife and his East End Market

COACHES

Michelle Frew (softball), Tom Klusman (men’s basketball) and Glenn Wilkes Jr. (woman’s basketball) have all surpassed the 300-win threshold in their posts at Rollins College. Frew has been at the liberal-arts college since 1995 and earned 118 of her wins at Edison Community College in Fort Myers. Neither Klusman (33 years) nor Wilkes (27 years) have been head coaches anywhere else. rollins.edu

TV CHEF

Emeril Lagasse has long been among the nation’s most popular celebrity chefs appearing on the Food Network alone more than 2,000 times. Now the owner of Central Florida’s Emeril’s Orlando and Emeril’s Tchoup Chop, is hosting Cooking Channel travelogues of state destinations — and food. His first Emeril’s Orlando celebrated local spots including The Ravenous Pig and Vine’s Grille & Wine Bar. Hopefully he’ll head back to the area and showcase more of our outstanding eateries. cookingchanneltv. com/shows/emerils-florida.html

PHOTOs: (top) courtesy east end market; bottom ucf archive

ELECTED OFFICIAL

In a state where elections are a national joke, nobody is laughing at Seminole County Supervisor of Elections Mike Ertel. A veteran of eight years in the U.S. Army and a former journalist with a public-affairs background, the 43year-old Ertel has won an array of civic awards and has given presentations about election procedures all over the world. We’re not the first to notice: Readers of the Sanford Herald voted him “Best Elected Official” last year.

PEOPLE: First UCF President Charles Millican ORLANDO-LIFE.COM

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PRESIDENTIAL APPOINTEE

President Obama has named Orlando native and University of Central

Florida grad Julia Pierson as the first female director of the U.S. Secret Service. Pierson, 53, who most recently served as the agency’s chief of staff, served three years in the Orlando Police Department before beginning her Secret Service career in 1983 as a special agent in the Miami Field Office.

She was assigned to the Orlando Field Office from 1985 to 1988. Under Pierson’s leadership, expect the agency to avoid any more embarrassing scandals such as last year’s Colombian prostitution fiasco.

PLACES BALCONY VIEW

From the Waldorf-Astoria Orlando, guests have a spectacular vantage point for taking in Disney fireworks ORLANDO LIFE

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tional yoga features peaceful devotees on anchored paddle boards floating sublimely on Lake Ivanhoe. Boards and paddles are provided. Classes are available every day from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. mauib.com

BOWLING CENTERS

Two new Orlando bowling alleys are transcending the sport’s déclassé image. Kings Bowl Orlando on I-Drive and Splitsville at Downtown Disney are both high-energy entertainment emporiums where diverse menus, energetic music and extras such as billiards complement the strikes-and-spares sport. kingsorlando.com, splitsvillelanes.com

COMING ATTRACTIONS: Transformation: The Ride 3D at Universal Orlando Resort Waldorf-Astoria Golf Club, which is tucked into a wetland preserve dotted with stands of pine and cypress. waldorfastoria.hilton.com

KIDS’ PLAYGROUND

FOOD FINDS: Norman Van Aken

or the equally spectacular if somewhat more subdued Central Florida sunsets. Signature Island overlooks the grounds of the elegantly retro 40

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There are plenty of strong candidates in this category, but Lake Island Park in Winter Park is tough to beat. Located on West Morse Boulevard, it features a large and elaborate wooden play structure, oodles of shade, a nearby shoreline for fishing and a half-mile jogging trail. It’s also adjacent to a wellgroomed softball field that serves as home for the Rollins College Women’s Softball Team. orlandoplaygrounds.com

YOGA SITE

Clear your mind, become one with nature and try really hard not to fall into the lake. An aquatic evocation of tradi-

Everybody complains about the state of health care. It’s nice to see someone actually doing something about it. Harris Rosen, president of Rosen Hotels & Resorts, started a self-insurance program for his burgeoning empire in the early ’90s. And last year, the hotelier tripled the size of his International Drive health care center, which serves all 2,000 employees and members of their families.. rosenhotels.com

THINK TANK

The Winter Park Institute, which brings great scholars, artists, scientists and intellectuals to Rollins College for free lectures every year, outdid itself with the 2012-2013 season. The lineup has included human-rights journalists Sheryl Wu Dunn and Nicholas Kristof as well as paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson, discoverer of the 3 million-year-old fossilized hominid skeleton that became known as “Lucy,” and fiery filmmaker Oliver Stone. rollins.edu/wpi

STATE UNIVERSITY

OK, there’s just once candidate in this category. Still, it deserves kudos. The

PHOTOs: (top) courtesy universal orlando resort; (bottom) courtesy norman’s

Employee Clinic

MAY 2013

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PHOTOs: (top) courtesy ©disney; (bottom) courtesy legoland florida

COMING ATTRACTIONS:The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at the Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland University of Central Florida has become the largest university in Florida and the second largest in the United States. That feat is especially astonishing to anyone who remembers the days when the first president of what was then called Florida Technological University, Dr. Charles Millican, operated out of a tiny office above a drugstore at Church Street and Orange Avenue in downtown Orlando. “I’ve been named president of a 1,200-acre pine forest,” Millican said at the time of the fledgling institution’s remote site in east Orange County. Fifty years later, UCF can celebrate producing more than 200,000 alumni, becoming a haven for groundbreaking research and driving the region’s economic growth. ucf.edu

SHELTER

The Zebra Coalition, based in Windermere, is a network of organizations that offer shelter, guidance, clothing, peer support, education and medical services to young people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or uncertain about their orientation. Bullying, as well as physical and sexual abuse, are major issues for this 18-and-under

population. But their biggest problem is homelessness as a result of family rejection, says coalition director Dexter Foxworth. The organization operates a shelter on Mills Avenue. zebrayouth. org/index.html

FAIR TRADE

Rollins College was recently named a Fair Trade College — the first col-

COMING ATTRACTIONS: The World of Chima at Legoland

CAUSES LEGAL SERVICE

Save the lawyer jokes. The Legal Aid Society of the Orange County Bar Association assists more than 20,000 Central Floridians every year with issues ranging from foreclosure to wage discrimination. And its guardian ad litem program helps keep thousands of at-risk kids safe. Another government program? No. The organization is largely funded by — wait for it — lawyers themselves, who contribute money and pro bono work. legalaidocba.org ORLANDO-LIFE.COM

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ORLANDO LIFE

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PEOPLE: Erin O’Flaherty of hobbyists. In the upscale market, though, Fannie Hillman & Associates and Kelly Price & Company remain at or near the top of the heap.

That’s probably because head honchos Scott Hillman and Kelly Price have deep local roots — they’re both Winter Park High School grads — and both emphasize good corporate citizenship as well as solid service. fanniehillman. com, kellyprice.com

stuff comes from and who makes it.

The move was prompted by the City of Winter Park, which officially became a Fair Trade Town last April. rollins.edu

Phil Kean, known for his signature modernist masterpieces in Winter Park, has developed WayCool Homes, through which he’s licensing contractors in other markets to build from a selection of his plans. The goal: to make the kind of architecture previously available only to Kean’s custom-home clients accessible to buyers across the country, and the world. waycoolhomesus.com

HOUSING

ORGANIZATION

PEOPLE: Deirdre Macnab in the state to earn such a designation.

The school will encourage its vendors to provide — and its departments to buy — fair trade products, meaning products that have been made in a socially conscious and sustainable manner. In other words, sweat shops and despoilers of the environment need not apply. Part practical, part symbolic, the designation announces to the world that Rollins’ faculty, staff and students care about where their 42

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REALTORS

In a region where more than 10,000 people hold real-estate licenses, there are plenty of top-notch pros and plenty

Homebuilding is a competitive business, especially in the high-end custom market, where savvy buyers insist upon the best of the best. In Central Florida, many such savvy buy-

PHOTOs: (left) rafael tongol; (right) matt boyd

ARCHITECT

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ers choose a member of the Master Custom Builder Council. MCBC, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, is an invitation-only group of elite builders, each of whom must pass a screening process and adhere to a strict code of ethics. The organization also promotes solid corporate citizenship, assisting such charities as the Children’s Home Crisis Center, the House of Hope, Devereux and others. custombuilt.com

SHOPPING AND SERVICES NATURAL FOODS

Whole Foods Markets boast the largest variety of organic produce in Central Florida, with more than 80 varieties of fruits and vegetables available daily. All of the bounty is locally sourced from farmers no more than a day’s drive from the store. If you don’t feel like cooking, the deli offers dozens of prepared entrées, fresh sushi and a juice and espresso bar. wholefoodsmarket.com

PHOTO: courtesy elizabeth kruckemyer

GALLERY and GIFT SHOP

PEOPLE: Elizabeth Kruckemyer, whose unique photo project included an alleyway photo by “Kelsy”

One of the country’s top galleries for American crafts, Timothy’s Gallery on Park Avenue represents more than 300 artists and offers jewelry, glass, ceramics, fabrics, lamps, home and personal accessories and intriguing creations of every description, all made in the good old USA. timothysgallery.com

offering everything from table sets to couches to bars to lounges. The St. Petersburg-based chain, founded 42 years ago, has 19 locations throughout Florida. leadersfurniture.com

slated to open, including Prada, YSL, Hublot, Buckle, 7 For All Mankind, Loft, Mayors Jewelers, Boss Store, Michael Kors and Caché. mallatmillenia.com

OUTDOOR FURNISHINGS

SHOPPING MALL

BOUTIQUE

One of the joys of living in Central Florida is the ability to enjoy the outdoors pretty much year round. And today’s outdoor furnishings are as comfortable and stylish as anything you can buy for an interior room. Located just off East Colonial Drive near Bumby Avenue, Leader’s Casual Furniture is the region’s outdoor-living mecca, ORLANDO-LIFE.COM

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When John Travolta appeared as master of ceremonies at the opening of a new Breitling luxury timepiece boutique at The Mall at Millenia last month, it was just one more ultra-glitzy indicator of the shopping center’s decade-long run of success.

