RG-cartoon

Rona Gindin is an Orlando-based multimedia writer, editor and TV personality.

  • Here's the Menu for the 2014 Chef's Gala

    LogoOrlando -- Heart of Florida United Way throws a huge bash each May. It's called Chef's Gala and it is a true food-and-wine extravaganza. Rona got a sneak peak at the menu. Read her blog post to learn more.  

  • Win a Dinner with Chatham's Manager & Chef

    Chathams PlaceOrlando -- Regulars tend to know the Chatham's Place co-owners, General Manager Maurice Colinldres and Chef Tony Lopez. Now two people will know them better. Enter a contest to have dinner with the duo. Simply send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  and write VIP Dinner 2014 in the subject line. You'll be entered and contacted if you win.  

  • Spring Brunch in the Pasture

    Growing Synergy logoOrlando -- Spring into spring with a family brunch alfresco. Growing Synergy is hosting a farm-to-table early meal on the grounds of Lake Meadow Naturals, an egg farm. The food will be from "top local chefs" -- no details yet. Sunday, May 18. $25 adults, $10 children. Info: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .  

  • Celebrate Craft Beer Week at Orlando's JW Marriott

    Orlando -- The executive chef of the JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes is a certified cicerone, so it's no shocker -- yet quite a treat -- that his hotel will celebrate Craft Beer Week in suitable style. Its Samuel Adams Beers of Summer Tap Takeover will inlcude a six-course tasting dinner that entire week at Citron, An American Brasserie. Guests can also order a la carte and enjoy recommended beer pairings. May 12 to 18. 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Reservations:407.393.4619  

  • Adriatico Wins a Coveted Seal of Authenticity

    Adriatico logoOrlando -- The quiet Adriatico Trattoria Italiano in College Park is an exceptionally quality-oriented restaurant. Now Ospitalita Italiana, the Italian Chamber of Commerce, has given the eatery its Seal of Quality. Adriatico is the only Central Florida restaurant to have this distinction right now.  

  • Try the New Bar Menu at Citrus

    Orlando -- The snazzy downtown restaurant Citrus has added several bar foods, which are billed as "chef-driven." You can try to read them all in this photo (it's blurry), or go on what came in the email blast: smoked fish dip with pickled jalapenos, and buttermilk-battered oysters. Those two sure sound like they're worth a try. Fuller details are on this website link: Citrus bar menu.  

  • Loads of Cooking Classes at East End Market

    East End MarketOrlando -- Many, many cooking and other food-related classes are scheduled for Orlando's bustling East End Market, home to many locavore-oriented vendors. Among the topics are Bringing It To Market: Foodpreneur 102, Seed Starting and Soil Blocks, Tackling Tomatoes, and Brunch & Learn: Latin Flavors. Here's the schedule.  

  • Gear Up for the Swan-Dolphin Food & Wine Classic

    Swan DolphinOrlando -- The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic will take place on Friday, October 31 and Saturday, November 1, 2014. The evening festival is held outdoors with food tastings, wine samplings, and entertainment. Additionally, classes about wine and food will be held in the hotel. Details  

  • Hankering for a Burger in the Wee Hours? Here's GOOD Late-Night Food

    Edible Orlando smallOrlando -- These six restaurants take care and pride in their late-night bar menus. Check out Rona's Edible Orlando feature. Included are Shantell's Cafe & Oyster Bar, Oblivion Taproom, Teak Neighborhood Grill, Cask & Larder, Kasa Tapas & Raw Bar, and The Smiling Bison. Read now  

  • Sushi with a Twist at Kabooki

    Orlando Life smallOrlando -- At Kabooki Sushi, 23-yera-old chef Henry Moso serves creative Asian fare in a whimsical restaurant. Read Rona's feature in Orlando Life.  

  • Grande Lakes Orlando to Open Two 'Sustainable Cuisine' Restaurants

    Ritz-Carlton logo smallOrlando -- The resort complex Grande Lakes Orlando will soon open two "sustianable cuisine" restaurants, a natural progression from its Whisper Creek Farm catering venue. Highball & Harvest, in the Ritz-Carlton, will be a rustic-chic dining room and bar with Southern-inspired cuisine and an "interactive" bar with craft cocktails. Here's a rendering. Whisper Creek Kitchen, at the JW Marriott, will feature foods grown at Whisper Creek Farm and house-brewed beers.  

  • Take an Orlando Food Tour

    Orlando Food Tours logo smallOrlando -- Spend a weekend afternoon checking out Winter Park food sources with Orlando Food Tours. Seven people at a time are brought to places like a spice shop, and olive oil store, and a candy counter. We haven't tried it yet, so report back if you beat us to it. $47  

  • Sample Moroccan Tapas at Spice Road Table

    Spice Road smallOrlando -- Small plates of Mediterranean fare invite lingering at Spice Road Table, a civilized indoors-and-out escape at Epcot's Morocco pavilion.  Sip a just-sweet Lillet, a light chilled wine flavored with honey, orange, lime, and mint. Nibble on crazy-flavorful lamb sliders on a brioche with mint-tzatziki sauce, plus rice-stuffed grape leaves, beef skewers with garlic and fresh hrbs, and spicy garlic shrimp. The fried calamari is tender with a terrific flavor. It's served with two sauces: harissa, and caper aioli.  

