Business as Usual: NO Weekend Top 6 Picks

Posted on by Thor

There are NO Weekend Top 6 Picks for March 21 and 22, 2020 due to Covid-19 Virus Pandemic. Stay home. Stay Safe.

The president recommended that gatherings of 10 people or more in the US be canceled or postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The nation’s top infectious disease official said he would like to see a 14-day national shutdown imposed, but it does not seem that President Donald Trump will order that. We need to change our routines for a threat we can not see. If we wait, many will die needlessly. The United States has some 45,000 Intensive Care Unit beds, and even in a moderate outbreak scenario, some 200,000 Americans will need intensive care.

Here are some of the the Florida attractions that remained open after the pandemic announcement, despite the CDC recommendation to close. All the large Orlando theme parks closed (Disney Theme Parks, Universal, Sea World, Lego Land) but some smaller venues ignored public safety concerns and remained open.  

Fun Spot Orlando was business as usual. They added some hand sanitizing stations and did some housekeeping measures. Riding a roller coaster might be as fun as riding a subway car in NYC next to a coughing passenger by your side.

The Pirates Dinner Adventure remained open during regular hours. Attendance is lower because of virus concerns. They hope to maintain six to eight foot distances between guests in the dining area. Other changes include that the servers will be wearing gloves, food will arrive covered, and hand
sanitizers are available. The trouble with this venue is that guests have to wait like cattle in a crowded common room before being allowed into the main staging area. The second show (8 p.m.) for Friday, March 20, has been cancelled.

Icon Park on International Drive, with the Wheel, the Starflyer (the world’s tallest swing ride) and the
restaurants remained open. The seats, the handles, anything that people
can come into contact with were constantly being wiped down. A networking event is scheduled to happen on March 24, 2020, at Icon Park. I will not be going to sketch and rub shoulders.

These venues are insane to remain open, they are ignoring the numbers and science, not caring that they are risking guests’ health by remaining open for business. Two Florida mobile hospitals are ready to deploy when needed. Public beaches in Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale are closed.

A 34 year old man flew to Orlando on March 2, 2020 for a conference and decided to stay several more days to visit Walt Disney World and Universal. Before flying home, he developed a cough and started coughing up blood. Back in Pasadena California, he was diagnosed with symptoms of  pneumonia. He tested positive for Covid-19 on March 13, 2020 and died on March 19, 2020 . It is not yet known if the man caught the virus in Orlando, but he was certainly contagious while he visited here and was in the theme parks. The virus survives on cardboard and copper surfaces for 24 hours, and for 72 hours on stainless steel and plastics. Now think of all the surfaces that were touched while waiting in a long line. It becomes clear that many others were likely infected in the parks and on the airplane.

Disney’s college internship program has shut down and students are being told they must leave by 11 am Wednesday March 18, 2020. Disney World has donated its excess food to Central Florida food banks like Second Harvest Food Bank. Volunteers are needed at Second Harvest since there has been a surge in need since the public school closures mean that many students will go hungry. Summer BreakSpot locations are being set up where children can find healthy nutritious meals.

The National Guard Medical Technicians are being deployed in Broward County, which is now the hot spot of outbreak of the virus in Florida. They will be setting up drive-through test sites. Miami Mayor Francis X Suerez has tested positive for the virus. Stay home. Stay safe.

Post Script:

Fun Spot America will close all locations until further notice beginning Monday 3/23/2020, the company announced Sunday evening.

Story Club at the Abbey.

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Orlando Story Club gatherings are every other month at The Abbey (100 S Eola Dr, Orlando, Florida 32801) in
downtown Orlando. Anyone with a story can put their name in the hat for a chance to
share. Ten names are drawn at random. Judges
are picked at random in the audience, preferably those people who are
new to story club. Judges are given a chalk board and piece of chalk to rate each story from 1 to 10. First, Second, and Third place winners
receive a prize!

The theme for the March event was “Bodies”. Like it or lump it we are all born with our bodies. It seems much of our life is spent just taking care of them. Storytellers explored our topsy-turvey relationship with them. Every body part was explored. Mike Scottie‘s story, was about trying to gain 40 pounds. He was a thin rail as a child with stork like legs. He pushed the notion that you are what you eat. When he discovered that all his pants no longer fit He decided to slim down, but then realized it is even harder to loose weight than to gain weight.