Now, much to the delight of local shopaholics, several new shops are

Trendy, classy, chic and sexy, Tuni in Winter Park is like a big-city boutique, except the staffers at this iconic Park Avenue shop will probably know your name and your style preferences. Select from fashion-forward lines such as Michael Kors, Tori Burch and Anna Sui, among others. facebook.com/tunifashionwinterpark ORLANDO LIFE

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PEOPLE: Emeril Lagasse

you had absolutely no idea you so desperately wanted. adjectivesmarket.com

SHOE REPAIR

Do you have a bedraggled pair of shoes in the back of the closet that you just can’t let go? No problemo, weary shoe hoarder. If you need reparaciones de calzados, Luis Gonzales is your man.

He’s been doing this for 30 years, and his family-owned-and-operated Esperanza Shoe Repair will not only salvage that tattered pair of kicks, but leather bags, jackets and wayward zippers, too. esperanzashoerepair.net

ACUPUNCTURIST

Dr. Hailing Fu at Ling’s Acupuncture has studied both Chinese and Western medicine and specializes in natural treatments for pregnancyrelated illness as well as fertility issues She is the staff acupuncture physician at the Fertility C.A.R.E clinic. lingsacupuncture.com

Antique emporiums are notoriously dingy and cluttered. But Adjectives Market in Altamonte Springs is spacious, inviting and well organized.

Wander through stall after stall — of

PLACES: Waldorf-Astoria Orlando

antiques, of Coke memorabilia, of locally made crafts, of vintage shoes — and you’ll understand why this twostory, 12,000-square-foot marketplace has become so popular so quickly. And, no doubt, you’ll find something that

ALTERNATIVE VETERINARIAN

Holistic healing has gone to the dogs.

And cats. Dr. Deneen Fasano began studying holistic approaches to animal care after getting her degree from the University of Minnesota School of Veterinary Medicine, and is certified in veterinary acupuncture and veterinary spinal manipulation to relieve furry friends of ailments ranging from bladder stones to nerve damage. Animalhealingsolutions.com

MEDIA ONLINE NEWSPAPER

Bringing transparency to Winter Park’s often insular and sometimes contentious city government is the stated aim of the year-old Winter Park Voice, an online, donor-supported local news site. Editor Tom Childers packs the site with detailed coverage of govern44

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PHOTOs: (top) courtesy Emeril’s; (bottom) courtesy waldorf-astoria orlando

ANTIQUES

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ment meetings, including embedded video. “I just lay out the dots,” he says.

“I leave it to the people in the community to connect them.” Which they do, colorfully and enthusiastically, in guest columns and letters on the site. winterparkvoice.com

BOOMER TV SHOW

If you’re a baby boomer, you may think TV programmers are ignoring you.

Well, they generally are. But Growing Bolder, a locally produced show seen on PBS stations nationwide, has filled the void by celebrating the 50-plus demographic. It’s all about hope, inspiration and possibility, says Marc Middleton, founder of Bolder Media. Central Floridians will recognize Middleton and cohorts Bill Shaffer and Wendy Chioji from their years on WESH, the local NBC affiliate. Full disclosure: Orlando Life publishes Growing Bolder Magazine. growingbolder.com

PHOTOs: (top) courtesy rollins college; (bottom) courtesy kings bowl orlando

COLUMNIST

Orlando Weekly’s Billy Manes ordinarily relies on rapier wit as the city’s most doggedly irreverent observer of local politics. But he shifted his tone to reasoned yet passionate indignation in powerful, deeply personal written testimony he sent to a Florida House of Representatives committee as it was considering a bill to establish a domestic-partner registry that would protect the property rights of committed samesex partners. Manes described losing many of the belongings he shared with his life partner, Alan Jordan, after Jordan died last year. The subcommittee passed the bill last month by a 5-4 vote. orlandoweekly.com

PEOPLE: Coaches Glenn Wilkes Jr., Tom Klusman and Michelle Frew out a year ago to find interesting, offbeat and civic-minded things to do in Orlando. When she found them, she would email friends and invite them along. The list just kept on growing, and now nearly 2,000 people receive Wallenberg’s weekly dispatches about such goings-on as pet rescue and neutering events, charitable get-togethers on behalf of military vets and homeless children, lectures about conservation and spirituality, and gatherings of birders and vegetarians. More often than not, she’s there to greet attendees. wendywallerman.com.

BEST RADIO PERSONALITY

So, who is this Bozo? It’s WUCFFM’s wisecracking morning man, Alan Rock, who’s celebrating his 60th year in broadcasting. He’s been behind the mic or in management at WHOO-AM, WLOF-AM and WHLY-FM. And he’s spun everything from Top 40 to his real love, straight-ahead jazz. Oh, and the Bozo reference wasn’t a knock. Longtime locals may remember that in the early ’70s Rock was, in fact, Orlando’s Bozo the Clown on WFTV-Channel 9’s Bozo’s Big Top. wucf.org

PLACES: Kings Bowl Orlando

EVENTS CALENDAR

There are all sorts of local event calendars floating about, but none quite like Wendy Wallenberg’s. The well-traveled photography agent and producer set ORLANDO-LIFE.COM

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SHOPPING: Timothy’s Gallery

FOOD FINDS KID CUISINE

Vacation rhymes with temptation, especially when it comes to junk food and especially when it comes to kids.

Kudos, then, to the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress and the Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport for making it easy to kick that habit. Restaurants at both hotels — and throughout the Hyatt-Regency chain — have revamped their children’s menus to emphasize healthy, cleverly interactive options such as “Top Your Own Taco,” with whole wheat tortilla taco shells; “Sun Butter Sandwiches,” with butter made from sunflower seeds rather than cholesterol-heavy peanut butter; and “Shake and Chop Salads,” served tableside with canisters that the kids can use to toss their own healthy fixin’s. regency. hyatt.com

BAR NUTS

They’re simple nuts — just almonds sitting in small stainless steel bowls along the 13-seat bar at Primo within the JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes. Yet the complimentary nibble at this contemporary Italian restaurant is so compelling that 75 percent of guests who’ve started snacking on them at the bar — yes, the staff keeps track — request more in the dining room. grandelakes.com

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With its warm interior setting and charming patio seating, we’ve long adored Rocco’s Italian Grille and its authentic Old World dishes. Now the enchanting Winter Park restaurant has added on the kind of Italian-American favorites tough to find in Central Florida. And we know that here, where ingredients are carefully sourced and culinary

PHOTOs: rafael tongol

ITALIAN

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Celebrating 25 Years

Brierhill Homes CAHILL Castleworks Charles Clayton Construction Dave Brewer DeLorenzo Homes Derrick Builders Farina & Sons Goehring & Morgan Construction Hannigan Homes Hardwick General Contracting J. Richard Watson Construction Company Jones-Clayton Construction Kelsey Custom Homes McNally Homes Phil Kean Designs Posada Custom Homes Ray Coudriet Builder Regal Classic Homes River Oaks Development Corporation

The Master Custom Builder Council is a Central Florida organization pledged to maintain the highest professional standards in the home building industry. The Council represents the DUHDtV OHDGLQJ custom and luxury home builders who have dedicated themselves to using their craft and workmanship to make Central Florida an even finer place to live. MCBC builders adhere to a very strong code of ethics which are listed at www.custombuilt.com

Speer Homes Stonebridge Homes Sunscape Homes The Einheit Company Woodruff Construction and Development Wyatt Anderson Construction P.O. Box 536732 Orlando, Florida 32853 407.875.2121 www.custombuilt.com

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Seal of Homebuilding Excellenceâ&#x20AC;?

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Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/ MasterCustomBuilderCouncil

4/15/13 3:24:57 PM

BURGERS

Where’s the beef? In this red-meatloving town, trendy restaurants specializing in hamburgers — generally with good vegetarian substitutes — have been popping up everywhere.

B&B Junction, BurgerFi and Burger 21 are the headliners, while newbies such as Toasted in Winter Park and RusTeak in Ocoee offer burger-heavy menus. You want fries with that? bbjunction.com, burgerfi.com, burger21.com, gettoasted.com, rusteakwinebar.com

skills are honed, the dishes will be a leap beyond those at red-and-white-tablecloth places. We love Rocco Potami’s chicken parmigiana and veal pizzaiola, but also recommend the veal T-bone with mushrooms and rosemary-infused chardonnay sauce, strip steak flambéed in Cognac and topped with a Dijon mustard demi-glace or pan-seared salmon in a sauce of white wine, artichokes and capers. roccositaliangrille.com

ANNIVERSARY BASH

Talk about knowing how to throw a party. For its 10th anniversary, the ultra-luxe New World Cuisine restaurant Norman’s in the Ritz-Carlton Orlando Grand Lakes is hosting a wayabove-and-beyond celebration. The Aug. 24 gala, a black-tie affair, will feature foods cooked by top national and local chefs. Joining namesake Norman Van Aken and his local team, Robert Walker and Juan Rendón, will be culinary headliners such as

FOOD FINDS: Bar nuts at Primo, JW Marriott Orlando Grand Lakes

PEOPLE: Billy Manes Charlie Trotter, Dean Fearing and Jeremiah Tower. Local celebs Sean Woods, Brandon McGlamery, Matt Cargo, Derek Perez and Stephane Chémery will be searing, sautéing or spinning sugar, too. Each $1,000 ticket reaps more than a world-class meal.