  • Straight-up Burgers at the Crooked Spoon

    Crooked Spoon logoOrlando -- West of Orlando in the Clermont, The Crooked Spoon is a rather large gastropub. The menu is varied, but zoom in on a hamburger. The Bleu Burger, for instance, is a remarkable patty of Florida Angus beef topped with bleu cheese, roasted garlic aioli, tomato, and mixed greens, served with exceptional homemade potato chips or, for a small upcharge, terrific french fries.  

  • Learn to Cook at the JW Marriott Orlando

    Grande Lakes e976f8 2Orlando -- The upscale JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes, is opening its spiffy, spacious kitchens to folks eager to learn culinary skills. Under the name JW Griffin Cooking School, the resort has five classes on the 2014 schedule: Healthy Living, which includes info on how to cut gluten, meat, and sugar out of cooking; Sushi, where you'll learn how to roll your own; Pizza, from the wizzes at Primo; Mexican Cuisine, including a hearty stew and a mole sauce; and beer-making, a fitting Father's Day gift. Each class is from $55 to $79 per person and includes instruction and a meal (or two bottles of beer, in one case). Call 407.393.4619 to reserve a spot.  

  • Four Seasons Orlando, Four Restaurants

    Orlando -- When the Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World opens in mid-2014, it will have four restaurants. Here are early descriptions. Capa will be a high-end rooftop steakhouse with views of the Magic Kingdom fireworks. Ravello will serve Mediterranean food in a warm setting. Lickety-Split will be an airy Italian cafe. PB & G will be a pool bar and grill.  

  • Check Out the New B Hotel Kitchen

    Orlando -- As B Hotels & Resorts prepared to open its newest mod-moderate hotel at Walt Disney World, it reveals that the signature restaurant will be a "farmhouse chic" barbecue establishment by Jeffrey Chodorow of China Grill Management. It will "redefine" barbecue and will feature a window through which guests can watch meat being smoked. Other amenities: four tennis courts, a zero-entry mineral-water pool with multiple interactive water elements, private cabanas, outdoor fire pits for s’mores and more, kids programs, and an interactive area in the lobby with games and Monscierge® screens.  

  • Have 'Courtesy' Cocktails, Will Travel

    Courtesy BarOrlando -- The Courtesy has a reputation as one of Orlando's most creative cocktail emporiums. Now its mixologists are taking the show on the road -- I-4, that is. They'll bring their spirits to you -- "artisanal punch bowls, wines, beers & spirits." If you'd like munches with your martinis, The Courtesy will team up with any of eight restaurants including K Restaurant, Yellow Dog Eats, Ethos Vegan Kitchen, and B&B Junction.  

  • Presenting: Lunch at Cask & Larder

    pimiento friesOrlando -- Now that it has the nuevo-Southern thing down at dinner and brunch, Winter Park's Cask & Larder will start serving lunch. Rona got to taste several items. Read about them on her blog.  

  • Go Cowboy-Chic at Creek Ranch

    Creek RanchHaines City, Florida -- Not even an hour from Disney World, Creek Ranch is an immersive cowboy-chic experience. You lodge in the actual family bunkhouse of a working ranch -- it is quite upscale, with pampering service -- and dine, fish, ride horses, take airboat trips, and way more, all at one set all-inclusive price. Rona spent an afternoon touring and chatting with the owner and produced this feature article. Read and enjoy.  

  • This Chick Has No Need for Speed

    Exotic Driving 8 Lambo 570Rona drove a Lamborghini around the Daytona International Speedway. Only she forgot one thing: speed. Read her blog.  

  • Orlando's Hot Restaurant Tables

    Orlando -- With nationally recognized chefs and a burgeoning food scene, Orlando is becoming a culinary destination. Read about it.  

  • Orlando, Zagat-Style

    Zagat Orlando 90Orlando -- Learn what fellow locals and visitors think about 360 restaurants 75 nightspots, 152 shops, and 57 attractions in the 2013 Zagat Orlando City Guide.  

  • French Classics Made Easy

    French Classics Made EasyFrench Classics Made Easy is a cookbook that gets you to satisfying Gallic fare without a ton of sacrifice. Author Richard Grausman simplified a load of recipes and takes away the intimidation factor, shrugging that unbleached all-purpose flour is best "but if you have bleached flour, use it" and casually explaining that using a food processor cuts pasta-making time to mere seconds.  I have bookmarked several recipes to try ASAP and I'm sure you will too.  

  • Ready to Wham Your Picky Eaters Upside the Head? Join the Club

    Read Rona's blog, "Picky, Picky".  

  • Spirited Drinking at The Pharmacy

    Orlando -- Hand-crafted cocktails and seasonally inspired snacks are served at Pharmacy, a speakeasy-style bar in the Dr. Phillips neighborhood. It is owned by the same folks who run The Table Orlando.  Monday-Saturday, 5 p.m. to 1 a.m., 8060 Via Dellagio Way.  

  • In Orlando, Try TOASTED for Grilled Cheese

    Orlando -- Grilled cheese sandwiches are the focus at Toasted, a tiny new restaurant in Winter Park. The roasted vegetable, goat cheese and fig, and Forever Fall with roasted sweet potatoes were each boldly flavored and entirely different, and the fries (rosemary! truffle oil!) were a treat. There are burgers, too, but we didn't try them.