My Florida Journey...
Peter Ellegard joined a Florida foodie tour and discovered that the Sunshine State is the perfect choice for gastronomes
50 MY JOURNEY florida
I
Disney’s Epcot Theme Park
Uncorked in Orlando
f you thought Florida was just fast-food diners and all- you-can-eat breakfasts for $3.99, think again. I discovered
so much more on a recent trip. This year is the Year of Food in Florida and more than 200 food festivals are taking place throughout the Sunshine State, with foodies able to experience everything from Key Largo’s Stone Crab Festival to the Strawberry Festival in Plant City and a lobster fi esta in Panama City Beach.
Local produce I joined a trip from Orlando down Florida’s
east coast to Miami to sample some of the local produce and fi ne dining that Florida is
becoming increasingly
known for as well as take in some culture and try a few activities where all you have to do is add water!
First stop was Walt
Disney World, staying at the Contemporary Resort – with monorail trains gliding right through the hotel like Grand Union Station.
the world, blending and packaging them in eco-friendly bottles, pouches, kegs and boxes. I loved the high-heeled shoe bottle holders displaying their wines so much I bought one – with a bottle, of course.
Foodie heaven We stayed at the new Alfond Inn in refi ned Winter
Park. Owned by arts institute Rollins College, and with three million dollars’ worth of art adorning its walls, it uniquely helps college students through a scholarship scheme funded by net profi ts. Floridian-inspired fare in its Hamilton’s Kitchen restaurant includes extremely tasty shrimp and grits. Travelling on to Palm Beach, our next foodie venue was historic resort The Breakers, in its chic Adam Tihany- designed HMF lounge.
Sumptuous sharing-plate dishes like Wagyu beef sliders
were accompanied by signature cocktails including my favourite, Railcar #91, made with cognac, honey and orange foam, and a Champagne and vodka concoction called Chanel #6. After an outdoor breakfast amidst
“This year is
the Year of Food in Florida with
After a breakfast of Mickey- shaped waffl es and lobster omelette at the Captain’s Grille restaurant at Disney World’s Yacht Club Resort, a boat trip took me to Epcot, where we enjoyed a fast spin on the Test Track ride. Orlando’s burgeoning reputation for its local culinary scene was underlined by East End Market, a collection of local food enterprises and artisans in a former church in Audubon Park. Here, shoppers can try and buy home- made sauces, cheese, bread, exotic juices, fi ne coffees and local craft beers – a fast-growing industry in Florida. I tasted a selection of Florida beers, including the delightfully named Swamphead Big Nose IPA. Wine tasting was next, at Orlando’s
200-plus festivals planned”
tropical plants and creations in the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens, I toured Palm Beach, passing billionaires’ mansions, strolling along swanky Worth Avenue and visiting grandiose Flagler Museum. Before heading to Delray Beach, I visited elegant boutique hotel The Chesterfi eld, where its
whimsical Leopard Lounge is the hottest night spot in Palm Beach.
A walking culinary tour of lively Delray Beach took in tasting sessions at four of its many restaurants, trying lobster at beachfront restaurant 50 Ocean, watching sushi being created at Buddha Sky Bar, tucking into succulent beef at Prime and sampling several dishes at gastro pub Brule Bistro.
Masterchef class Approaching Fort Lauderdale, I stopped at the
fi rst winery, Quantum Leap. It imports sustainably-grown wines from around
wonderfully-whacky roadside food store, Bob Roth’s New River Groves, with its bizarre displays of mannekins, old farm vehicles and alligator skulls. Founded half a century ago as an orange grove and shop by Bob’s father Al, going strong at 103, it still sells oranges along with many other foods but is famed for its key lime pies, made to a family recipe, and hand- made fudges. At Chef Jean-Pierre’s
Gourmet Emporium and Cooking School in Fort
See me at Bob Roth’s New River Groves
www.sellinglonghaul.com
My Magical Moments
Discovering wonderful beers and wines in Orlando. Tasting mouth-watering morsels in Palm Beach and Del Ray. Finding the home of key lime pie at Bob Roth’s. Skimming over the Everglades swamps in an airboat, surrounded by nature. Marvelling at the street art of Miami’s Wynwood Arts District.
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