Expect the presence of six — six! — master sommeliers and autographed cookbooks by each chef-author. Plus, there’ll be music, entertainment and what the promotional folks call “libations.” normans.com

FOODIE GUIDE

Looking for a Chinese restaurant in Mills 50 or a reliable shop for Indian cuisine ingredients? They’re all packed into the first-ever Orlando City Guide by Zagat, a New York-based publisher renowned for its trustworthy, “surveyor”driven recommendations. In one slim “burgundy bible,” the Orlando Zagat guide is a compilation of 5,614 consumers’ opinions of 360 restaurants, 75 nightspots, 152 shops and 57 sites and attractions. zagat.com/products n 48

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PHOTOs: (top right) rafael tongol; (top left) courtesy orlando weekley; (bottom) courtesy JW Marriott Orlando, grande lakes

SHOPPING: Tuni

MAY 2013

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Lifelines

READERS’ CHOICES

The people have spoken! We asked readers to vote for their favorites in wide variety of categories. Here are the results: BEST PLACE FOR FAIR TRADE ITEMS: Ten Thousand Villages

Forms and Themes OF Art Nouveau ./7 /0%.

An exhibition of MORE THAN 100 objects from the Morse collection exploring nature, sensuality, and metamorphosis with the lively line and organic form of the international art phenomenon of 1900.

BEST JEWELRY STORE: Be on Park BEST RESTAURANT ON RESTAURANT ROW (Tie): Roy’s, Seasons 52 BEST WINE STORE: Total Wine and More BEST CATERER: Puff ’N Stuff Catering BEST HAIR SALON (Tie): T. Jay York Salon, Full Circle Salon & Spa

follow us on 445 north park avenue winter park, florida 32789 (407) 645-5311 www.morsemuseum.org

BEST LINGERIE BOUTIQUE: Victoria’s Secret BEST WEDDING VENUE: Walt Disney World BEST LOCAL GETAWAY (Tie): Walt Disney World, Mount Dora BEST LOCAL SPA: The Beauty Spot

10TH ANNIVERSARY GALA, SATURDAY, AUGUST 24, 2013

Chef Charlie Trotter

BEST RESORT SPA: The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes

6:00 pm The Ritz-Carlton Plaza Ballroom

PHOTOS: (TOP RIGHT) RAFAEL TONGOL; (TOP LEFT) COURTESY ORLANDO WEEKLEY; (BOTTOM) COURTESY JW MARRIOTT ORLANDO, GRANDE LAKES

BEST EVENT/PARTY PLANNER: Laurie Portella BEST LUXURY HOTEL: The Grand Bohemian

Chef Emeril Lagasse

BEST LUXURY CAR: Lexus BEST PLACE TO PURCHASE PET LUXURIES: The Doggie Door BEST LUXURY REALTOR: Kelly Price BEST INTERIOR DESIGNER: Phil Kean Designs BEST OUTLET MALL: Orlando Premium Outlets

Tickets cost $1,000 per person. Includes a room at The Ritz-Carlton, Orlando Grande Lakes and autographed cookbooks by each Chef author.

Chef Dean Fearing

BEST COSMETIC SURGEON (Tie): Dr. Edward Gross, Dr. Scott Rotatori BEST PLACE TO PURCHASE CIGARS: Corona Cigar Company BEST PLACE TO PURCHASE A MOTORCYCLE: Orlando HarleyDavidson

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Cocktail Reception followed by an eight course meal prepared by the Celebrity Chefs as well as some local Chefs. Wine pairings

by Master Sommeliers to go with each course and then an after dinner soiree held at Norman’s.

Chef Jeremiah Tower

Chef Norman Norman’s at The Ritz-Carlton Grande Lakes 4012 Central Florida Parkway Orlando, FL 32837 407-393-4333 www.normans.com ORLANDO LIFE

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FLAVOR

rona gindin

Take Mom Out to Eat On Her Special Day. It’s the Very Least You Can Do

F

orget the kids whipping up waffles, the hubby conjuring up a new barbecue sauce or any other Mother’s Day celebration that, ultimately, will have the mother in question cooking or cleaning something.

Mothers want to dine out on Mother’s Day. That’s why it’s the restaurant industry’s busiest day of the year. In fact, 75 million Americans — hope they have reservations! — will visit a restaurant on May 12, according to the National Restaurant Association. That includes 58 percent of all moms.

Dinner is the most popular meal, but brunch and lunch aren’t far behind. Whichever time of day you choose, your mom will thoroughly enjoy herself at any of these Orlando-area locales.

PHOTOS: rafael tongol

Enzo’s on the Lake

Highway 17-92 in Longwood is anything but elegant, with its strip malls, storage centers and used-car lots packed end to end. Enzo’s on the Lake, hidden in plain sight along this bustling thoroughfare, seems to exist in some parallel universe.

In 1980, the late Enzo Perlini found a circa-1950s home on Lake Fairy. He believed the home, which reminded him of a small Italian villa, was the perfect spot for the kind of restaurant he envisioned. So he bought it and began serving dishes from his native Roma.

And so it has been for 33 years at this local treasure, which features beautiful lake views with gardens and walkways and a casually elegant ambiance in the main dining room.

Enzo’s is open from noon until 7 p.m. on Mother’s Day, serving its regular dinner menu along with specials based on what’s fresh in the market.

And here’s a special treat just for you. Mention that you read about Enzo’s Mother’s Day celebration in Orlando Life, and every mother in your party will receive a complimentary glass of prosecco to start.

We recommend pairing that Italian sparkling wine with selections from the antipasto bar, perhaps roasted zucchini and marinated seafood salad. Proceed with the luscious spa-

Drink a toast to Mom at Enzo’s on the Lake, where she’ll enjoy a complimentary glass of prosecco. The traditional Italian eatery, nestled on an easy-to-miss lakefront site along busy U.S. 17-92, has been delighting diners for 33 years.

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with beloved Disney characters. While the little ones are hugging Mickey and friends, Mom is free to partake of a create-your-own eggs Benedict station, seared branzino (a fish) and wild mushroom ravioli.

Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Prices: Adults, $35.99; ages 3 to 9, $19.99 Walt Disney World Swan Resort, 1200 Epcot Resorts Blvd., Lake Buena Vista 407-934-1618 • swandolphin.com

Columbia Restaurant

At Columbia Restaurant (above), begin with the house-made sangria and share a tapas sampler before ordering your main course. Elegant Ocean Prime (below) will offer a Mother’s Day brunch featuring such dishes as crab and eggs Benedict. At Fleming’s (facing page, top), steak will cede the spotlight to brunch items such as indulgent French toast with a walnut crisp. Emeril’s Tchoup Chop (facing page, bottom) will serve its usual Polynesian-fusion fare in a lavish setting.

ghetti alla carbonara, or maybe Dover sole filleted tableside. End with a slice of Ziccoto Italian rum cake with fruit, a dessert that longtime Enzo’s fans rave about.

Hours: Noon to 7 p.m.

Prices: $20.75 to $34 1130 S. Hwy. 17-92, Longwood 407-834-9872 • enzos.com

Garden Grove

Cranky kids are sure to mar a Mother’s Day celebration, which may explain why Garden Grove at the Walt Disney World Swan Hotel is so popular.

Not only does this cheerful American eatery treat each lady to a mimosa with brunch, it also fills the dining room

With its wrought iron, its white linens, its arched windows, its Spanishstyle tiles and its dark woods, Columbia oozes Old World charm — just the kind of spin that makes a lady feel like a lady. On Mother’s Day, the Celebration restaurant will offer its Spanish and Cuban classics from 11 a.m. through dinner. Moms might begin with the housemade sangria and classic 1905 salad — iceberg leaves tossed with ham, olives, tomatoes, Swiss and Romano cheese in a light vinaigrette.

Share a tapas sampler, or order entrées such as mahi-mahi Varadero (a crust of green plantain chips plus citrus-butter sauce and crab meat) or veal La Reina Isabella, with a saffron-butter sauce.

Hours: 11 p.m. to closing Prices: $10 to $32 649 Front St., Celebration 407-566-1505 • columbiarestaurant.com

Enzian

You’ve sat through animated epics and superhero blockbusters all year long.

Get back at the family: Insist they join you for Mother’s Day brunch at Enzian, followed by a screening of the 1939 classic Gone with the Wind. The Maitland theater-with-dining invites guests to arrive at 10 a.m., when a brunch buffet with live music — and one complimentary mimosa per adult — will be served. Expect carved-toorder prime rib, frittatas, lemon-herb 52

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tilapia and chicken pot pie. Then stay for the flick, which starts at 11 a.m. If anyone complains, tell them that frankly, you don’t give a damn.

Hours: Seating at 10 a.m.

Prices: Adults, $35; ages 12 and under, $20. VIP options are available.

1300 South Orlando Ave., Maitland 407-629-0054 • enzian.org

PHOTOS: courtesy of the restaurants

Ocean Prime

Ocean Prime is a sophisticated space, a dinner-only spot reminiscent of those sleek supper clubs of yore. On Mother’s Day, the Dr. Phillips restaurant opens its doors for brunch, serving a special menu in addition to the full dinner bill of fare.

Mothers might sip a blood-orange mimosa made with Cointreau and champagne, and dine on blueberry French toast with smoked bacon and warm maple syrup, crab and eggs Benedict, blackened salmon salad, short rib hash or quiche.

