The Local: Winter Garden—January 2022

All-Access Fitting Past Together Jim Crescitelli marks history

Local gym family works it out

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WINTER GARDEN JAN UAR Y 20 22

Brew-

haha!

Whether it’s coffee, tea or beer, meet some locals that pour their hearts into their passion

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Good People.

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It’s a warm, very personal feeling.”

—Paulette Vander Wiede, 73

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E WN O W A P ACCE T I PTIN EN G TS

C⚫ ntents FEATURES

Brewhaha

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Three home-brewed locals turning beans, leaves and barley into our favorite sips.

MAR K McWAT ER S

All-Access Past

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Jim Crescitelli of the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation has a history with local history.

R H E YA TAN N ER

Fitting Together

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For the Neufeld Family of Sunshine Functional Fitness, life has a funny way of working out.

R H E YA TAN N ER

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ER CARE CLOSER TO YOU Orlando Health Horizon West Hospital is nearby and on

standby, 24/7, to provide emergency care you can trust.

When you need medical attention, turn to the experts in your community with an ongoing commitment to your safety.

For ER care, closer to you, choose Orlando Health.

OrlandoHealth.com/ER

of Managing Expectations Financial intelligence leads to financial freedom.

Understand how to budget effectively, set reasonable expectations, balance potential risks vs potential rewards, and create a plan for the future you want, so you can live a confident and independent life.

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C⚫ ntents DEPARTMENTS

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8

The Lo’ Down

Our editor looks ahead to a year of celebrations.

12 Garden Variety

NEWS, NOTABLES, AND NEIGHBORS IN THE KNOW

18 Tails to Tell

Meet Lord Bentley the Great Dane

42 Oh, Well!

12 Santa and Mrs. Claus are on holiday.

13 Local History: The Great Freeze of 1985 14 Market Watch: Fabu Pottery 16 Charitable Spotlight: Addendum 185

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WI N TE R G AR DE N

HEALTH, NUTRITION, AND FITNESS FROM AREA EXPERTS

42 Ballroom dancing is a great way to get moving 44 Healthy West Orange’s Westly reminds us that you’re already your best you in 2022.

46 Eats + Drinks

46 Tarin brushes up on the basics of mixology for a year of better cocktails 49 The BBQ Jackfruit sandwich at The Deli Downtown will make you forget it’s vegan.

ON THE COVER

50 Rhetoric

MUSINGS ON LIFE AS A LOCAL

How this whole working out thing is working out

David and Danielle Moss of Rule 32 Brewing say “cheers” to a new year of beers.

F R E D LO PE Z J O SH CL AR K

Divorce, Paternity, Child Support, Modification and other family-related matters

Allison E.M. Budnik,Attorney 161 S. Boyd St., Suite 100, Winter Garden 407-499-2082 / WGfamilylawfirm.com

SHERRIE NEMETZ 321-436-0709 pamperedchefbysherrie@gmail.com R E Q UE S T A C ATALO G

M The Lo’Down

My motto

for the year is this gem from Michael Altshuler: “The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” And 2022 is the year for us all to soar—for the Soulsby family, that is both figurative and literal, as there is quite a lot of travel planned for the next 12 months. My son is graduating high school, and his biggest wish is a trip to Hawaii with a stop in California—an experience he has passed on many of senior year’s smaller pleasures to save for. My husband is hitting a milestone birthday and wants to spend it in New Orleans. And he and I are hitting our silver anniversary, but are still weighing our travel options— by land, Charleston, SC? By sea, a Bahamian cruise? By air, Boston, MA? The sky is quite literally the limit.

But my family isn’t the only one with a big year brewing. Check out our cover story, where we introduce you to various locals that have poured their hearts into their respective beer, tea, and coffee endeavors. After a drink, we catch up with Jeremy and Katie Neufeld, who are entering 2022 with a young fitness business and a young son to raise. We also sit down with the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation’s Jim Crescitelli, to reminisce about our past for a while before we start soaring into the future.

The rest of this issue is jam-packed with local stories to ring in the new year: What is Santa Claus up to now that he has hung up his hat? What makes dancing such good exercise—and can you really learn to dance? Is 2022 the year I finally learn to make the perfect cocktail? Can barbecue really be vegan? We answer all these questions and more in just 48 beautiful pages.

