Florida Foodie Por arte de portada

Florida Foodie

De: WKMG and Graham Media Group
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  • Resumen

  • Food is part of our traditions and cultures, and it affects our health, our economy and all of our communities. So, Florida Foodie is giving you some food for thought, taking a closer look at what we eat, how we eat it and the impacts on Florida and what it means for everyone, everywhere.
    Produced by WKMG, in cooperation with Graham Media Group.
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Episodios
  • Melao Bakery went from struggling business to must-stop destination

    Melao Bakery went from struggling business to must-stop destination
    Jun 11 2024
    Edward Colón has been working in his parent’s business, Melao Bakery, since they first opened it in 2008, shortly after moving to Kissimmee from Puerto Rico. “The first years, we slept inside the store,” Colón said. “We had those foldable beds. We folded the beds, we put them in storage and we opened up.” Colón was in his teens at the time and his younger brother had just been born, adding to the challenge of churning out authentic Puerto Rican cuisine daily. “I did a lot of (making) bread while I was trying to finish school and college,” he said. “So I was making bread and I would go to college and then come back and forth. So it was not easy.” The family started renting a small building on a quiet road in Kissimmee. “We struggled,” Colón said. “There was no Spanish places around at that point — not like now, obviously. We knew we had a great product at that point, So, we took the risk.” The gamble ended up paying off for the family. They now own the building they first opened in and have a second just outside of Orlando. The family also employs more than 150 people. Despite the success they have seen, the family still puts many hours on the business. “I work basically seven days a week,” Colón said. We work around the clock. It’s an everyday thing. I got employees that come in at three in the morning. And I have employees that get out at (midnight).” That dedication has turned Melao Bakery into a destination spot within the Kissimmee community. “Most people come straight from the airport,” Colón said. “People get there and get to eat every type of food that you find in Puerto Rico.” Colón said the goal was always to give people a feel and taste of the island territory, but making it accessible to everyone. “We don’t just have Puerto Rican clients, obviously, we have all kinds of clients — specifically in the Kissimmee store,” he said. The bakery is located just outside of Heritage Park. Many people stop by after various activities at the park or the Silver Spurs arena. The family is now looking to expand their business and get their products into more places. “We’re working on mass production,” Colón said. “We’re growing our kitchen area, and our bakery area — everything’s, gonna be double of what it was.” He added that the family wants to make sure they can maintain the same quality as they increase the quantity of their product. On the latest episode of Florida Foodie, Colón shares more of his family’s story and the challenges they faced. He also gave Lisa Bell a sample of some of the delicious food available at Melao Bakery. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    26 m
  • Caribe Royal Orlando looks to offer something for everyone’s dining preferences

    Caribe Royal Orlando looks to offer something for everyone’s dining preferences
    Jun 4 2024
    David Hackett has spent most of his professional career working in resorts across the country and around the world, but he said Caribe Royal Orlando is his “home.” “I’m staying there. I mean, I love the property. I love the culture that we have there,” he said. Hackett has been at the boutique resort for about four years now. Before that, he had done stints at resorts such as the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Trump National Doral in Miami and even spent a few years working at a resort in Dubai, among other locations. In all, Hackett said he has been an executive chef at various resorts for about 25 years. Of course, his culinary career started well before that. “I started the business when I was 12 — at a ripe young age just by pure accident,” he said. His brother was supposed to go into a restaurant for a job interview, but couldn’t make it due to a broken ankle. So his mom offered up his services instead. “I went and washed bar glasses on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights at the age of 12. You know, shagging ice and booze and things like that,” Hackett said. Despite his early exposure, Hackett said he really wanted to be an architect when he was younger. “Then I realized, ‘Wow, food as so many different mediums besides pen and paper. Why not go be a chef?” he said. His first exposure to working at a resort was at Walt Disney World. “Disney was — it was a great opportunity for me especially to open MGM Studios,” Hackett said. “When I got there in ‘88, Disney was strong in their culinary program.” The “great opportunity” led Hackett down a path that eventually led to Caribe Royal. As the executive chef of Caribe Royal, Hackett is in charge of eight different dining options at the resort, including a brand-new, two-story sports bar, Stadium Club. Hackett said he tries to make sure each dining option is unique. “We don’t like menu bleed. So granted a burger we have to have in a couple different areas,” he said. “But it’s all about what’s on the burger.” Hackett said he prefers to buy his ingredients from Central Florida farmers and producers whenever possible. “I think great food comes with a great start — a great product to work with — then we do minimal to it,” he said. “I think a lot of chefs have lost their way where they’re trying to do so much to food. I think that food needs to speak for itself, you know, salt and pepper, basic preparation to kind of bring you back to how we all grew up.” On the latest episode of Florida Foodie, Hackett shares some of the challenges of managing all of the venues at the resort. He also shares more of his travels in the industry, as well as a bounty of food for Candace Campos and Lisa Bell to sample. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    31 m
  • Orange Blossom Candies & Cream embraces small-town charm

    Orange Blossom Candies & Cream embraces small-town charm
    May 28 2024
    Tina Aldrich is a Florida native who chose to live in Montverde and open her business there because she knew it would keep its small-town charm. “When our daughter went to college, we went ahead and moved to our cabin in North Carolina,” she said. “Then when we moved back, I’m like, ‘I want to move back to a place where the footprint will not change,’ and this little burb is not going to change. It’s going to change all around us and has — I mean Hancock (Road) was not even a road when we moved up to North Carolina, you know? So that’s what made us decide to come back here to Montverde.” Before moving back from North Carolina, Aldrich had the opportunity to work in a fudge and candy shop, learning the ins and outs of the business. She admits it was not a great passion of hers, but when she moved back to Montverde she noticed something was missing in the community. “I’m like, ‘The only thing we don’t have is sweets. We don’t have sweets. So let’s do ice cream and candy — that’d be fun,’” she said. This revelation led her to open Orange Blossom Candies & Cream. Though she was a novice to the candy business, Aldrich had run other businesses in the past including a long-time florist shop in Winter Garden. “I am just an entrepreneur, and obviously my personality is kind of very outgoing and so I just I don’t like to give up,” she said. As it turned out, she would need that stick-to-it-iveness as she wound up having to open her business right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Anybody who’s ever started a business knows that you don’t, you don’t start the business two weeks before you open. It’s like months before,” Aldrich said. “So once you’re already doing that, and then the pandemic hits, you’re like, ‘Huh, you know, what? Worst (thing) that happens is that window is going to become a new window where I can serve out of the window and all of this that won’t last forever and at some point, we will open’ but we never did have to do that. We were able to put our lines and everybody wore masks, and we got through it.” Now, roughly four years later, her business is a thriving community staple. The shop is near Montverde Academy and has become a lunch hot spot for the student there. “So the kids coming in her always like ‘Miss Tina, Miss Tina,’ (and) everybody gives me hugs,” Aldrich said. On the latest Florida Foodie, Aldrich shares what it was like for her growing up in Florida and growing her family in Montverde. She also shares some of her confections with Candace Campos and Lisa Bell. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    21 m
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