Hours: Brunch menu, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; dinner menu, 11 a.m. to closing Prices: Brunch entrees, $14 to $17 Rialto at Sand Lake, 7339 W. Sand Lake Rd., Orlando 407-781-4880 • oceanprimeorlando.com ORLANDO-LIFE.COM

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rona gindin

If the kids are going to share in the Mother’s Day festivities, then Disney’s Garden Grove is an apt choice. It’s a lovely setting, which grownups will appreciate, while visiting Disney characters provide a welcome distraction for kids.

Emeril’s Tchoup Chop

The “contemporary South Pacific” décor is big-budget glitzy, the cocktails are fruity and the service is up to Emeril Lagasse standards — so why not treat Mom to a Polynesian-fusion brunch at Tchoup Chop? Located in the Loew’s Royal Pacific Resort, this one-of-a-kind restaurant by the celebrity chef weaves some luau into your love-fest. You can indulge in a tasting menu, the regular menu or specials such as firecracker fish “wok-fry” with papaya-serrano salsa and kaffir lime butter sauce, or pan-roasted jumbo sea scallops with mâche and yellow curry-coconut lobster cream sauce. Meat lovers will crave the grilled hanger steak with hoisin barbecue glaze, Brabant potato hash and Chinese mustard.

Hours: Noon to 9 p.m.

Prices: $26 to $32; tasting menu, $60 Universal Orlando, Loews Royal Pacific Resort, 6300 Hollywood Way, Orlando 407-503-2467 • emerilsrestaurants.com 54

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Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar By night, Fleming’s is a suave steakhouse. But on Mother’s Day, the Dr. Phillips and Winter Park restaurants turn into pampering dens for moms. On her special day, lavish, three-course brunches will be served at both locations.

Meals might feature lobster bisque, eggs Benedict, baked brioche French toast with a walnut crisp, prime rib with a trio of sauces or white chocolate bread pudding. What’s more, each mother will leave with a $25 gift card to use during her next visit.

Hours: Brunch: 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Prices: $36.96 (moms receive $25 gift cards) 8030 Via Dellagio Way, Orlando 407-352-5706 933 N. Orlando Ave., Winter Park 407-699-9463 • flemingssteakhouse.com n Rona Gindin, dining editor of Orlando Life, has written about Orlando’s restaurants for Fodor’s and Zagat, among many other publications. She’s the author of The Little Black Book of Walt Disney World.

PHOTO: courtesy ©disney

FLAVOR

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FLAVOR LISTINGS

rona gindin

AFRICAN

Nile Ethiopian 7048 International Dr., Orlando, 407-354-0026 / nile07.com. Locals willingly navigate International Drive to dine at Nile, a family-owned restaurant specializing in the exotic cuisine of Ethiopia. Order a few dishes to share and scoop up the intriguing concoctions with the eatery’s signature spongy bread. End with a strong cup of aromatic, brewed-to-order coffee. $$

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Sanaa 3701 Osceola Pkwy., Lake Buena Vista, 407-9393463 / disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/sanaa. Sanaa, one of Disney’s most interesting restaurants, offers dishes based on cuisine from the Spice Islands, a coastal African area rich with Indian influences. Flavors are intense, but spicy only upon request. (Curry, the chefs insist, is a melding of flavors, not one particular spice.) The marketplace-style dining room boasts picture windows overlooking the Animal Kingdom Lodge’s savannah, so you might spot zebra or wildebeest while lunching on tandoori chicken or a vegetarian platter with stewed lentils and a vegetable sambar (stew). $$

AMERICAN Bananas

942 N. Mills Ave., Orlando, 407-480-2200 / bananasdiner.com. Bananas has a split personality. It’s a wholesome, family place to grab higher-quality versions of such classics as burgers, shakes and pancakes (the Buffalo Benedict is a surprise pleaser). Other times, it’s a delightfully outrageous experience for more adventurous diners who enjoy the antics of cross-dressing servers. The Sunday drag gospel brunch (“Sinners welcome!”) is like no church service you’ve ever attended. $$

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Cask & Larder 565 W. Fairbanks Ave., Winter Park, 321-280-4200 / caskandlarder.com. Billing itself as a “Southern Public House,” this casual Winter Park eatery serves up modern twists on traditional favorites. Look for a three-ham platter with pepper jelly; pimento cheese; and seasonal favorites such as grilled pork belly and chicken-and-biscuits.

Many beers are made on the premises. $$

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Chatham’s Place 7575 Dr. Phillips Blvd., Orlando,

407- 345-2992 / chathamsplace.com. For an old-fashioned dining experience – a subdued dining room and doting personalized service by a longtime staff – dine at this hidden Restaurant Row establishment. Locals return regularly for Chef Tony Lopez’s classic dishes such as black grouper with pecan butter, rack of lamb and filet mignon. $$$

Citrus 821 N. Orange Ave., Orlando, 407-373-0622 /

citrusorlando.com. A clubby yet stylish restaurant in a convenient downtown Orlando location, Citrus features modern American cuisine with a nod toward regionally grown and produced ingredients. International influences also highlight the menu, from smoked chili aioli complementing herbmarinated chicken to balsamic rum glaze topping juicy pork chops. $$$

Dexter’s 808 E. Washington St., Orlando, 407-648-2777;

558 W. New England Ave., Winter Park, 407-629-1150; 950 Market Promenade Ave., Lake Mary, 407-805-3090 / dexwine. com. Central Florida has three Dexter’s locations, and each has become a neighborhood magnet, drawing diners of all ages for hearty portions of creative American fare (at fair prices), good wine and, in some cases, live music. Casual dress is the rule. The brunches, and the pressed duck sandwiches, are especially popular. $$-$$$

Emeril’s Orlando 6000 Universal Blvd. Orlando,

407-224-2424 / emerils.com. Get a taste of New Orleans at Emeril’s, a fine-dining restaurant at always-bustling Universal CityWalk. You’ll find classics from celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse, including the signature barbecue shrimp, andouille-stuffed redfish, double-cut pork chops and banana cream pie. The service, of course, is superb. Consider sharing appetizers at the bar area. $$$$

it grows its own herbs, bakes its own bread, grinds its own meat, cuts its own fish and whips its own cream. In nice weather, guests relax with a cocktail in Adirondack chairs overlooking Lake Killarney. Many proposals have been popped during dinners for two on the boat dock. $$$

Jernigan’s 400 W. Church St., Orlando, 407-440-7000 / www.amwaycenter.com. Watch a Magic game in style at Jernigan’s, a well-appointed buffet restaurant located on the Amway Center’s exclusive club level. The reservationsonly eatery, open to ticket holders, serves wholesome meals for about $40. The menu of the day might offer slow-smoked barbecue ribs, grilled rib-eye steak, pasta pomodoro and Chinese chicken salad. Jernigan’s is run by Chicago’s Levy Restaurants, the team behind Downtown Disney’s Portobello Yacht Club, Fulton’s Crab House and Wolfgang Puck Grand Café. $$$

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Rusty Spoon 55 W. Church St., Orlando, 407-401-

8811 / therustyspoon.com. Foodies flock to this Church Street gastropub, a warm and welcoming space at which meals are described as “American food. European roots. Locally sourced.” Your salad will consist of über-fresh greens, your sandwich will be filled with slow-braised lamb, your pasta will be hand-rolled and your meat will be robustly seasoned. $$-$$$

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Seasons 52 7700 Sand Lake Rd., Orlando, 407-3545212; 463 E. Altamonte Dr., Altamonte Springs, 407-767-1252 / seasons52.com. A Darden concept founded in Orlando, the two local locations turn out creative and tasty meals in grand, bustling spaces. The food happens to be low in fat and calories; that’s just a bonus. The wine selection is impressive and the itty-bitty desserts encourage sampling without guilt. $$$ Shipyard Brew Pub 200 W. Fairbanks Ave., Winter Park, 321-274-4045 / shipyardemporium.com. This ultra-casual brewpub has been packed night and day since it opened in 2011, and not just because it pours a great lager. To complement suds brewed both in-house and elsewhere, a from-scratch menu offers Buffalo chicken dip, amazing white-bean hummus, sandwiches, flatbreads and entrées, including étouffée and pot roast. Stop in any time to pick up a loaf of some of Orlando’s best bread. $-$$

Tap Room at Dubsdread 549 W. Par St., Orlando, 407650-0100 / taproomatdubsdread.com. One needn’t play golf to dine at this historic course-side tavern, a College Park icon offering a varied menu – and a reputation for fine burgers. Options other than the famous half-pound patties include steaks, salmon, tequila-citrus chicken and a dandy Reuben sandwich. $$

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The Table Orlando 9060 Via Dellagio Way, Orlando, 407-900-3463 / thetableorlando.com. For special occasions, book a place at The Table, a tiny restaurant that serves a five-course gourmet meal with wine pairings. Up to 22 guests at a time share the repast around an oversized table. The New American menu changes regularly and is comprised in large part of locally sourced foods. The price is a set $100 including tax and tip. Groups can host private events here. $$$$ TooJay’s Various locations / toojays.com. When it’s time

for a taste of Jewish Brooklyn – pastrami on rye, latkes, blintzes, knishes – the six local outlets of this South Floridabased chain have it all. You’ll also find diner foods such as omelets, sandwiches and pot-roast dinners. Take home some black-and-white cookies. $

Yellow Dog Eats 1236 Hempel Ave., Windermere, 407-

296-0609 / yellowdogeats.com. It’s the lunch locale for the Windermere-Gotha crowd, who come for scratch-made sandwiches, hearty barbecue and wholesome baked goods.