If you like what you see or have something to add, I’d love to hear from you! Until then, the search for the perfect anniversary trip continues (and we are open to suggestions.

Shoot me an email if you have a good one). No matter the occasion, regardless of the celebration, we are ready to steer into the winds of 2022. Happy New Year!

Happy Reading,

Nicole Soulsby, Editor

Something to add?

Send your ideas and images to thelocalwg@emagency.com

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Editor’s Endorsement: Loaded Potato Dip Urban Flats has loaded potato dip. Enough said.

WI N TE R G AR DE N

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THE ADVISORY BOARD

WINTER GARDEN

The purpose of the board is to guide our efforts to make The Local as reflective of our area as possible.

Its members are leaders who have roots, connections, expertise, and interest in our community and have volunteered their considerable time and talent. .

Elisa SpencerKaplan Managing

Director of the historic Garden Theatre. After more than 15 years leading professional theaters in NYC and around the country, she relocated to Winter Garden last year and loves exploring this special community with her husband, Broadway composer Russ Kaplan, and 8-year-old daughter Emilia.

Dr. Kim Dawson

Healthcare entrepreneur and owner of Pearle Vision in Ocoee. Kim has been passionate about health and wellness for over 20 years. She received her doctorate in Health Science at MUSC in South Carolina. Kim has lived in Winter Garden for 10 years and is inspired daily by her two children, Symone and Desiree. In her free time, Kim likes to cook, travel, and read novels.

Ralph Disciullo

Branch Manager with American Financial Network, one of the largest residential mortgage lenders in the US. Prior to the mortgage industry Ralph played a key role in the startup of several businesses. Originally from Emerson, NJ, Ralph attended USF in Tampa and now resides in Winter Garden with his wife of 16 years, Sandi, and their two daughters Daniella and Avery.

Becca Lanterman

Owner of Winter Garden Senior Home Care.

Becca is a second-generation Winter Garden resident, and her local roots run deep. She is the true embodiment of joy, and has never met a stranger. Becca loves living the “bubble life,” where her golf cart is her primary mode of transportation. She has dedicated her life to tending to the special needs of our local senior adults.

January 2022 Vol. 1 No. 5 Jamie Ezra Mark Publisher Nicole Soulsby Editor Rheya Tanner Art Director Josh Clark Designer Wendy Mak Designer Miguel Martinez Designer Mark McWaters Writer Tarin Scarbrough Writer Fred Lopez Chief Photographer Caleb Jensen Web Garrett Reardon Digital CONTRIBUTORS

Healthy West Orange ADVERTISING

Jamie Mark, Publisher jamie@emagency.com Find us online @thelocalwg

Tracey Forrester

Realtor with Xcellence Realty, Inc. and Independent Associate with LegalShield. She has been in the Horizon West area since 2007.

She is cofounder of Horizon West Professionals and a founding member of the Rotary Club of Horizon West Chapter. Tracey believes in building lasting relationships and being an integral part of the community. She now lives, works, and plays in Horizon West with her beautiful teenage girls, Averie and Bryce.

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Bryan Fifer

Local agent with State Farm Insurance.

Bryan is a Central Florida native, Founding President of the Rotary Club of Horizon West, Horizon West Who’s Who Award Winner, and Team Captain for All-Pro Dad. He is married to his beautiful wife Angie and they have two wonderful children.

Bryan is highly invested in making Horizon West the best place to work, live, and play.

WI N TE R G AR DE N

Angie Layfield NHA/CDAL

Executive Director at The Blake at Hamlin, a senior living and memory care community in Hamlin Town Center.

Angie has been in the senior housing industry for over 20 years and brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, and insight to our Horizon West seniors and their families.

Though originally from Maryland, she has called Horizon West home since 2016. Angie and her family reside in Village F’s Watermark.

Tamara Zotti

Tamara is a Charleston, SC, native who has lived here for eight years. After seven years as a teacher assistant at Windermere Preparatory School, she now enjoys local life with her husband of 17 years, Frank, and her two children, Nicholas and Samantha. Tamara believes in the value of community involvement and always tries to give back however she can.

Pam Thomas Owner of Pammie’s Sammies, a “thoughtfully sourced, tastefully adventurous” restaurant in the heart of downtown. She is a passionate foodie with a degree in Wine, Spirits, and Beverage Management at the International Culinary School in Tampa. Pam is a staple of the Central Florida community, having operated in Universal Orlando, Dr. Phillips, and now Winter Garden.