The evening was moderated by special guest story teller, host television personality and stroke survivor Mark McEwen. Orlando Story Club gives anyone the chance to showcase their story
telling for the enrichment of the local community. The benefiting charity was The Assistance Fund. Every day, The Assistance Fund walks alongside thousands of patients and helps break down
their financial barriers to medical treatment by providing direct
financial assistance

Mark Your Calendar, the next Orlando Story Club with the theme, “A Promise” will be on Wednesday, November 1 at 7 PM – 9:30 PM at The Abbey. Tales will relate a time when you were trusted with A PROMISE.

All proceeds will support Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida
Admission: $5 (additional donations encouraged)
Doors open @ 6:30pm. Show starts @ 7pm.

Laugh, listen, drink, and help build our community!

Do Good Date Night at Second Harvest.

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Kristen Manieri who founded the Orlando Date Night blog hosted a Do Good Date Night at Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida (411 Mercy Dr, Orlando, Florida 32805). Couples were invited to a night of
pitching in for a good cause combined with date night fun with your
sweetie. An hour was spent sorting food during this very busy time of year.
Skids full of large boxed items were lined up on the left and couples walked down the line inserting items in a baggie as they moved to the right. Finished bags were sealed and then packed into boxes on the right. It became a playful and then efficient assembly line with a bit of a competitive spirit.

Then the second hour was spent enjoying gourmet bites (burger slider station and more) and sipping one great beer or wine, which were included with the $20 tickets. Additional glasses of wine or beer could be purchased.

Entertainment was provided by Curtis Earth Trivia, who led a fun trivia game complete with prizes for the top three
winners.

The Do Good Date Night is a 100% non-profit event series that joins
couples with local non-profits through a fun and connective volunteer
project. Couples volunteer for about an hour and then enjoy food,
refreshments and entertainment.

The next Do Good Date Night is coming up in Orlando on Friday, September 15, 2017. Tickets go on sale 8/24. The Do Good Date Night series is expanding into Tampa, FL and Asheville, NC.

Orlando’s best chefs were at Taste of the Nation.

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Taste of the Nation was held at Orlando World Center Marriott on August 8th. Money raised at the 26th annual gala went to Share our Strength, Coalition for the Homeless and Second Harvest Food Bank. Taste of the Nation is the nation’s premier culinary benefit dedicated to making sure no kids go hungry. Each spring and summer, the nations hottest chefs and mixologists donate their time, talent and passion at nearly 40 Taste of the Nation events across the United States and Canada with one goal in mind, to raise critical funds.needed to end childhood hunger.

I have sketched and reported on this gala for the past few years. In the past, Disney’s Artist Point was lavishly decorated but this year there was no decoration, it was strictly about the food. Orlando World Marriott Center however never fails to amaze with the way they present their food. This year’s display was almost circus like with changing lights and tall  lighting supports acting as towers. It was a quick and easy decision to sketch this display. The deserts being offered were even more impressive in their artistry and taste.

Several times I was offered food and drink, but I always resist the temptation until the sketch is complete. By the time I get to try some of the samples, there are no longer any lines at the tables. My first bite was a light mac and cheese from Old Hickory Steakhouse at Gaylord Palms. I washed it down with a tiny bottle of “Smoked Bourbon Blackberry Tea” from Orlando Airport Marriott Lakesite, which had a flavorful kick.  The Tea which included smoked Bulleit Rye Whiskey, Darjeeling tea,
hibiscus, lemon peel and strawberry.The tiny bottle was genius because I could tuck it away in my suit pocket and leave my hands for the plate and utensils. I heard that some patrons were hoarding the brew in every imaginable pocket. When I went back to try a second bottle, they were gone.

My second taste was at Yak and Yeti from Disney’s Wild Kingdom. They served a pork cheek spicy taco. The tasty taco danced on the edge of my spicy hot tolerance levels. I ate it but wasn’t tempted to try another. Cassa Bella served Sausage Capella which was quite delicious. I then ended my tasting spree back at the Orlando World Center Marriott to try their creative deserts. These gorgeous deserts were the perfect taste to complete the night.

In the hall outside the Ballroom, a Japanese sugar artist, Sugimori “Candy” Miyukiwas, busy sculpting candy creations for patrons. The candy was hot with a consistency of taffy. She would sculpt a horse, dragonfly, or any creature imaginable in a matter of minutes. Her hands moved with nimble dexterity. The line for the free candy creations was long. Last year $301,317 was raised at the Orlando Taste of the Nation to fight hunger, I have no doubt that just as much, if not more, was raised this year.