The menu also has a significant vegan-friendly section. The dining rooms are scattered throughout a funky, historic building that was once a country store. $

Graffiti Junktion 900 E. Washington St., Orlando, 407-

426-9503; 2401 Edgewater Dr., Orlando, 407-377-1961 / graffitijunktion.com. The Graffiti Junktions in Thornton Park and College Park are loud and purposely grungy looking, hence “graffiti” in the name. But this ultra-casual duo dishes up great burgers, wings and zucchini fries. Live entertainment ranges from performance art to trivia contests. Watch for daily happy-hour specials. $

•

Hillstone 215 S. Orlando Ave., Winter Park, 407-740-

4005 / hillstone.com/hillstone. Formerly known as Houston’s, this Winter Park mainstay is part of a high-end chain. Still,

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THE KEY

$ Inexpensive, most entrées under $10 $$ Moderate, most entrées $10-20 $$$ Pricey, most entrées over $20 $$$$ Very expensive, most entrées over $30 indicates the restaurant is a Silver Spoon winner (Judges’ Choice).

•

ASIAN Anh Hong

1124 E. Colonial Dr., Orlando, 407-999-2656.

You’ll receive a bundle of fresh herbs to tear into your soup at this Mills 50 Vietnamese eatery, and another bunch for a rollyour-own entrée that’s like a DIY summer roll. Asian classics, such as grilled meats and scallion pancakes, are done exceptionally well here, which makes Anh Hong a top choice for local Vietnamese-Americans longing for a taste of home. $

Dragonfly 7972 Via Dellagio Way, Orlando, 407-459-1892 / dragonflysushi.com. Stylishly attired 30-somethings regularly pack this oh-so-hip restaurant, where groups share sushi, grilled “robata” items, and tapas-style Asian foods such as soft-shell crab tempura, crispy black pork belly and shisowrapped spicy tuna. $$

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Hawkers 1103 N. Mills Ave., Orlando, 407-237-0606 / facebook.com/hawkersstreetfare. This Mills 50 mainstay, named for street vendors of Asian fare, serves up generous tapas-size portions of curry laksa (an aromatic Singaporean soup), roti canai (Malaysian flatbread with a hearty curry sauce), five-spice tofu, chilled sesame noodles, smoky mussels and sensational beef skewers with peanuty satay dip. $$ Ming Bistro 1212 Woodward St., Orlando, 407-898-9672.

Enjoy perhaps Orlando’s best dim sum for dinner or, on a weekend morning or afternoon, select shrimp dumplings, beef balls, turnip cakes, sticky rice, barbecue pork buns and egg tarts one small dish at a time from carts that roll between tables. The a la carte menu features Hong Kong-style staples from stir-fry beef to chicken feet. $ Sea Thai 3812 E. Colonial Dr., Orlando, 407-895-0985 / seaorlando.com. Start with a green papaya salad and beef yum, then feast on steamed whole fish with garlic chili sauce, pad Thai and green curry chicken. But you can’t go wrong with any of the Thai classics offered at this welcoming East Orlando eatery. $$

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Seoul Garden 511 E. Horatio Ave., Maitland, 407599-5199 / orlandokorearestaurant.com. Seoul Garden is so Asian-focused that the “about us” section of its website is written in Korean. That authenticity extends to the food.

Barbecued meats are grilled to order in the dining room.

Be sure to try the marinated beef short ribs and the soft tofu stew. $

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Sushi Pop 310 W. Mitchell Hammock Rd., Oviedo, 407-542-5975 / sushipoprestaurant.com. Oviedo is an unlikely location for this cutting-edge restaurant, a popular spot for sushi. The food is serious and often experimental, as chef-owner Chau uses molecular gastronomy to create some of the fusion fare. The aura is fun: Asian anime on the walls, playful colors, and servers who dress in outrageous themed outfits. $$ Tasty Wok 1246 E. Colonial Dr., Orlando, 407-896-8988 / yelp.com/biz/tasty-wok-orlando. True, it’s a humble spot, but Tasty Wok offers an array of satisfying dishes, among them roast duck and steaming soups. Try the beef chow fun, eggplant with minced pork, and salt and pepper ribs. A smaller menu of American-style Chinese dishes is also available. $

BARBECUE

4 Rivers Smokehouse 1600 W. Fairbanks Ave., Winter Park; 1869 W. S.R. 434, Longwood; 1047 S. Dillard St., Winter Garden / 407-474-8377, 4rsmokehouse.com. A diverse array of barbecue specialties – from Texas-style brisket to pulled pork, smoked turkey and bacon-wrapped jalapeños – has gained this rapidly growing homegrown concept a large following.

The Longwood outpost even includes a bakery and an oldfashioned malt shop featuring homemade ice cream. $

BURGERS Hamburger Mary’s Bar & Grille

110 W. Church St., Orlando, 321-219-0600 / hamburgermarys-orlando.com.

A colorful crowd is part of the fun at this Church Street hotspot, where bingo games, trivia contests and cabaret shows are among the events that vie for guests’ attention beside the enormous and creatively topped burgers. $

Johnny’s Fillin’ Station 2631 S. Fern Creek Ave.,

Orlando, 407-894-6900 / johnnysfillinstation.com. Neighbors gather for hearty burgers, along with wings, subs and wraps, at this homey spot in a residential downtown neigh-

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FLAVOR LISTINGS

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borhood. Beer flows, TVs broadcast big games, and families love the pool tables and dart boards. $

Pine 22 22 E. Pine St., Orlando, 407-574-2160 / pine22.

com. Burgers go chic at this fast-casual downtowner, where every ingredient is special. The burgers are from happy cows, the eggs from free-roaming chickens, the pork from lovingly raised pigs. Mix and match your toppings over a patty of beef, turkey or black beans (or pulled pork), with options ranging from mango salsa to sautéed mushrooms. $$

CONTINENTAL Venetian Room

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8101 World Center Dr., Orlando, 407-238-8060 / thevenetianroom.com. Walk though a run-of-the-mill convention hotel to reach the AAA FourDiamond Venetian Room, an elegant, domed-service, continental restaurant that hearkens to the heyday of unapologetic, butter-and-cream-enhanced fine dining. The lobster bisque is an absolute must. After that, try the filet mignon, duck a l’orange or Dover sole. $$$$

CREATIVE/ PROGRESSIVE Chef’s Table at the Edgewater Hotel

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99 W. Plant St., Winter Garden, 407-230-4837 / chefstableattheedgewater.com. Husband-and-wife team Kevin and Laurie Tarter are your personal servers at this intimate Winter Garden hideaway, where Kevin prepares the evening’s three-course, prix-fixe meal and Laurie helps choose the wine. Both stop by every table to chat with guests.

Adjacent, the Tasting Room offers tapas-size portions of international dishes and a full bar. $$$

Finesse 7025 County Road 46A, Lake Mary, 407-805-9220 /

finesse-therestaurant.com. Talented chef Alex Brugger runs a remarkable kitchen at Finesse, a stylish Lake Mary restaurant with an ambitious menu. Begin with the tender duck confit encased in puff pastry, the complex black bean soup and whatever raw tuna appetizer happens to be on the menu. Continue with the creamy seafood paella, made with risotto, or the steak or pork with chimichurri and duck fat French fries. End with the chocolate-orange soufflé served with peanut butter anglaise. $$-$$$

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Funky Monkey 912 N. Mills Ave., Orlando, 407427-1447; 9101 International Dr., Orlando (Pointe Orlando), 407-418-9463 / funkymonkeywine.com. Every meal begins with complimentary lime-garlic edamame at these eclectic eateries, known as much for sushi and intriguing wine lists as for creative American cuisine and an ever-changing menu. FMI Restaurant Group also owns Bananas, Nick’s Italian Kitchen and Prickly Pear as well as a catering arm and the Funky Monkey Vault, a wine shop that also sells gifts, apparel and furniture. $$ Hue 629 E. Central Blvd., Orlando, 407-849-1800 / huerestaurant.com. Hue is a progressive American restaurant on a busy corner in trendy Thornton Park. Well-dressed 30-somethings sip colorful martinis at the bar and dine, indoors and out, on of-the-now items such as tuna tartare, duck breast with cranberry reduction and amaretto risotto, and grouper with smoked paprika olive oil. $$$

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K Restaurant 2401 Edgewater Dr. Orlando, 407-872-

2332 / kwinebar.com. Kevin Fonzo, the go-to chef in College Park since 2001, owns this homey eatery, which is, in fact, located in an erstwhile residence. The menu is mostly creative-American, along with Italian favorites celebrating Fonzo’s heritage. Casual wine tastings and themed special dinners, along with a constantly changing menu, bring back regulars for singular experiences. $$-$$$

Le Rouge 7730 W. Sand Lake Rd., Orlando, 407-370-0909 / lerougewinebar.com. This Restaurant Row hot spot is a sexy lounge with backlit lighting, a long bar and comfy sofas.

It also features fine food. Guests can choose from among three-dozen tapas, including garlic shrimp and sautéed wild mushrooms, or enjoy traditional entrées such as seared salmon with wine-lemon-dill sauce. $$$

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Luma on Park 290 S. Park Ave., Winter Park, 407-599-4111 / lumaonpark.com. If there’s pancetta in your salad, the salumi was made in the kitchen, by hand, starting with a whole pig. Most herbs are from local farms, fish from sustainable sources, pickled vegetables jarred

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in house and desserts built around seasonal ingredients.

