PFT Media

TRANSCRIPT: A large food hall is coming to Central Florida inside a development called Magic Place according to Orlando Weekly. The food hall will contain 30,000 sq ft of food and seating, feature 20 non-chain restaurants, will be called Gourmet Market, and will be located at 5500 U.S. 192 in Kissimmee, a 27 minute drive from downtown Orlando. This is only one of the many food hall projects in the works for Central Florida. Maitland City Center’s food hall-hybrid is built and awaiting tenants. Downtown Sanford’s Henry’s Depot will take shape inside a 1940s train depot. A small food hall inside the Creative Village is coming from downtown developer Craig Ustler. An outdoor food hall made from shipping containers is coming to Lake Nona. And, Oviedo Food Factory, opening late 2019, will feature a micro-restaurant row overlooking Oviedo on the Park’s main street.

The restaurant developer behind Cinco Tequila + Tacos,Gregory Pranzo, will be opening a new restaurant conceptalled called “East Hampton Bait & Tackle”  in the former TR Fire Grill’s location at 1035 North Orlando Ave. According to food writer Faiyaz Kara, it’s expected to open in early November. Pranzo is also a franchisee of Wahlburgers and is responsible for bringing a Guy fieri restaurant to the Villages.

A company called Brew Theory plans to create 13 new full-time jobs when it opens its contract beer brewery and tasting room inside a 1956 warehouse in the Callahan neighborhood at 400 Pittman Street. The project consists of an interior renovation of an approximately 10,000 sq ft space including electrical upgrades, brewing equipment, and upgrading interior spaces to accommodate the tasting room and seating. The space, steps from Creative Village, will contain a lab, a homebrew shop, taproom, sandwich shop and a podcast room according to Orlando Sentinel.

Ivanhoe Park Brewing Company at 1300 Alden Road in the Ivanhoe Village district is getting a new mural paying tribute to the history of the early 1900s Orlando resident George I. Russell’s effect on the area directly surrounding the brewery. According to Steve Herring of OrlandoRetro.com., Orlando was the epicenter of the United States’ pineapple business in the early 1900s thanks to George I. Russell’s pineapple fields surrounding Lake Ivanhoe. After Russell’s pineapple business died when trade opened up with Cuba, Russell opened a water park eventually called Joyland in the same general area. The mural will feature a hand holding a pineapple as well as a waterslide dipping into the water with the word “Joyland” hovering above.

In an effort to expose visitors to authentic Orlando experiences and provide an opportunity for residents to participate in the sharing economy, the City of Orlando recently made changes to its code to allow residents greater flexibility in renting out a portion of their home, condo or apartment to visitors for short-term stays. Under the new home sharing ordinance, residents are allowed to host guests in a portion of their residence within all residential zoning districts for 30 days or less; provided that the rented portion of the home is 50 percent or less of the total number of bedrooms in the residence, that there is only one booking at a time, and that the resident lives on-site and is present when hosting guests.

And finally, mark your calendars for next year and every year until you die. Thanks to the official proclamation made by the City of Orlando, August 29th is now officially “Beyonce and Jay Z Day” in Orlando today, tomorrow and the rest of our lives.