Since 2009, in a time when edible education experience began teaching Orlando middle schoolers where their food came from and how to prepare it, the program, its facilities, and its reach grew in ways that chef and co-founder Kevin Fonzo never dreamed of.
“It reached the whole community,” Fonzo explained, saying that at first about 200 students benefited from one school. “Now we serve thousands of children and adults. This is amazing because the importance of knowing where the food comes from, how it grows, how it is cooked, and how delicious food has an effect on your body is a message for everyone.”
Eadible Education is funding at upcoming events including Spring Soirée on April 14th from 6pm to 9pm.
“Our Spring Soirée brings together the best Orlando chefs to create a stunning seasonal meal, from our culinary gardens to plates,” says Juliana Callaway, co-owner of the city’s beloved Black Rooster Taqueria and now the programme director for edible educational experiences.
“This unforgettable evening not only introduces fresh and local ingredients, but also supports the mission of the edible educational experience.
Tickets held at the nonprofit’s beautiful Emeril Lagus Foundation Kitchen House & Cooking Garden in Orlando’s College Park neighborhood start at $250 per person for a five-course meal made by Orlando’s best chefs.
Fonzo’s partners include chef ambassadors such as Wendy Lopez of Reyes Mezcareria, Fabrizio Chenardy of Four Seasons Orlando, Jamie McFadden of Cuisinier and Jamie McFadden of Kaya’s Laricon of Kaya, who benefited from the foundations that benefited from the Orlando Sentinel Foucinel Awards. Best Chef Category: South.
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More chefs will be announced as a date approach, but ticket prices include a welcome cocktail and all five courses, as well as a wine pairing. Each seat on the veranda costs $300. Multiple guest sponsorship and chef table opportunities are also optional.
All funds raised directly support your edible education experience.
“The money raised remains local,” Fonzo says. He says that this is mostly a volunteer operation.
The dinner event here began humbly when the house was first opened and the need for more income increased.
“I reached out to a few chef friends in the community,” says Fonzo, who later put together the true army of chef ambassadors. “When we gained new leadership, we could grow, and five years ago we split these into two fundraisers: Fame in the Fame and Soire in the Spring.”
They are much better suited to the edible atmosphere, he says. This year’s Spring Soirée Guest Count is the largest at around 90.
“Our MOs welcome guests for wine glasses in the garden, rather than renting sterile hotel ballrooms for 1,000 people,” Fonzo says. “We want you to see what we do, the beauty and grassroots side of what we do in this warm and lovely place with our garden and kitchen.
The menu is not set yet. “But we cook as much as possible with local seasons. This is how all these chefs cook.”
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Look for fresh greens, tomatoes, herbs and more. And look for many education where the chef explains the cooking, its ingredients, its procurement, and how it was prepared.
“It’s very encouraging to interact with the guest chefs,” Fonzo says. “People want to hear.”
This place – the food they grow and cook and the people who do it all – is being attacked by them.
Do you want to reach out to me? Find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram @Amydroo or the Osfoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com. For more fun, join Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group or follow @fun.things.orlando on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Spring soiree
If you’re going: April 14th at the Emeril Lagasse Foundation Kitchen House & Culinary Garden, 26 E. King St., Orlando. For more information about SpringSoiré sponsorships and ticket information, please visit Edibleed.org or contact betsy@edibleed.org.
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