Luma’s progressive menu, which changes daily, is served in a sleek and stylish dining room in the heart of Winter Park, under the passionate direction of Executive Chef Brandon McGlamery, Chef de Cuisine Derek Perez and Pastry Chef Brian Cernell. $$$

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Norman’s 4012 Central Florida Pkwy., Orlando, 407-

278-8459 / normans.com. Celebrity Chef Norman Van Aken’s restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton, Grande Lakes, turns out artistic New World cuisine combining the flavors of Latin America, the Caribbean, the Far East and the United States.

The dining room is dramatic, the food astounding and the service polished. Be sure to begin with a Norman’s classic: foie gras “French toast.” And you’ll be delighted with the Mongolian veal chop. $$$$

Park Plaza Gardens 319 S. Park Ave., Winter Park, 407645-2475 / parkplazagardens.com. After 30-plus years, Park Plaza Gardens is practically an institution on Winter Park’s tony Park Avenue. People-watchers gather at the small bar and sidewalk tables to linger over casual meals and cold beers, while those looking for an indulgent experience dine in the garden-like back dining room, which boasts atrium windows and plush décor. The menu features a melding of American, European and Asian flavors and cooking techniques. $$$-$$$$

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Ravenous Pig 1234 N. Orange Ave., Winter Park, 407-628-2333 / theravenouspig.com. After leaving their hometown for serious culinary training, Winter Park natives James and Julie Petrakis returned to open the region’s first genuine gastropub. Dinner reservations have been tough to snag ever since. The ambitious menu changes daily based on the fish, meat and produce that’s available, and it’s executed by a dedicated team that abhors shortcuts.

Besides daily specials, The Pig always serves up an excellent burger, soft pretzels, shrimp and grits and a donut dessert called Pig Tails. $$$

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Victoria & Albert’s 4401 Floridian Way, Lake Buena Vista, 407-939-3463 / victoria-alberts.com. Indulgent, sevencourse prix-fixe feasts are served in the serenely elegant main dining room, accompanied by live harp music, while 10 courses are offered in the more intimate Queen Victoria’s Room. But what the heck? Why not go for 13 courses at the Chef’s Table? Chef Scott Hunnel, Maitre d’ Israel Pérez and Master Pastry Chef Erich Herbitschek travel the world to seek out impressive food and service trends, then adapt the golden ones locally. That’s why V&A, at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, is Orlando’s only AAA Five Diamond restaurant. $$$$

EASTERN EUROPEAN Hollerbach’s Willow Tree Café

205 E. 1st St., Sanford, 407-321-2204 / willowtreecafe.com. If you like to indulge in a good schnitzel with a liter of hearty beer, head to Sanford. There you’ll find Theo Hollerbach overseeing the gemütlichkeit while serving up authentic German foods from sauerbraten to a wurst sausage platter. Live music on select evenings gets the whole dining room swaying together in a spirit of schunkel abend. $$

Yalaha Bakery 1213 N. Orange Ave., Orlando, 321800-5212; 8210 County Road 48, Yalaha, 352-324-3366 / yalahabakery.com. Fans of hearty German breads and scratchmade German pastries can drive to this homey outpost in rural Lake County, or they can pick up their loaves and sweets at an Ivanhoe District storefront. The Yalaha unit also sells sandwiches and hot lunches. $

HAWAIIAN/ POLYNESIAN Emeril’s Tchoup Chop

6300 Hollywood Way, Orlando, 407-503-2467 / emerils.com. Emeril Lagasse’s Polynesian-fusion fare is executed by locally renowned chef, Greg Richie.

Within a dramatically decorated space, diners enjoy tropical cocktails, steamed dumplings and creative entrées such as pan-roasted duck breast with gingered pear chutney and umeboshi (pickled) plum glaze. $$$$

Roy’s 7760 W. Sand Lake Rd., Orlando, 407-352-4844 / roysrestaurant.com. Hawaiian-fusion flavors enhance familiar and exotic fish dishes at this Restaurant Row pioneer, a link

in a Honolulu-based chain owned by namesake chef, Roy Yamaguchi. $$

INDIAN Aashirwad

5748 International Dr., Orlando, 407-370-9830 / aashirwadrestaurant.com. Begin with kashmiri naan, a slightly sweet bread stuffed with nuts, coconut and raisins, and continue with chicken biryani, cauliflower in exotic Manchurian gravy and a mixed tandoori grill. Whole spices are roasted and ground daily on site, further enhancing the cuisine’s authenticity. $$

Memories of India 7625 Turkey Lake Rd., Orlando, 407-

370-3277; 3895 Lake Emma Rd., Lake Mary, 407-804-0920 / memoriesofindiacuisine.com. Exceptionally good Indian fare draws diners in Dr. Phillips and Lake Mary to these twin restaurants, where dishes such as palek paneer (creamed spinach) and lamb masala in rich ginger-garlic gravy always satisfy. $$

ITALIAN Antonio’s

611 S. Orlando Ave., Maitland, 407-645-5523 / antoniosonline.com. Fine Italian fare comes at reasonable prices at Antonio’s, proprietor Greg Gentile’s culinary homage to his ancestors. The upstairs restaurant, recently remodeled and expanded with a balcony overlooking Lake Lily, is somewhat formal, although the open kitchen provides peeks of the chefs in action. Its downstairs counterpart, Antonio’s Café, is a more casual spot that doubles as a market and wine shop. $$$ Bice 5601 Universal Blvd., Orlando, 407-503-1415 / orlando. bicegroup.com. Bice, with 50 locations around the world, has a local outpost of ambitious Italian cuisine at the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal. Homemade egg pasta is used for several dishes, such as spaghetti Bolognese; other choices include veal piccata and steak with a Gorgonzolademi sauce. $$$$

Enzo’s on the Lake 1130 U.S. 17-92, Longwood, 407834-9872 / enzos.com. Long before Orlando became a serious foodie town, Enzo’s was serving up lovingly prepared Italian specialties inside a converted Longwood home. Little has changed. Split a bunch of antipasto to begin your meal.

After that, you pretty much can’t go wrong, but standout dishes include homemade ravioli stuffed with chicken and spinach, veal with artichoke-caper-white wine sauce and possibly the best spaghetti carbonara in town. $$$ O’Stromboli 1803 E. Winter Park Rd., Orlando, 407-6473872. This innocuous neighborhood eatery isn’t fancy, but the food is filling and fresh. That’s why it has become a favorite of residents of Merritt Park, Rose Isle and Baldwin Park. The carbonara is particularly hearty and the fettuccini Alfredo is rich, buttery and more than you should eat in one sitting. The homemade soups are always a dependable starter. $$

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Peperoncino 7988 Via Dellagio Way, Orlando, 407-440-2856 / peperoncinocucina.com. The menu changes every night at this cozy Dr. Phillips Italian, where chef-owner Barbara Alfano puts out plates of fried pecorino drizzled with honey, pear- and four-cheese pasta, and fish steamed in parchment paper. $$$

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Prato 124 N. Park Ave., Winter Park, 407-262-0050 / prato-wp.com. This is one of Orlando’s very best Italian restaurants, but don’t expect a classic lasagna or chicken parmigiana. Executive Chef Brandon McGlamery and Chef di Cucina Matthew Cargo oversee an open kitchen in which pastas are made from scratch, pizzas are rolled to order, sausages are stuffed by hand and the olive oil is a luscious organic pour from Italy. Try the chicken liver Toscana, a satisfying salad Campagna with cubes of sizzling pancetta tesa, shrimp tortellini and citrusy rabbit cacciatore. Begin with a Negroni cocktail; it’s possibly the best around. $$-$$$

Rocco’s 400 S. Orlando Ave., Winter Park, 407-644-7770 /

roccositaliangrille.com. Calabria native Rocco Potami oversees this romantic Italian eatery, where fine authentic fare is presented in an intimate dining room and on a secluded brick patio. Classics include carpaccio (raw, thinly sliced beef with white truffle oil and arugula), ricotta gnocchi and a breaded veal chop topped with a lightly dressed salad. It’s easy to miss, tucked away in a Winter Park strip center, but once you find it, you’ll be back. $$$

MAY 2013

4/15/13 2:52:22 PM

13-ROP-07

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FLAVOR LISTINGS

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LATIN Mi Tomatina

433 W. New England Ave., Winter Park, 321-972-4317 / mitomatina.com. This eatery bills itself as a paella bar, and indeed guests share a half-dozen varieties of the signature Spanish rice dish. Yet others come for a mellow meal over tapas (garlic shrimp, potato omelet, croquettes) and sangria, enjoyed while seated within a small contemporary dining room or outdoors overlooking Hannibal Square. $$-$$$

Pio Pio 2500 S. Semoran Blvd., Orlando, 407-207-2262;

5752 International Dr., Orlando, 407-248-6424; 11236 S. Orange Blossom Tr., Orlando, 407-438-5677 / piopiointernational.com. Latin American-style marinated roast chicken is a mainstay at the three Orlando locations, each a dark, mid-scale den where families fuel up on heaping platters of pollo along with garlicky salad, fried plantains (sweet and green) and rice and beans. $$

MEDITERRANEAN Anatolia

7600 Dr. Phillips Blvd., Orlando, 407-352-6766 / anatoliaorlando.com. Sensational Turkish food in an upscale-casual setting makes Anatolia a popular choice in the Dr. Phillips area. Start with any of the “cold salads” and a piping hot puffy lavash bread, then try chargrilled whole fish, tavuk doner (Turkish gyro), lamb chops or spinach-feta pide, sort of like a boat-shaped flatbread. $$

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Bosphorous 108 S. Park Ave., Winter Park, 407-6448609 / bosphorousrestaurant.com. This is the place for flavorful Turkish fare in either a white-tablecloth setting or alfresco along Park Avenue. Many couples fill up on the appetizer sampler with oversized lavash bread. For a heartier meal, try the ground lamb “Turkish pastry,” a shish kebab or a tender lamb shank. Outdoor diners can end their meals by smoking from a hookah. Or not. $$

