Beyond favorite tables, there’s a whole world of locally owned culinary spots that define the neighborhoods in which they are located and enrich the region with their personal connections. From two urban farms to a biodynamic wine shop and a plant-forward cooking school, here are some places worth sharing (and supporting).
GRAPES AND OLIVES
A block off New Broad Street in Baldwin Park, Golden Hour Wine is a sophisticated oasis, so small—just about 640 square feet—that it’s easy to miss. Step inside, though, and you’re immersed in Heather LaVine’s curated world of natural wines from around the globe.
Opened in 2021, LaVine’s shop sources only wines that are farmed organically or biodynamically, with no artificial colors, flavors or thickeners. And the grapes are hand harvested with fermentation started by native or ambient yeast.
“There are no wine corporations at Golden Hour,” says LaVine. “Our wines are from people farming the land or making the wine—most of our winemakers consider themselves farmers first and stewards of the land. It’s the ethos behind it that’s really important.”
You might find organic wines in grocery stores, but beyond being organically grown, it’s what happens in the cellar that’s important, explains LaVine. That’s when dyes, thickeners and sugar are added, she says, which often account for allergies and headaches from imbibing.
Golden Hour Wine features between 700 and 750 options, most from small producers in Europe with a focus on France, Italy, Germany and Spain. About 25 percent are from women winemakers. Bottles range from under $25 to $225.
LaVine recently opened Quicksand and Wine Bar, a neighborhood natural wine bar in the Mills 50 District in Orlando, with wine by the glass and bottle and small bites.
Golden Hour Wine is located at 1560 Lake Baldwin Lane, Baldwin Park; 689-444-6072, goldenhour.wine.com.
CHEESE TO PLEASE
It’s a little dreamlike when you walk through the doors at Simply Cheese in a nondescript strip mall on Aloma Avenue. Owner Annie Thornton stocks accoutrements, but it’s the pristine cases of 40 to 50 cheeses, sourced from all over the world, that make this place a real find.
“We have a beautiful mix that’s always evolving with the seasons and our customers’ tastes,” says Thornton. You’ll find cheese from Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Norway and other faraway places. We marveled at the Grand Noir blue cheese from Germany, ripened to a luscious, buttery texture with bold blue veining.
Thornton says her favorite is Loire Valley Tomme, a vibrant red cheese infused with tomatoes, olives, pine nuts and garlic. “Artisanal cheeses carry history, tradition and a sense of place,” she adds. “Every wheel has a journey, from the farmer to the affineur to our counter.”
When Thornton and her family moved to Maitland almost 16 years ago, she fell in love with “the kindness, warmth and support” of Winter Park and decided to open Simply Cheese to share her cheesemonger expertise. For those who want to learn more, the shop offers monthly classes; check the website for a class schedule.
Simply Cheese is located at 2258 Aloma Avenue; 321-972-6186, simplycheesefl.com or Instagram at 2simplycheesefl.com.
GREEN ACRES
Did you know that there are two urban farms—one in Winter Park, the other near Baldwin Park on Semoran Boulevard—where you can pick up fresh produce every week during the growing season?
Winter Park native Jenna Foor’s MidMod Urban Farm grows local, seasonal vegetables without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers on a small plot in the yard of her home just off Aloma Avenue.
Each growing season, Foor accepts a limited number of customers via a subscription model for a portion of her upcoming harvest. Subscription models, called CSAs (community supported agriculture) allow individuals to subscribe to seasonal produce while supplying family-run farms capital for the growing season.
Sometimes, Foor has bumper crops; sometimes, if the weather in uncooperative, the yields are lighter. Either way, she has fun with her 8,000 square feet of growing space, where she nurtures broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage, squash blossoms and even tends a mini-orchard.
If you’re interested, Foor has a few spots left for the current season. Because it’s a private address, we’re not publishing the farm’s location and phone number. But you can follow all the goings-on via Instagram at @midmodurbanfarm.
At Everoak Farm, first-generation farmers Mike and Nikki Garcia and their children live just off Semoran Boulevard adjacent to Baldwin Park, where they raise seasonal fruits and vegetables on their 3-acre regenerative farm without the use of synthetic chemicals.
The Garcias—who also likewise have many of their customers on the subscription model—also raise chickens for meat and eggs, and tend beehives from which small-batch honey and honey-based products are produced. It’s a fun trek to the farm on Saturday mornings (or you can arrange for home delivery).
And even if you don’t join the CSA—members of which receive a weekly box of seasonal produce with optional add-ons like eggs and chicken—you can shop at the weekly farmstand at 2335 Carrington Drive, Orlando. Check out the operation at everoakfarm.com.