Taste of the Nation has helped fight hunger for 25 years.

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On August 9, 2014 I went to the Orlando World Center Marriott (8701 World Center Drive Orlando FL) to sketch Taste of the Nation which is the nation’s premiere culinary benefit dedicated to making sure no kid grows up hungry. Each spring and summer, the nation’s top chefs and mixologists donate their time, talent and passion at nearly 40 Taste of the Nation events across the United States and Canada with the goal to raise critical funds needed to end childhood hunger. No Kid Hungry, Share our Strength, organizes the events. The beneficiary’s in Orlando are, Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida and Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida.

Second Harvest Food Bank secures and distributes food and grocery products to approximately 550 local nonprofit feeding programs throughout Central Florida. Last year with the help of donors, volunteers,  and a caring community, the food bank distributed nearly 64 million pounds of grocery products- the equivalent of more than 53 million meals. On average more than 55,000 people receive assistance provided by Second harvest every week. Second Harvest recently moved into a new 100,000 square foot hunger relief center. This puts the bank in a position to fill the gap of what our community really needs.

Coalition for the Homeless was founded in 1987 by concerned citizens who noticed the growing problem of homelessness in our community. It has grown into the largest provider of homeless services in Central Florida and the largest residential facility for children. Their mission is to transform lives of homeless men, women and children by providing critical services to end their crisis of homelessness. The Coalition has three residential facilities and an off site community housing program. Case managers develop individualized self sufficiency plans which include educational opportunities, job skill training, budget management, counseling and more. Services are provided to over 600 people each night including 150 children. They served over 300,000 meals and provided over 245,000 nights of shelter last year.

I decided to sketch the Captains Grille (Epcot, 1700 Epcot Resort Blvd., Orlando, FL) as they set up and served patrons. They served a plate that had cauliflower puree topped with pan seared scallops. Mixed greens were mixed with spiced rum raisins with hazelnut vinaigrette and placed on top. To say it was delicious is an understatement.  The chef shared the recipe but I can not share it for legal reasons. I plan to try and make it myself someday since this culinary army made it look so easy.  The scallop dish was ironically the only plate I got to taste. By the time my sketch was done all the food vendors were packing up. $301,317 was raised at the Orlando Taste of the Nation to fight hunger.

Couples Cooking Competition gets agressive.

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 The Couples Cooking Competition is a fast-paced, hands-on cooking competition designed to give couples the opportunity to test their skills for the chance to win fabulous prizes and the title of Orlando’s Top Culinary Couple. It is held at Aggressive Appliances, (617 Mercy Drive, Orlando, FL) which is right down the street from.

Presented by Edible Orlando and the Orlando Date Night Guide, the contest will give couples the chance to compete in one of the 3 qualifying rounds, with one winner from each semi-final cook-off advancing to the finals. Contests will be judged by local food personalities and writers like Katie Farmand, editor of Edible Orlando, Joseph Hayes, the Orlando Magazine dining editor, and Chef Israel from Second Harvest Food Bank.

Aggressive Appliances looks like an industrial warehouse from the outside, but inside, there were gorgeous, fully appointed, state of the art kitchens where the couples could compete. Each dish this evening had to include chicken. A table was set up that held key ingredients like spices and oils and a second table was covered with a cloth to hide the secret ingredient table. I decided to sketch kitchen 2 which came with a TV which was playing the cooking channel. The couple I sketched prepared a roasted chicken with a sweet potato chili hash. An appliance staff person was on hand in each kitchen to explain how to use the equipment. There was only one hour for the competitiors to get their dishes ready.

Only five couples get the chance to compete in each semi-final round.  On this evening there was going to be one winning couple and two wild card couples that would move up in the rankings. That made the chances of winning, 3 in 5. Each winning couple receives complimentary admission to the finals. The couples crowded around the ingredient table taking the supplies they needed for their recipes. Everyone was polite checking to be sure they weren’t taking ingredients another couple might need. Two couples agreed to split the rice.

Prizes for the winning couple include, a two-night gourmet getaway to JW Marriott, Grande L There was no elbows or punches thrown. The contestants then returned to their kitchens to start slicing dicing and cooking. The showroom filled with sumptuous aromas. iPhones were allowed in this semi final round but in future competitions there would be no digital crutches. The couple I sketched did refer to their phones a few times. Dishes would be judged on presentation as well a flavor. One couple kisses when their dish was done.