{

Reserve Early for MOTHER’S DAY

{

Taverna Opa 9101 International Dr., Orlando, 407-3518660 / opaorlando.com. The food is excellent, but that’s only half the reason to visit Taverna Opa. On busy nights, the place is festive indeed: Some guests join a Zorba dance around the dining room while others toss white napkins into the air, joyously shouting “Opa!” Then there’s the belly dancer. $$

MEXICAN/ SOUTHWESTERN Cantina Laredo

8000 Via Dellagio Way, Orlando, 407345-0186 / cantinalaredo.com. Modern Mexican cuisine in a spiffy setting draws lovers of cilantro, jalapeño and pico de gallo to this Restaurant Row eatery, where the margaritas flow, the guacamole is made tableside and the portions are generous. The spinach enchilada is a vegetarian-friendly treat. $$

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Cocina 214 151 E. Welbourne Ave., Winter Park, 407-790-7997 / cocina214.com. Tex-Mex food is top quality here (214 is the Dallas area code), with salsa, savories and even margarita flavorings made from scratch. The spinachmushroom quesadilla and braised pork tacos with “orange dust” are especially noteworthy. $$

El Tenampa 11242 S. Orange Blossom Tr., Orlando, 407850-9499 / eltenampaorlando.com. Many Orlandoans make El Tenampa part of their Costco shopping ritual, since the restaurant is located only a block from the OBT warehouse store. This authentic eatery features fresh fruit juices, spicy chicken chilaquiles (a Mexican breakfast, available all day long, made with fried tortilla pieces and a green sauce) as well as a satisfying shrimp quesadilla in addition to the standard enchiladas and fajitas. $

SEAFOOD Cityfish

617 E. Central Blvd., Orlando, 407-849-9779 / cityfishorlando.com. Feast on slabs of grilled, blackened or fried fresh fish at this hip Ts-and-flip-flops Thornton Park hangout. The atmosphere is ultra-casual and the sidewalk seating is great for people-watching. $$

Ocean Prime 7339 W. Sand Lake Rd., Orlando, 407-7814880 / ocean-prime.com. Designed to evoke the ambience of an old-time supper club, Ocean Prime’s white-jacketed servers offer sensational steaks and fish dishes along with creative options such as sautéed shrimp in a spectacular Tabasco-cream sauce, crab cakes with sweet corn cream and ginger salmon. End with the chocolate peanut butter pie. $$$$ Todd English’s Bluezoo 1500 Epcot Resorts Blvd.,

Lake Buena Vista, 407-934-1111 / thebluezoo.com. Creatively prepared seafood is served in an over-the-top undersea setting at this fine-dining restaurant, located in Disney’s Swan and Dolphin hotel. The fashion-forward choices might be a miso-glazed Hawaiian sea bass or fried lobster in a soy glaze. The desserts are among the best in town. $$$$

Winter Park Fish Co. 761 Orange Ave. Winter Park, 407-622-6112 / thewinterparkfishco.com. Fish and seafood dishes are fresh and well-prepared at this humble Winter Park spot, where a counter service format helps keep the prices reasonable. Crab cakes, lobster rolls, mahi-mahi sandwiches and more ambitious dishes such as grouper cheeks in parchment and stuffed grouper are among a day’s assortment. $$

STEAK Bull & Bear

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14200 Bonnet Creek Resort Lane, Orlando, 407-597-5410 / bullandbearorlando.com. Orlando’s Bull & Bear looks similar to New York’s legendary steakhouse

Introducing our New Lunch and Dinner Menus! See them at www.roccositaliangrille.com

W inter Park 400 South Orlando Avenue s 407-644-7770 Reservations online at www.roccositaliangrille.com 58

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MAY 2013

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(except for the pool and golf course views), but ours has its own ambitious menu. Guests of the Waldorf Astoria’s finedining spot can feast on traditional items such as veal Oscar and prime steak that’s dry aged for 21 days, and intriguing ones like appetizers of gnocchi and escargot with crescents of black garlic, and shrimp and grits presented under a dome that, when removed, introduces a waft of aromatic smoke. The chocolate and lemon desserts are superb. $$$$

Capital Grille 4600 N. World Dr., Lake Buena Vista, 407939-3463 / thecapitalgrille.com. Capital Grille tries to one-up its upscale steakhouse competitors by dry-aging its beef, an expensive process that results in especially flavorful meat. Try a beautifully unadorned chop or a more creative dish, such as citrus-glazed salmon or Kona-crusted sirloin. The setting is clubby; the wine selection is generous. $$$$ Christner’s Del Frisco’s 729 Lee Rd., Orlando, 407-645-

4443 / christnersprimesteakandlobster.com. Locals have been choosing this prototypically masculine, dark-wood-and-redleather enclave for business dinners and family celebrations for more than a decade. Family-owned since 1993, Christner’s features USDA Prime, corn-fed Midwestern beef or Australian cold-water lobster tails with a slice of the restaurant’s legendary mandarin orange cake. And there’s a loooong wine list (6,500 bottles). On select nights, Kostya Kimlat hosts magic shows along with a prix-fixe menu in a private dining room. $$$$

Fleming’s 8030 Via Dellagio Way, Orlando, 407-352-5706; 933 N. Orlando Ave., Winter Park, 407-699-9463 / flemingssteakhouse.com. Fleming’s puts a younger spin on the stately steakhouse concept, featuring sleek décor and 100 wines by the glass along with its prime steaks and chops.

The tempura lobster “small plate” with soy-ginger dipping sauce is a worthy pre-entrée splurge. For a taste of the oldfashioned, visit on Sunday, when prime rib is served. $$$$ Nelore Churrascaria 115 E. Lyman Ave., Winter Park, 407-645-1112 / neloresteakhouse.com. This is one of two Nelore Brazilian all-you-can-eat steakhouses — the other one is in Houston — where the servers, or “gauchos,” come to your table as often as you’d like bearing skewers of premier beef, chicken or pork. There’s a world-class salad bar and Brazilian cheese bread to keep you happy between meat courses. $$$$ Ruth’s Chris 7501 W. Sand Lake Rd., Orlando, 407-226-

3900; 610 N. Orlando Ave., Winter Park, 407-622-2444; 80 Colonial Center Pkwy, Lake Mary, 407-804-8220 / ruthschris. com. With three stately steakhouses and corporate headquarters by Winter Park Village, Ruth’s Chris, a native of New Orleans, has become an Orlando special-occasion mainstay. Its service-oriented restaurants specialize in massive corn-fed Midwestern steaks served sizzling and topped with butter. $$$$

Shula’s 1500 Epcot Resorts Blvd., Orlando, 407-934-1362 / donshula.com. Coach Don Shula, who led the Miami Dolphins through a perfect season in 1972, is now in the restaurant business. His Orlando outpost, located in Disney World’s Swan and Dolphin resort, is a dark, tastefully sportsthemed steakhouse where the menu is painted on a football. Offerings include Premium Black Angus beef as well as barbecue shrimp, wedge salad and crab cakes. $$$$

VEGETARIAN Dandelion CommuniTea Café

618 N. Thornton Ave., Orlando, 407-362-1864 / dandelioncommunitea.com.

Proprietor Julie Norris meant to open a crunchy teahouse, but her organic, locally sourced foods were such a hit that the Dandelion is now a hot spot for lunch and a mecca for the “OurLando” movement. Even carnivores can’t resist Henry’s Hearty Chili, Happy Hempy Hummus, and wraps and sandwiches. As for dessert, Razzy Parfait’s vanilla soygurt is delicious, filling and healthful enough to be a meal. $

Ethos Vegan Kitchen 601 S. New York Ave., Orlando,

407-228-3899 / ethosvegankitchen.com. Orlando’s Ivanhoe District is home to Ethos, a vegan restaurant with a menu that also satisfies open-minded carnivores. Fuel up on pecan-crusted eggplant with red wine sauce and mashed potatoes or a meat-free shepherd’s pie, if salads, sandwiches and coconut-curry tofu wraps won’t do the trick. $-$$

NEW-HOME TRENDS: SMALLER, SMARTER, MORE BELLS AND WHISTLES

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December 2012

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PEOPLE & PLACES

with paula

The Deen of Country Cooking Has Seen the Light About Healthy Fare

P

aula Deen has changed

her ways. Now she wants you to change your ways as well.

The down-home Food Network star, famous for culinary concoctions that fairly bristled with butter, spoke to a crowd of more than 2,000 fans at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre recently to promote the Florida Hospital Healthy 100 project, which educates and motivates people to adopt healthy lifestyle changes.

Having recently shifted from chicken and biscuits to less calorieand fat-laden recipes such as vegetarian gumbo, Deen was candid about the urgency she felt to improve her own eating habits after being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, which is often caused or aggravated by obesity, inactivity and diet.

Deen’s on-stage cooking presentation was delivered with her trademark cornpone humor and over-the-top Southern sweetness. But she was deadly serious when she recited some shocking statistics.

According to the American Diabetes Association, nearly 26 million of us are afflicted with the disease. It costs about $245 billion annually in medical costs and lost productivity. What’s worse, one in four children in the U.S. is diabetic.

Luckily, Orlando is home to one of the largest and most comprehensive diabetes centers in the country. The Florida Hospital Diabetes Institute is celebrating 20 years of education, support and treatment.

Deen’s own Diabetes in a New Light campaign offers diabetes-friendly recipes that everyone will love, as well as resources on living with and managing diabetes.

