Central Florida’s most distinguished chefs will join forces August 27, 2016 to help fight childhood hunger at Orlando’s Taste of the Nation for No Kid Hungry. Forty-two of the area’s most accomplished chefs will showcase tasting portions of signature dishes, accompanied by wine, craft beers and specialty cocktails at the Orlando World Center Marriott.

We’ve attended the past two years and always anticipate the return of Taste of the Nation. New to this year’s event includes Benihana, Canvas Lake Nona, Eleven and Forte at Reunion Resort, Hemisphere Restaurant at the Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport, Nova Scratch Kitchen, The Osprey Tavern, Restaurant ASH, and The Rusty Spoon.

{Grab your tickets here!}

Aside from an endless supply of flavor, there’s several mini events throughout the evening and leading up the the main show:

• The Giving Tree raffle, sponsored by Edible Orlando, returns for the second year inviting guests to win a taste of Orlando’s most popular establishments. For a $50 donation, guests can select a Giving Tree envelope hanging from a towering tree containing a gift certificate ranging from $25 to $300 in value.

• The event’s ever-popular Instant Wine Cellar game offers participants a chance to win more than 150 bottles of wine valued at more than $2,500. There are only 250 chances to win this exquisite wine cellar. Each key is a $25 donation.

• Guests can also win fine bottles of wine with the all-new Ring Toss for Wine fundraiser. Rings are available for purchase to toss onto wine bottles ─$5 for two tosses or $10 for six tosses. When a ring lands around a bottle neck, the guest wins a bottle of wine to take home.

• Eola Wine Company welcomes guests to raise a glass to end childhood hunger with a series of weekly wine tasting events on Wednesdays from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. from July 20 to Aug. 24. For a$15 donation at the door, guests will receive free tastings of select wines. Offering fine varietals by the glass, flight and bottle, plus light fare, Eola Wine Company is located in downtown Orlando at 430 E. Central Blvd., Orlando.

• The Ancient Olive is fighting childhood hunger with olive oil by donating $1 for each bottle of ultra-premium extra virgin olive oils, aged balsamic vinegars, and flavor-infused olive oils sold between July 20 and August 31. The tasting bar for premium extra virgin olive oils and balsamic vinegars is located at 324 N. Park Ave., Winter Park. The Spice & Tea Exchange, located at 309 Park Ave. North, Winter Park, will also donate $1 for each gourmet grinder blend sold.

• For the first time, Orlando’s Taste of the Nation introduces the Golden Ticket Giveaway, offering an exciting new way to win a pair of complimentary tickets to this year’s event. Guests who dine at select, participating establishments can ask their server for a Golden Ticket to receive a concealed envelope that may contain a pair of tickets to this year’s event. Chances of winning are 1 in 10. Follow hashtags #OrlTaste and #GoldenTicket for a list of participating restaurants and updates on remaining Golden Tickets. The Golden Ticket Giveaway runs from Aug. 1 – 22.

Event Details:
Saturday, August 27, 2016, $150
6:45 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Orlando World Center Marriott
8701 World Center Dr., Orlando

Participating Restaurants:

1. Artist’s Point at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
2. B Resort & Spa/American Kitchen
3. Benihana
4. Black Fire Brazilian Steakhouse
5. Bosphorous Turkish Cuisine
6. Café Tu Tu Tango
7. Canvas Lake Nona
8. Capa at Four Seasons Resort Orlando
9. The Capital Grille
10. CFHLA Food & Beverage Council
11. Cress Restaurant
12. Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar at Pointe Orlando
13. Eddie V’s
14. Eleven at Reunion Resort
15. Empress Sissi Cake & Specialty Pastries
16. Forte at Reunion Resort
17. FreshPoint Central Florida
18. Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center/Old Hickory Steakhouse
19. Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center/MOOR
20. Hemisphere Restaurant at the Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport
21. Highball and Harvest at Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes
22. JW Marriott Grande Lakes Orlando, featuring Whisper Creek Farms: The Kitchen
23. K Restaurant and Wine Bar
24. Marlow’s Tavern
25. Nestle Professional
26. Nova Scratch Kitchen
27. Orlando World Center Marriott
28. The Osprey Tavern
29. RA Sushi
30. Red Wing Restaurant
31. Restaurant ASH
32. Rosen Shingle Creek │A Land Remembered
33. Rosen Shingle Creek │Cala Bella Restaurant
34. The Rusty Spoon
35. Seasons 52 Fresh Grill
36. SeaWorld Orlando
37. Tapa Toro Tapas Bar and Paella Pit
38. Taverna Opa Orlando
39. The Whiskey
40. Three 2 OH Ice Cream
41. Universal Orlando
42. Yak & Yeti

