Norman Van Aken's yet-to-be-named Mount Dora restaurant now has a chef de cuisine – Camilo Velasco of Barnie's CoffeeKitchen.
Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts hosts a farm-to-table Fall Harvest Farmers' Market from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, in the college's Cafe Technique. Hari Pulapaka of DeLand's Cress restaurant will be an invited speaker and will stage a cooking demo and book signing for his Dreaming in Spice.
Morimoto Asia in Disney Springs is now serving lunch Monday through Friday from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Duck ramen, here we come.
Cows 'n Cabs celebrates its fifth anniversary Saturday, Oct. 24. The Western-themed event features more than 20 local restos (like 4 Rivers Smokehouse, Soco, Osprey Tavern, Slate and Tapa Toro, to name a few) with proceeds going to benefit the Community Food & Outreach Center and Elevate Orlando. Tickets are $110 per person, $140 for VIP.
BB Junction hosts a Halloween Food & Beer Pairing Dinner with Bradenton's Motorworks Brewing 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28. Cost for the three-course meal is $27 per person.
OPENINGS The long-awaited NOVA Restaurant in Ivanhoe Village opens next month in the space that once housed Brian's Restaurant and Elliot's Public House ... Jack's Steakhouse in Baldwin Park will soon be known as Provisions & Buzz Co. Expect the rebrand to roll out to the public Nov. 5 ... The Smiling Bison in Sanford has opened ... Pepe's Cantina is open now in Hannibal Square ... Hinckley's Fancy Meats has filled Local Roots' display case inside East End Market with locally farmed artisan meats. Owner Matt Hinckley was a former chef de cuisine at Michelin-starred Public in NYC ... Remember Chili Daddy's on East Michigan Street? Well, that popular chili purveyor is setting up shop inside the Dancing Pigs Deli on South Orange Avenue. Classic Texas Red will be available every day along with one other chili, which will rotate daily.
CLOSINGS Frank & Stein's Winter Park on Fairbanks Avenue has gone the way of Shipyard Brewing and Strollo's Cucina Due ... Flying Fish Café on Disney's Boardwalk will close Jan. 31 for extensive renovations ... Brown's Deli in Maitland has closed.
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