Florida Hospital’s Healthy 100 initiative features a robust, 60

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interactive website with an eye-popping longevity calculator.

Plus, a free Healthy 100-Tupperware Water iPhone Application helps you track crucial water intake. Simply enter your age, gender and weight to find out the number of daily water bottles recommended for you.

Also at the event, Florida Hospital’s Healthy 100 Approved program was unveiled, along with its initial 16 restaurant partners. Local diners will now be able to enjoy Healthy 100 Approved menu items vetted by Florida Hospital nutritionists, making the healthy choice the easy choice.

Participating restaurants include Chick-fil-A, the Citrus Club, Cocina 21, Healthy Bites Fitness Cuisine, Infusion Café, Nadia’s Café, Panera Bread of Orlando, Rangetsu, Savion’s Place, Simply Divine Food Truck, Sushi House Orlando, RusTeak Restaurant, The Taproom at Dubsdread, White Wolf Café and Yogurtiamo. Second Harvest Food Bank has also signed on.

MAY 2013

4/15/13 5:38:28 PM

1.

2.

KIDS BEATING CANCER

A spoonful of sugar may make the medicine go down, but the wind and rain swirling outside the all-glass downtown rooftop of the DoubleTree Hilton during a recent charitable event reminded me more of a scene from The Wizard of Oz than Mary Poppins.

The winds triggered a power outage — thank goodness for back-up generators — but were no match for the spirit of local supporters of Kids Beating Cancer who attended the Spoon Full of Sugar High Tea and Fashion Show.

Community support has always been strong for Orlandobased Kids Beating Cancer, which has been helping youngsters stricken by the disease for two decades.

KBC has come to the aid of more than 5,600 children and raised more than $10 million, 99 percent of which goes directly toward the charity’s programs.

“Spoon Full,” was a stylish, well-attended event featuring an elegant tea service, a silent auction and a lively fashion show showcasing trendy styles from four fave Park Avenue boutiques: Liz’s, Bebe’s, Tuni and Lilly Pulitzer, each of which graciously donated time and talent.

“Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” set the mood for the stage production as a bubbly lineup of models strutted their stuff in the latest spring styles. The models consisted of cancer patients, their families and local supporters.

The indomitable presenting sponsor, community matriarch Harriett Lake, was on hand, sitting next to Meredith McWaters, president of Harriett’s foundation, “Friends of Harriett.”

Kids Beating Cancer founder Margaret Voight Guedes started the charity in 1992 in memory of her son, John, who lost his battle with leukemia earlier that year.

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3.

3.

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1. Tari Kazaros, Donna Boyer 2. Front: Lois Silverberg, Harriett Lake, Meredith McWaters; rear: Dyan Goodman, Beth Schaan, Margaret Guedes 3. Gail York, Donna Wood, Liz Kleppin, Leleen Rundgren, Amber Lavender, Cindy Moon, Davina Spillmann 4. Charlotte JeBailey, Shane Barr, Margaret Guedes ORLANDO LIFE

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PEOPLE AND PLACES

with paula

1.

1. Meghan Hayes, Trevor Anderson, Marti Salt 2. Bob Frier and fans 3. Jason Guy

2.

Guedes was instrumental in the development of the Kids Beating Cancer Pediatric Transplant Center at Florida Hospital for Children, which houses the only pediatric stem cell transplantation program in Central Florida.

A PAIR TO REMEMBER

The best-heeled women in Central Florida — well, 320 of them, anyway — turned out for A Pair to Remember, a luncheon and shoe auction benefiting Easter Seals Florida at the Mall at Millenia Orchid Court.

Fabulous footwear by Jimmy Choo, Alex & Olivia, Diane Von Furstenburg, Tory Burch and company isn’t often seen on silver trays, but I can tell you that they looked delectable as they were carried about that way, butler-style.

The butlers were pretty delectable, too. There was Bob Frier, evening anchor at Fox 35 News; Robert Palmer, president of RP Funding; Stewart Moore, reporter and weekend anchor at WESH-Channel 2; Jorge Estevez, anchor and reporter for WFTV-Channel 9; and Jamie Watson, midfielder for the Orlando City Lions soccer team.

Emcees Scott McKenzie from WOMX-FM — better known as Mix 105.1 — and Marti Salt from WFTV kept the proceedings moving briskly. They were, of course, their usual charming and professional selves.

Even with all those stars in the room, however, I had a hard time keeping my eyes off those shoes. That is, until a touching video was shown describing Easter Seals’ mission to help people with disabilities or special needs and their families.

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After the video, produced by Massey Communications, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. And the heart-tugging presentation had its intended effect. A Pair to Remember netted more than $105,000, with a very generous matching gift of $25,000 from the Joseph and Kathleen Dreyfuss Charitable Gift Fund.

Now in its 65th year, Easter Seals Florida is the largest national nonprofit provider of services for individuals with autism and cognitive and physical impairments. Ninety-three cents of every dollar raised at A Pair to Remember benefits the organization’s programs and services.

3.

This year’s event sponsors included The Bougainvillea Clinique, Century Link Prism, RP Funding, the law firm of Colling, Gilbert, Wright & Carter, Fields Auto Group, Publix Supermarkets Charities and Seminole Office Solutions.

In-kind sponsorships were provided by 9 Family Connection, The Mall at Millenia, Blue Martini, Mix 105.1, Orange Appeal, and tCreative. n

THERE’S MORE ONLINE

Using your mobile device, scan the QR code and see more pictures and stories from these and other events held throughout Central Florida.

Native Floridian Paula Wyatt is an Orlando event planner, socialmedia expert and entrepreneur whose companies include Posh Able Events, Posh Able Image Builders and the nonprofit Posh Abilities.

You can reach her at paula@poshableevents.com.

MAY 2013

4/15/13 5:37:29 PM

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4/15/13 2:54:33 PM

RESTLESS NATIVE

mike thomas

NE LU

For Human Children, Nothing Says ‘I Love You’ Like a Scruffy Old Moose Yes, Moose?

“Zoey doesn’t love me anymore.’’

That’s not true.

“She doesn’t talk to me as much,’’ he says.

Well, that’s because she’s 9 years old now, I say. And, well, she’s growing up. But she’ll always remember you, always love you.

Actually, I’m just as sad about this development as Moose is.

I’m only trying to be brave.

Moose is not really a moose. And how he got to thinking he was remains a mystery. Moose technically is a reindeer from the Webkinz herd. But the day he emerged from the Christmas stocking five years ago and set hoof in Zoey’s room, he insisted he was a moose, no matter how much Zoey argued with him about it.

“See, Moose,’’ she would say, pointing to the picture over July in her wildlife calendar. “Look at this picture of a real moose. That definitely is not you. Look at his antlers. They kind of go out to the side instead of sticking up like your antlers. See?’’ And Moose would explain that his antlers were specially designed to hold his massive brain.

Zoey finally conceded. Moose was a moose.

They had many other disagreements and discussions over the years, covering topics such as the creation of the universe, how moose really pull Santa’s fat butt around the world (“Seriously, Zoey, you think reindeer could do that?”), the more rigorous curriculum in moose school (the MCAT), how humans evolved from cows, and one of his favorite topics, the superiority of hoofed creatures over pawed and footed creatures. (“How in the world can you walk on those things, Zoey?)

But nothing quite matched the debate that followed after Moose lovingly said: “Zoey, you’re my favorite toy.’’

Zoey did a fast double-take.

“You’re the toy,’’ she stammered. “Daddy has to talk for you.’’

“No,’’ replied Moose. “He talks for you. See for yourself.’’

And sure enough, when Zoey started to protest, Daddy’s lips were moving. And when she stopped, so did his lips. And 64

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when Moose talked, they didn’t seem to move at all.

That kicked off a furious 45-minute discussion about what was real and what was not, with Zoey’s head constantly jerking toward Daddy to check lip movement.

The problem for Zoey was even when she knew she was right, Moose would challenge her arguments, forcing her to think of new explanations. And of course he waved off the books she would break out because they were nothing more than human propaganda.

Daddy was completely ignored in these conversations, except on those occasions when Zoey would lean over and whisper, so Moose couldn’t hear her. “Dad, make Moose talk about how mooses really landed on the moon, not humans.’’

Moose had a way with her. He often woke her up in the morning because she could be cranky. He’d just sit there, two inches from her face, clearing his throat. “Ahem. Ahem!’’

Until her eyes cracked open.

And when she was sad — when, say, another kid was being mean at school — Moose would tell her about how badgers were notorious bullies and how the other animals dealt with them.

Moose fully supported her decision to become a vegetarian and offered helpful advice: “You have to eat lots of marsh grass and other protein sources such as birch twigs.’’

Zoey has American Girl dolls that cost 20 times more than Moose. She has an iPad and Wii. She has all the usual stuff kids in ranch homes have. But for the past five years, scruffy old Moose has been far and away her favorite toy.

“Ahem.’’

I mean, she has been, far and away, Moose’s favorite toy.

“I don’t think human children should grow up,’’ he says.

“They’re much preferable to human adults.’’

I tend to agree, Moose.

“Do all children have a Moose? If not, they most certainly should. You need to tell the other human parents. Nothing says ‘I love you’ like time with a Moose.’’

I will, Moose. I will. n Native Floridian and longtime Orlando columnist Mike Thomas is a freelance writer. You can reach him at miket@orlando-life.com.

The envi colle Bod

Flor Rece For

EXT At e Wal Photo: RAFAEL TONGOl

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hem. Ahem.”

MAY 2013

4/15/13 5:16:43 PM

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