The the overall winners will get dinner for two at PRIMO, breakfast each morning in Citron, An American Brasserie, and two spa passes to the Ritz-Carlton Spa. Other prizes include a Sub Zero wine cooler, Tassimo coffee, system, Meile canister vacuum, KitchenAid stand mixer.  Arti Kalidas and Chirag Kabrawala won on this evening with their twist on a Moroccan tagine.

Proceeds from the competition support Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. Entry includes all food, sit-down dinner with wine after competition and a fabulous swag bag filled with surprises. In other words, everyone is a winner. I went home and popped a frozen lasagna in the microwave for 10 minutes.

Mark Your Calendars!

The next competition qualifying round is Friday, October 17, 2014 and it is sold out.

The big Final Round is Friday, November 14, 2014 (A limited number of tickets
will be made available to those wishing to attend the finals as an
observer. These tickets will go on sale Oct. 20)

Taste of the Nation

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On Saturday August 10th, Terry and I went to the Orlando World Center Marriott to attend Taste of the Nation. 58 or so of Orlando’s best restaurants were there in the Cypress Ballroom to offer samples of their best dishes and wines. Proceeds from the event went to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank and Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida. Maria Diestro of Second Harvest asked me to document the event with a sketch. She walked us in a little early so I could get a jump on the sketch.

The Orlando Marriott World Center desert station is what caught my eye. A weeping willow tree covered in red lights illuminated the center of the exhibit. One of those spinning racks from a dry cleaner was suspended and constantly rotating with plates of pastries and deserts. Yellow and red circles were also hung creating an ever changing Calderesque effect that was eye catching. Chef Ramon Ramos, who came over to see the drawing, came up with the idea for the rotating display, and Wizard Connection, a special events design company engineered the display. Wizard Connection had a hand in a few other displays notably backdrops that looked like working charcoal ovens.

On the left of my sketch, several volunteers were talking to the auctioneer for quite some time. They later looked over my shoulder to say, “Hey, that’s me!” At the beginning of the event, only VIPs were sampling the pastries, but as the sketch progressed the display became mobbed. I decided to keep the crowd down in my sketch to show off the deserts spinning. For two hours as I sketched, I didn’t taste any food. Terry wandered the event found some friends and sampled everything.

Jen Vargas stopped to say hello. She had on the new Google Glass that lets you stay digitally connected constantly. She is beta testing the devise. The display is just above the eye line so you can just glance up to look at a GPS map or check your social media. She let me try it on. She told me to say, “Take picture” and when I did, the device captured my view. I decided to say, “Sketch picture with loose ink and watercolor.” The glasses responded, “Sorry Dave, I can’t do that.” The biggest drawback is that the power only lasts for an hour and a half. I suggested to Jen that they should have a pocket battery backup. “They thought of that and I have one.” She said. When you use the battery, you truly look like a Borg since a wire sticks out of the side of your head.

When the sketch was done, I texted Terry and she took me to sample the dishes she liked most. Restaurant vendors were beginning to pack up. I got a small cup of sea food from Cala Bella Italian Bistro which was decent with calamari and I believe lobster. We tried a small bowl of soup from Cress up in Deland which was light and a bit spicy. Then we found a table and had a couple of Cokes. She suggested I walk around to see what else I could find. The only open vendor was Olive Garden Restaurant, so I had a small sample of pasta. All these amazing restaurants and I was stuck with a Darden Chain. I also returned to the desert turntable station and got Terry a grapefruit desert cup. I tried it and thought it was apricot. Alright, so taste isn’t my strongest sense. I’m thinking I should start a “Sketch What You Eat Diet”. By the time you sketch your food, the meal would be cold and therefor you would eat less. This could be bigger than the “South Beach Diet” and much easier. That is if you like to sketch of course.

Share Our Strength‘s “No Kid Hungry“ campaign was also a beneficiary of Taste of the Nation. One in five children struggle with hunger. Since 1988, Taste of the Nation has raised more than $80 million dollars to fight hunger.

Fighting Hunger, Feeding Hope

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The mission at Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, is to fight hunger in the Central Florida community and change lives. One of the innovative ways of doing this is through the Darden Foundation Community Kitchen,  a 2,000-square-foot commercial kitchen space designed as an integral
part of Second Harvest’s holistic approach to fighting hunger and
poverty. In this dynamic space, the food bank offers:

  • A 12-week culinary program focused on food service-based technical, life and employ ability skills training for adults,
  • In-house full-service catering with affordable event space available for your next event, meeting or seminar,
  • Disaster relief food partnerships with the state and community organizations.