Let the anticipation commence! Grab your tickets here.

The Rusty Spoon is celebrating its five-year anniversary throughout the month of April with a series of chef-driven events featuring some of Chef Blake’s friends and past collaborators within the industry including Melissa Kelly, Kevin Fonzo, Penny Barend and Melissa Khoury.

• On April 2, Chef Kevin Fonzo will join Chef Blake to celebrate The Rusty Spoon’s five-year anniversary and K Restaurant’s fifteen-year anniversary with a family style dinner featuring the farmer that introduced them to each other, Jim Wood of Palmetto Creek Farm. The menu will be 4 courses of seasonal favorites and of course lots of pork. The dinner includes 4 courses and two wine pairings at $55.

• On April 21, artisan butchers Penny Barend and Melissa Khoury of Cleveland-based Saucisson will collaborate with Chef Blake for a nose-to-tail dinner. Barend and Khoury worked with Chef Blake during her time at Primo and Penny was instrumental in opening The Rusty Spoon as Chef de Cuisine. The Chefs will be presenting a variety of dishes where locally-sourced and handcrafted is highlighted.

• On April 22, Chef Melissa Kelly of Primo will join Chef Blake for a very special Earth Day dinner. The collaborative dinner celebrates not only the bounty of Central Florida, the farmers, the artisans, family and friends but also their 20 plus year friendship. Chef Blake was Chef Kelly’s opening Chef de Cuisine of Primo in 2003 and the two have remained culinary confidants ever since.

Happy Birthday to The Rusty Spoon!

Tavistock Restaurant Collection is pleased to announce the creation of Canvas, a new dinner-only restaurant and market located at the Laureate Park Village Center in the heart of Lake Nona. Featuring chef-driven cuisine with a focus on fresh Florida seafood, the waterfront restaurant will open in January 2016.

An original concept and the first Tavistock Restaurant Collection location in Central Florida, Canvas was developed in partnership with Tavistock Development Company and Concentrics Restaurants. Concentrics Restaurants is an Atlanta-based restaurant operating group that offers full-service design, development, consulting and management and provides comprehensive food and beverage solutions for freestanding restaurants and hotels across the nation including locally known Luma on Park, Prato and Slate. Canvas marks the 15th unique concept within Tavistock Restaurant Collection’s domestic portfolio.

The 278-seat restaurant is one of Orlando’s only waterfront dining destinations. In addition to the restaurant, the new venue will also include an adjacent market where guests can enjoy freshly prepared breakfast and lunch items from the Canvas kitchen and peruse a hand-selected collection of housewares, books and local goods.

The chef-driven menu will feature American classics inspired by local ingredients and Florida seafood featuring shareable appetizers, creative salads and sandwiches, hearty entrees, and wood-grilled pizzas and flatbreads.

Every detail of Canvas has been thoughtfully designed and planned to create a welcoming space for guests. The restaurant’s exhibition-style kitchen opens to the main dining room while floor-to-ceiling windows provide picturesque waterfront views. Diners can opt to sit inside in cozy banquettes, enjoy a meal out on the terrace overlooking the water, or toast with handcrafted cocktails at the prominent wooden bar.

The Canvas market will open daily for breakfast and lunch. Guests can stop in and have a meal at the market’s communal table or chose from a variety of grab-and-go options, gourmet coffee, and fresh-squeezed juice and smoothies.

Photo Credit: Canvas