Bite:30 at Maxine’s on Shine

Bite:30, an Orlando Weekly event, starts on June 1st. For thirty days, participating restaurants offer a special menu with $10-$15 lunches and $15-$30 dinners. The chefs have designed special menus with high quality, superb service and strict budget in mind, showcasing their culinary talents and creativity. It is a win-win situation for both guests and chefs! Restaurant guests will have a unique opportunity to try delicious dishes at a great price without the hassle of coupons and discount cards. This is what Maxine Earhart, the owner of one of the participating restaurants, Maxine’s on Shine, had to say about her involvement in the community and events like Bite:30.

Chicken Maxine’s: Diced chicken breast pan seared with roasted shallots, criminii mushrooms, finished in a Marsala wine cream sauce with penne pasta & julienne basil. This is one of the featured entrees from the Maxine’s on Shine Bite:30 menu. It will be perfectly paired with a complimentary glass of wine or beer along with live entertainment, Thursday thru Sunday nights. For reservations, please visit www.maxinesonshine.com .

This June, everyday is a day to celebrate. Go ahead, grab your friends and go out to eat, have fun, make great memories, and most importantly, please show your support by visiting your neighborhood restaurants participating in Bite:30, an Orlando Weekly event. The list of participating restaurants is growing each day, so make sure to see the official website www.bite30.com for more information.

Chef Robert Irvine

Florida Hospital’s Gourmet Soiree hosted by Celebrity Chef Robert Irvine, of Restaurant Impossible on Food Network took place on May 18th. Over 50 chefs from the Central Florida community came to help raise funds for a great cause and to have fun preparing healthy meals with their guests. During our interview, this is what Chef Robert Irvine had to say to future chef participants.

Florida Hospital’s Gourmet Soiree benefits the Healthy 100 Kids fit program, an educational and health promotion initiative. Healthy 100 Kids is designed to teach children, teens and families good health and lifestyle strategies so they can live to be a healthy 100 years of age. Through the program, Healthy 100 program is able to bring entertainment and education to schools and churches in the area to help affect change in our eating habits and health culture.

Se7en Bites

Watch this video segment to find out how Chef Trina came up with the name for the Se7en Bites Bakeshop. What an amazing and inspiring story behind it! We also asked Chef Trina about her favorite food and how Se7en Bites accommodates guests with special dietary restrictions.

Check our previous interview by following this link Who is Chef Trina?

2014 Gourmet Soiree

On May 18th, Florida Hospital and celebrity chef, Robert Irvine, of Restaurant Impossible on Food Network hosted the Gourmet Soiree at Rosen Shingle Creek. This fundraiser promotes the Healthy 100 movement that focuses on the overall health and well being of our community. In this interactive dinner experience, guests wore aprons and cooked side by side with their table’s chef for a chance to win a prestigious 2014 Silver Fork Award. Congratulations to Chef Dan Nester, Executive Chef of A Land Remembered, and his table for claiming the victory.

Rashmi Primlani – Love is My ‘Secret’ Ingredient

Rashmi Primlani is an internet blogger, food and wine writer, recipe creator and an amazing cook. Her biggest food critics are her own children, who think that every meal is an episode of the Top Chef. Luckily, cooking is in her blood, and more often than not she does meet her critics expectations.

Rashmi believes that in order to achieve a level of excellence, one must move out of their comfort zone, and go the extra mile. Therefore, she tries all recipes and styles of cooking that she likes to embellish with her own variations and creativity. In every dish she creates, Rashmi uses two major ingredients, passion and more importantly love.
Rashmi loves dreaming up her own recipes for dishes, and enjoys cooking in a wide variety of culinary styles including French, Italian, Mediterranean, Mexican and of course Indian. Rashmi Primlani is an established Food & Wine Writer and you can follow her on Facebook – The Primlani Kitchen or Tweeter – #SPICYCHAT

Chef Trina Gregory-Propst

Today we visited Se7en Bites bakery shop, located in Orlando’s Milk District on 207 N Primrose Drive. Se7en Bites covers a huge spectrum of baked goods from fabulous sweet and savory pies to southern classics and comfort foods. All of the dishes are made daily in small batches from the freshest ingredients,  just like in your grandma’s kitchen. Watch our interview to find out more about Chef and Owner Trina Gregory-Propst and what her bake shop has to offer.

During our visit we had an opportunity to try one of the signature dishes, Southern Morning Biscuit, made with buttermilk garlic biscuit, baked egg in ham,pimento cheese, apple-wood smoked bacon, smothered in cheddar chive grits. Let me tell you, those were the best grits I have ever tasted!

by Irina Pabis

The Coop is officially open

On April 29th, John Rivers, self-taught chef and the owner of the popular BBQ chain 4Rivers Smokehouse, officially opened the southern-style restaurant, The Coop, located on the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and Morse Boulevard in Winter Park. In his speech, Mr. Rivers dedicated his new restaurant concept to the local community by donating The Coop’s opening day proceeds to the Ward Chapel AME Church.

I love comfort foods, so I couldn’t resist trying some of the items on the menu. I ordered the two piece fried chicken meal with sides of smashed potatoes and stewed okra with tomatoes. I was surprised by the portion size, it was big enough to feed two people. The chicken, coated with coarse pepper that brought a spicy flavor to it, was juicy, moist and not greasy. Just right to satisfy my taste buds. The smashed potatoes had a nice country home flavor, and along with the okra, made a nice southern meal.

by Irina Pabis

Interview with Chef Jerry Helminski

In the second segment of our interview with Chef Jerry, he explains how he came up with the name for his restaurant and talks about some of the  popular items at the Kesh Restaurant.

Check our previous interview by following this link  Who is Chef Jerry?

 

 

Chef Kevin Fonzo and the Edible Schoolyard

In this segment, Chef Kevin Fonzo of the K Restaurant shares with us his passion for the Edible Schoolyard. He talks about his pilot program at Orlando Junior Academy, where the curriculum incorporates math and science with gardening and culinary experiences. What a great program! Maybe someday, every student will have this opportunity.

Chef Fred Vlachos is Inductee to Orlando Magazine’s Culinary Hall of Fame!

Congratulations to Chef Fred Vlachos of the Everglades Restaurant for his induction into Orlando Magazine’s Culinary Hall of Fame! Chef Vlachos graduated Johnson & Wales Culinary School in Rhode Island, and has over 30 years of experience in fine dining. Since 2006, he has been the Head Chef of the Everglades Restaurant, where he creates amazing signature dishes incorporating French, Spanish, Mexican, and classic American fare. Chef  Vlachos perfected Rosen Centre Hotel’s Vine & Dine experience by expertly pairing a five-course gourmet dinner with fine wine ranging from Hudson Valley to Southern Comfort. Chef Vlachos uses only freshest ingredients in his kitchen and varies the Everglades’ menu based on the seasons, although some of the guests favorites like Alligator Bay Chowder, Venison Steak and Tenderloin of Buffalo will most likely stay on the menu throughout the year. In addition to leading his culinary team in the Everglades, Chef Vlachos oversees an à la carte menu for Café Gauguin and the room service menu of the Rosen Centre Hotel.