GATHERING ’ROUND
Want to learn more about your food before you dig in? The FitLiving Eats cooking school in Winter Park, “brings the community together and shares the experience of healthier food—and shows how that food can be nourishing and satisfying,” says founder Carly Paige.
The private chef company started out providing boutique catering and customized prepared meals for clients—but has expanded in its new space to gather guests around the table. Besides cooking classes, the space also can be rented for parties, private dinner parties and other events.
“It’s elevated in a way that is approachable and comfortable—like going to someone’s house and being in the kitchen,” says Paige. Recent classes ranged from plant-based cuisine to crafting mocktails and cocktails.
FitLiving Eats is located at 1150 Louisiana Avenue, Suite 5; 407-917-2187, fitlivingeatswinterpark.com or on Instagram at @fitlivingeatswp.
JUICE AND JAVA
We’ve been fans of Grounding Roots since its start in 2014 in College Park. And when Amanda and Jedidiah Stone moved their storefront to Winter Park in 2019, they just kept expanding their amazing repertoire of certified organic, cold-pressed juices.
You can have Grounding Roots products delivered to your door or make the trek out Aloma Avenue to the small shop—where organic coffee is nearly as popular as USDA-certified organic juice—and try a sample flight of juices to find the best combination for you.
“We focus on the benefits first,” says Amanda. “Why do you need this in your body?” All juices are created in-house with real whole foods, and the store offers everything from a delectable shot to three-day juice cleanses—or just a delicious, healthful drink to boost your vitamins and minerals.
Now, organic coffee is attracting javaphiles as well, says Amanda. The Stones buy verified organic and fair-trade Honduran and Guatemalan beans, roasted in Florida’s Panhandle by Amavida Coffee Roasters.
Grounding Roots—which has an app that allows you to order either in the shop or for delivery to your home—is located at 4270 Aloma Avenue; 321-203-2047, groundingroots.com or on Instagram @groundingroots.
NEWISH AND NOTABLE
Here are some new (well, newish by now) places that we’re happy to recommend to readers of Winter Park Magazine. If you haven’t tried them yet, today is probably a good time to start working your way through their menus.
Our New York strip was cooked to a perfect rare at Corner Chophouse and paired nicely with a well-made dirty martini. The sleeper on the menu was the Petite Iceberg salad with marinated tomatoes, pickled red onion, a robust blue cheese vinaigrette and candied bacon.
Skip the lobster tagliatelle, but don’t miss the crème brulèe, with the crunchy topping fired tableside for a fresh crackle. We’re going back for a seat at the lively bar and a $10 “Social Hour” cocktail.
(Yes, we know that the restaurant is part of the Charleston-based Indigo Road Hospitality Group, and therefore not locally owned, but we liked the food well enough to make an exception.)
Corner Chophouse is located at 558 West New England Avenue; 321-972-2383, cornerchophouse.com.
There are just two things you need to know about the grouper sandwich at Imperial on Park: It’s worth the $28 price tag, trust us, and it’s plenty big enough to share. Co-owner John Washburn tells us that they filet the fresh grouper in the kitchen. And it comes to the table on a big, soft bun with a heap of hot fries.
Regulars—who are growing in number—also recommend Chef Drew Weisner’s Imperial Crab Cake and his shrimp ceviche stuffed avocado. (Weisner, by the way, is the other co-owner.) In fact, many of you will remember both Washburn and Weisner from their time at Dexter’s Winter Park and Thornton Park.
Imperial on Park is located at 136 South Park Avenue; 321-972-9294, imperialwinebar.com.
The Glass Knife’s newish location on Park Avenue is a jewel box with edible eye candy in the glass cases and some of the best coffee in town, but don’t overlook the regular menu, which is served until 7 p.m.
Try a chicken salad or pimento cheese croissant, a hearty BLT or a turkey club—then share a sandwich and save room for the Chocolate Big Wheel (devil’s food cake, cream filling and a crunchy chocolate shell). With a glass of red, it makes a perfect Sunday supper.
The Glass Knife’s most recent location is 212 North Park Avenue; 407-500-CAKE (2253), theglassknife.com. (The original location is 276 South Orlando Avenue.)
The Good Pour’s Winter Park location is so much more than a beverage store with thousands of brands. There’s a gift bar, a tasting bar and even a rooftop event space.
But we love the philanthropy spin: a percentage of every penny you spend is used to help charities, many of them local, like the Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens, Winter Park Library and Mead Botanical Garden (you get to pick). With hard-to-find bourbons, dozens of tequilas, ales and IPAs, this is truly one-stop shopping for a cause.
The Good Pour is located at 631 South Orlando Avenue, 321-426-1211, goodpour.com.