But, that’s not all. To engage the community throughout the year, Second Harvest
offer Chef’s Table Dinners, nutrition classes, and cooking lessons.
Also, working closely with local growers and farmers, the Community
Kitchen staff regularly gathers and transforms surplus produce. The
donated product is cooked, flash frozen, and ready to nourish those in
need.

Dawn Viola, Executive Chef and Kitchen Director, was kind enough to let me sketch the kitchen. I arrived in the afternoon and the staff was busy cleaning up. I had a hard time deciding where to sketch without getting in the way. Chef Carmen Ramiz began working with two interns, Judy Alexis and Jerusha Philippe. They began preparing the ingredients for what I believe would become biscuits. There was some eggs, an orange and plenty of butter and flour. Every ingredient had to be accurately measured. Chef Carmen checked and double checked the progress. She was patient and precise, a good teacher. My sketch was done before the mix went in the state of the art ovens.

The Second Harvest Culinary Training Program provides qualified, at-risk
and economically disadvantaged adults with the culinary and life skills
training needed to pursue a sustainable career in the food industry. The culinary students offer a well-rounded set of skills to any food
industry establishment. After completing the 12-week culinary program,
students are prepared for an entry-level culinary position, with the
necessary life skills to survive in this fast-paced industry.

Wine Women & Shoes

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Wine Women and Shoes held at Sea World‘s Ports of Call on May 18th, raised money to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida which is a private, nonprofit organization that collects and distributes donated food to more than 500 nonprofit partner agencies in six Central Florida counties: Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia.

When Terry and I arrived at Ports of Call, we first had our photo taken. The photographer remembered that I had sketched Wine Women and Shoes last year and she later took several shots of me at work. Maria Diestro lead Terry and I inside a bit early so I could get a jump on my sketch. I immediately focused my attention on these couches bathed in magenta light. No one was seated yet but I figured women wearing high heels would definitely want to sit and rest.

Terry sampled the food and wine while I sketched. She sat on the couch and I caught her fingerirg her iPhone. The only other men in the room were waiters holding silver platters with high heel shoes on them. There were vendors everywhere and a percentage of any sales went to Second Harvest. For $50 you could buy a key to a closet door. Inside that closed was merchandise valued at over $6,000.

Wendy Wallenberg and Coralie Claeysen-Gleyson, the director at Jai Gallery, joked around with Terry for a while.  This was my first time meeting Coralie and I was so pleased that she knew about my sketch-a-Day project. Wendy was wearing an industrial pair of high heels that seemed to catch every woman’s eye. There was a competition for the woman wearing the most fabulous shoes and I heard Wendy won. Terry lamented that she didn’t wear her Eiffel tower themed high heels. With my sketch done, I had time to nibble one pastry before the food was carted away.

Second Harvest Volunteers

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Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida is a private, nonprofit organization that collects and distributes donated food to more than 500 nonprofit partner agencies in six Central Florida counties: Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia. Mindy Ortiz organizes volunteers for Second Harvest Food Bank. I arranged to go in April 18th to sketch volunteers at work. Volunteers work around two shifts one from 8:30AM-11:30AM  and then 1PM-4PM. I got up with the early birds to get my sketch. We all waited in a large break room  whose walls had a brightly painted mural  of Jack and the Bean Stalk Vegetables painted by Disney artists.

Five adolescent boys sat at one table with a young woman who I assumed must be their teacher. There were two other volunteers seated at different tables. I asked the young woman what she was going to be doing and she explained that she would be sorting food in the refrigerated room. CEO Dave Krepcho took me into that huge refrigerated room on a walking tour of the state of the art facility. Some of the food in there had started to spoil but much of it was quite edible so the spoiled food had to be separated out. I didn’t have a sweatshirt or sweater that day and I got quite cold fast. When we exited, my glasses immediately fogged up. Dave had put his glasses in his pocket to keep them warm.

When it was time to get to work, the young men were shown huge pallets of cabbages that had to be put into red mesh bags 3/4 full. Those mesh bags were then put into a cardboard box on another palette. Everyone wore medical gloves. It took well over an hour to get all that produce bagged. When they finished up, I finished the sketch. Feeding the hungry takes many hands. The organization’s name, Second Harvest, made perfect sense watching these boys at work. Should you decide you want to help out, be sure to contact Mindy.