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

Posted on by Thor

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.

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.

20th Annual Hearts of Gold

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On Friday March 1st, The Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida proudly sponsored the 20th Annual Hearts of Gold concert which featured Southern Rock classic 38 Special at the Hard Rock Live in Universal Orlando.

All ticket sales and silent auction items benefited the Coalition for the Homeless. The elite All-Access VIP Reception in Hard
Rock Live’s Lennon Room included
an exclusive meet n’ greet with the band members of 38 Special, complimentary
beverages and hors d’oeuvres. When I got to the White Lennon Room, the band members hadn’t arrived yet so I sketched out on the balcony. As I was working, one of the volunteers for the event told me that she had bought a record album for the band members to sign. A security guard had confiscated the album from her saying that there were to be no autographs. She met the band members and one of them said he would have gladly signed her album. When I was waiting for the elevator downstairs, the volunteer was desperately trying to get her album back. I don’t know if she ever retrieved it.

The CEO of the Coalition for the Homeless was on stage before the concert thanking the many corporate sponsors who helped make the event possible.  Top sponsors included, Bright House, Disney, Hilton Grand Vacations, Starwood Vacation Ownership, and Dellecker Wilson King McKenna Ruffier & SOS, now that is a mouth full.

The 38 Special concert was great with plenty of hard hitting rock and roll. I didn’t recognize every song from the group, but obviously many hits had been on the radio. An older couple seated next to me were having a great time. The man was bobbing his head and rocking out. This obviously had been one of his favorite bands as a teen. A woman seated 5 seats away won the raffle. They kept calling her number but since she was in the rafters, they didn’t notice her from the stage. Finally when the house light went up they saw her screaming and shouting with her section shouting as well to help her out.