Orlando’s East End Market mixes independent merchants with an incubator kitchen and top-rated restaurants.Nate and Becka Robinson
Beyond the theme parks and fast-food outlets, there's something fresh and organic growing in Orlando: a flourishing local-food movement. It's a collective effort supported by independent chefs, farmers markets and food trucks throughout the city.
The East End Market (eastendmkt.com) – housed in what was once a church – is now a temple to local, sustainable foods.
The indoor space mixes independent merchants with an incubator kitchen and top-rated restaurants, and there's a 280-square-metre market garden out front. Here, you'll find everything from beet smoothies to sourdough baguettes.
"I was always interested in that place where people would congregate around food and conversation," says market founder John Rife, who also started the nearby Winter Park Harvest Festival (winterparkharvestfestival.com).
Here he shares five of his top spots (both on the plate and off) to sample in Orlando.
Pig Floyd's Urban Barbakoa
"I love Pig Floyd's. They used to run a food truck called Treehouse, and it became very popular. They serve barbecue dishes such as pork belly tacos or ribs and apple fennel slaw." 1326 N. Mills Ave., pigfloyds.com
Audubon Park
"Orlando has several main street districts – think small-scale commercial districts that serve up unique food and retail offerings to the surrounding neighbourhoods.
"Audubon Park, where East End Market is located, is one. We have a cool place called P is for Pie. We have a neat coffee, beer and wine place called Stardust that rents indie films and has the farmers' market in front every Monday night. It's a district worth checking out." audubonparkgardens.com
The Rusty Spoon
"For farm to fork, there's a great restaurant downtown called The Rusty Spoon. The chef and owner Kathleen Blake has always put a high priority on sourcing from great local purveyors like Lake Meadow Naturals poultry and Wild Ocean Seafood. Her menu is hyper-seasonal, and each time I look forward to being exposed to foods and farms I haven't discovered yet. [Rusty Spoon] is right in the downtown corridor and it's within walking distance of the new Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts and the Amway Center sports arena." 55 W Church St., therustyspoon.com
Food Truck Bazaar
"It's a travelling gathering that stops at the Fashion Square mall every second Saturday. It has about 20 trucks and visits more than 10 other cities each month. My go-to favourites are KBBQ, which is a Korean barbecue taco box; Over Rice, which is Filipino and Hawaiian cuisine; and Fork in the Road, which offers new American and Southern flavours." thefoodtruckbazaar.com
Flying Fish Cafe
"There are some high-end restaurants in the Disney resort area. One of our favourites is run by chef Tim Keating called the Flying Fish Cafe. It's on Disney's BoardWalk, which means you don't need to have a ticket to the theme parks to dine. He is just amazing, a real innovator and supporter of the local food scene. The potato-wrapped snapper is ridiculously delicious, and Tim puts on a pretty spectacular chef's table. He told me they even source some of their vegetables from The Land pavilion at Epcot, which has one of the most amazing hydroponic systems I've ever seen." Disney's BoardWalk, 2101 Epcot Resorts Blvd., 407-939-2359
This interview has been edited and condensed.