OPENINGS: More Winter Park Village news to share: We already told you about Ruth's Chris Steak House moving to the old Pier 1 Imports space; now we can tell you that contemporary Caribbean restaurant Chayote, a concept created by renowned chef Alfredo Ayala in Puerto Rico and purchased by another renowned Puerto Rico-based chef, Mario Pagan, will open in the space that previously housed Crispers next to Cheesecake Factory. Bar Italia, a chain out of Ohio, will move into the space of another chain, Brio Italian Grille; and Crisp & Green, Flutes Champagne Bar and a Jeni's Ice Creams Scoop Shop are all slated to open at the revamped complex early next year ... Zymarium Meadery, specializing in (what else?) mead, will open at 1121 N. Mills Ave. near Hawkers Asian Street Food later this year ... The second location of the Soda Fountain and Doghouse has opened at 4722 E. Michigan St. in SoDo ... Ding Tea will open a shop on the ground floor of the Radius Apartments at 108 E. Livingston St. downtown in late spring/early summer ... Multisensory tasting menu concept Immersion at London House by Chef Rikku has opened. Reservations can be made by visiting sevenrooms.com.
NEWS + EVENTS: Hospitality HQ, run by award-winning chef Akhtar Nawab, whose restaurant Alta Calidad in Brooklyn earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2018, has been selected to operate the 11-vendor Southern Box Food Hall in the Packing District. The hall is slated to open in mid-2023, with vendors focusing on "immigrant cuisine" ... Top Chef Season 3 winner Hung Huynh has joined Omei Restaurant Group as Director of Culinary Innovation. Huynh will offer his culinary expertise to the concepts under the restaurant group's umbrella and help develop new concepts ... Battle of the Food Trucks goes from 1-6 p.m. Sunday, April 10, in downtown Sanford, with more than 40 mobile eateries duking it out ... Edible Education Experience celebrates its fifth anniversary with celebration dinners April 10 and 11 featuring a host of local chefs. Cost is $150. Visit edibleed.org for tickets ... Local faves Cholo Dogs and Black Magic Pizza will stage a 420 collab at Whippoorwill Beer House, starting at 6:30 p.m. (why not 4:20?) on Wednesday, April 20 ... After a two-year hiatus, the Science of Wine fundraiser returns April 23 from 7-10 p.m. at the Orlando Science Center. The food-and-wine walk-around will feature more than 150 varieties of vino. Tickets are $110 until April 10 and $125 after. Visit osc.org/wine to purchase.
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