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

  • Try New Italian Foods at Peperoncino's Wine Dinner

    Peperoncino logoOrlando -- Foods we Americans rarely eat will be part of the menu at Peperoncino's next wine-pairing dinner, to be held on Decemeber 12. The menu includes octopus with potato and speck, porcini mushroom risotto, wild boar agnelotti pasta, and braised beef over polenta. The wines are an intriguing mix of Italians. 7 p.m. $79. Reservations: 407.440.2856  

  • Get a Free Holiday Cookbook from Emeril's

    Digital Holiday Cookbook FINAL 1National -- Want to try a new dish for your holiday dinner? Chef Emeril Lagasse, who owns Emeril's Orlando and Emeril's Tchoup Chop, put together an online cookbook. It's free; simply download it here. One recipe is a banana layer cake.  

  • Join the Intimate Wine Dinner at Norman's

    Normans logoOrlando -- Led by Master Sommelier Joseph Spellman of Justin Vineyards, Norman's is hosting a small wine dinner.  The event will include six courses of New World cuisine, including prosciutto-crusted sea bass, smoked duck breast with preserved artichoke, and vanilla-maple-glazed venison. December 11. $200. Reservations: 407.393.4343  

  • Holiday Roast at the Ravenous Pig

    ravenous pigOrlando -- Hearty holiday fare will be plated up generously at The Ravenous Pig's Holiday Roast. Feast on housemade ham along with sweet potato puree, roasted brussels sprouts, caramlized apples, and a seasonal dessert. Saturday, December 7, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. $17.  

  • 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.  

  • See John Rivers Cook at Williams-Sonoma

    TheSouthernCowboy WSWPSigning FlyerOrlando -- John Rivers, owner of 4 Rivers Smokehouse, will be demonstrating recipes and signing The Southern Cowboy cookbooks at the Williams-Sonoma store in Winter Park. Attendanace is free, books $28.99. Saturday, December 14, noon to 2 p.m.  

  • 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.  

  • Sip New Scotchtails at Christner's

    Orlando -- Christner's Prime Steak & Lobster is snazzing up scotch with its new Scotchtails. The traditional steakhouse is entering the fashion-forward martini market by offering libations such as the Peach Scotch Smash, made with J&B, Contreau, yellow peach, and mint, and the Mamie Taylor, a blend of The Famous Grouse, lime juice, and ginger ale. Prices are $8 to $10.  

  • Join the Spirited Barbados Food & Wine and Rum Festival

    Barbados smallCaribbean -- Book your flights now for November 22-25, when the Barbados Food & Wine and Rum Festival will be underway. Cooking demos, rum cocktail seminars, and a whole lotta wine pours are on the schedule.  

  • Falafel, with a Cute Name

    HubblyOrlando -- On September 9, College Park will welcome Hubbly Bubbly Falafel, the first unit of what seems to be an ambitious business. Sales all day will benefit the Central Florida SPCA.  

  • See the Sun Set -- 419 Miles Away

    Daytona Beach -- In Key West, Sloppy Joe's has long been a favorite hangout for watching the sun set. Now Orlando-based Restaurant Partners has opened a clone in Daytona Beach. Every evening, the Daytona restaurant airs a live viewing of the Key West sunset over a large-screen TV. The discounted beverage: Sunset Rum Punch.  

  • 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.  

  • Chill Out at Gaylord Palms

    Gaylord Palms ICE featuring FTSM LogoOrlando -- The sprawling Gaylord Palms resort makes its winter ICE! experience better every year. This November 23 to January 5, immerse yourself in a Frosty the Snowman-themed winter wonderland of ice carvings (jackets provided). In addition, watch as a team of Chinese artisans carve blocks of ice into props, and add on a gingerbread-decorated experience hosted by Gingy of Shrek. Follow up with a ShrekFeast Interactive Character Breakfast. Tickets.  

  • 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.  

  • Refreshing New Menu Items at Rocco's

    Roccos Salmone e Carciofi2Orlando -- Rocco's Italian Grille has long served up higher-quality Italian meals in its calming, romantic dining room. Now the Winter Park restaurant's owner, Rocco Potami, has added several items to the menu. Among them are salmon with artichokes and capers (pictured), veal pizzaiola, and pasta in a wild boar sauce.  

  • 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.