By Mark Baratelli, Editor
The Daily City
mark@thedailycity.com
1. The annual Golden Brick Awards, an awards program that recognizes community and development projects that positively impact Downtown Orlando each year, were handed out during a luncheon hosted by the Downtown Orlando Partnership last week. Thirteen projects were awarded Golden Bricks including Dockless Bike Share, City PUB, and the CITY UNSEEN interactive art event. Two projects received the “Award of Excellence” for demonstrating extraordinary achievements and broad reaching contributions to Downtown Orlando: FusionFest 2018, Modera Central by Mill Creek Residential. Finally, the 2018 Downtowner of the Year award was presented to Allen Johnson, Chief Venues Officer for Orlando Venues.
2. Two retail spaces are available for lease in the Audubon Park Garden District inside the Marathon gas station at 3000 Corrine Drive. The building sits on .35 acres and recently had its 1701 sq ft shop divided into two different spaces, each with its own entrance. The newly created side is 830 sq ft and $2,300/mo. The older side is 870 sq ft and $2,500/mo. Call 407-456-3806 for details.
3. We told you last May on the blog that Oviedo was getting a food hall called the Food Factory made up of a small collection of micro restaurants. They recently announced 5 of the 8 micro restaurants in their lineup:
Dixie Dharma
Kai Asian Street Fare
The Steak Brazilian Barbeque
Grain and Ember Pizza
Rockstar Lobster
The Food Factory will be located within Oviedo on the Park and include a bar and seating area. The Individual bays will be 800 sq ft each and are specifically meant for micro-restaurant concepts. Amenities include high ceilings, a standard base package kitchen, outside communal dog-friendly seating options, roll-up garage doors, City Plaza Way frontage, and walkability to Center Lake Park. The developers goal was to sign first-time restaurant, food business and food truck owners looking to get their feet wet. Oviedo on the Park is a 100+ acre master planned development featuring hundreds of luxury apartments, offices, retail, restaurants, the planned food hall, and a public park with ampitheater. It is the city’s new downtown live/work/play community that is a dog and kid friendly gathering place with city-sponsored events held every weekend
4. Manny’s Chophouse in Baldwin Park, which opened July of last year, will be rebranding as an upscale steakhouse according to Scott Joseph Orlando. The restaurant, located at 4979 New Broad Street, will be closing for a 30 day makeover in the July/August period. Joseph says the current owners will retain ownership of the new concept.
5. The 9th Annual Paws for Peace Walk is Saturday April 20th starting at 8am at Blue Jacket Park, at Baldwin Park. The event will feature a dog-friendly stroll, several pet gift and supply vendors, a pet agility course, Easter egg hunts for dogs and children, a contest for the largest and smallest dog participating in the walk, and bounce house and face painting for children. This event is meant to raise awareness of and funds for Harbor House's on-site 1,500 pet shelter. Harbor House is the only domestic violence organization to have an on-site kennel on its campus. The kennel was an important addition to the shelter in 2012 because it removed a barrier for survivors who no longer had to make the choice to leave their animal behind. A $30 donation to participate in the run includes a free t-shirt and doggie bandana. Register at harborhousefl.com.
6. New Louis Vuitton men’s and Carolina Herrera women’s shops will open this year inside the Mall at Millenia. The mall recently saw the opening of shops by hermes and Giuseppe Zanotti. The new Louis Vuitton men’s shop will be located directly across from the main Louis Vuitton store, adjacent to the entrance to Neiman Marcus. The Carolina Herrera shop will open next door to Hermès.
EXTRA - The Daily City is putting together a one-day-only test run of a new concept called -- Downtown Indoor Farmers Market -- a 100% local, 100% food-based, and 100% AIR CONDITIONED farmers market -- and is currently looking for exceptional food growers, farmers, and food product makers to join the vendor lineup which already includes Orlando Meats, Fleet Farming, Wild Ocean Seafood Market, and more. Vendors who don’t have a market home on Sundays, or who do the occasional pop up event around town, or who have thought about being at farmers markets but have never done them are invited to apply. Go to thedailycity.com and click on “Indoor Farmers Market.”
For more local Orlando news you can find us on instagram at THE DAILY CITY. And as always, Orlando is Wonderful!