Find us IRL Main House Market Pammie’s Sammies Puppy Dreams Foxtail Coffee Co. Rosallie Le French Cafe The French Cafe Sweet Dee’s Cupcakery Writer’s Block Bookstore Winter Garden Heritage Museum West Orange Public Library and more!

A PU BLICATION OF

407-573-6061 • emagency.com @EMagencyinc PRO U D M EM BER S OF

The Local Volume 1 Issue 5 ©2021 Em Agency. All rights reserved. Published monthly. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Opinions expressed in the articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Em Agency. Reader submissions have been edited for length or clarity. Advertising of products does not imply endorsement. Em Agency can not be held liable for the business practices of these companies.

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NEWS, NOTES + NEIGHBORS WHO KNOW

Take a Holiday I

t’s something I’ve always done,” says Neal Lippold, Winter Garden’s go-to Santa Claus.”My older brother used to be Santa, so I guess it was a family tradition.”

He and his wife, Carol, are the Clauses of choice for the Christmas parade, as well as six or seven local events every year, including events for the Active 50+ community and

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the United Cerebral Palsy annual Christmas program.

When you spend a few hours asking kids what they want for Christmas, you get some out-there answers.

“Some kids say they want a llama, or a lion or tiger,” says Neal. “But some were heartfelt requests for their family that show the depth of humanity of a 7- or 8-year-old.”

Now that the holidays are good and done, the Clauses are leaving the North Pole in favor of somewhere completely different. “We’re going to Egypt in April to spend a week by the Nile,” says Neal. “We’ve been looking forward to it.”

And even after the suits come off, you will find the Lippolds volunteering throughout the community.

Photo by Fred Lopez

Now that the Christmas season has ended, Santa and Mrs. Claus turn back into locals once more.

VOCAL LOCALS

THIS MONTH’S QUESTION

What are you looking forward to in 2022?

Stephanie K.

Joel B.

Lindsay H.

Julie F.

Tracy T.

I’m getting enrolled back in my college classes and finishing my undergrad degree.

I’m looking our farm growing this year, and being able to provide more amazing things for our community.

I’m excited to get back into concert season, reconnecting with strangers, and seeing what the year brings.

Feeling more comfortable meeting people, and hopefully traveling a little.

I’m looking forward to the end of COVID and getting back to somewhat normal.

Images and research information courtesy of the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation

LOCAL HISTORY

The Great Freeze of 1895 Because we locals have to endure Florida in July, we can appreciate a pretty steep drop in temperature. But the timing and duration of that drop can be disastrous for our beloved citrus.

It started on Dec. 29, 1894, when temperatures dropped to º 18 F—far colder than citrus can tolerate. It didn’t last long, but it was enough to kill more than 21,000 acres of citrus. The impacted area produced 5 million boxes of fruit per year—and thanks to the freeze, they didn’t even salvage a one. The trees survived, though, and recovery seemed possible. Until 40 days later.

Feb. 7, 1895: Temperatures dropped again and stayed there for two days. This proved too much for the trees—limbs fell off and shattered; the rising sap froze then burst out of the trunks, snapping like gunfire; the trees turned black and died.

The loss of product was devastating. It takes seven years for new citrus trees to bear fruit, leaving local farmers empty-handed. The farmers who didn’t relocate further south regained momentum in the 1920s, but it took decades to completely bounce back from that two-day freeze.

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Garden Variety

REVIEW

Watch

Read

Even if you aren’t that into sports, I recommend checking out the Apple TV show Ted Lasso (TVMA, 2020-Present). The basic premise is American football coach Ted Lasso is hired to coach a professional soccer team in England, despite having no experience coaching soccer.

It’s a genuine, feel-good comedy, but it also shines a light on real-life, relatable issues. Jason Sudeikis, starring as Ted Lasso, is definitely a longtime favorite actor of mine, and he has both acting and writing credits on the show.

Season 3 is coming, but not until this summer.The only thing I dislike about the show is waiting for the next episode!

The book I Have a Dream is an illustrated version of the famous speech delivered

by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,during the 1963 March on Washington. The text of the speech is paired with paintings by award-winning artist Kadir Nelson.

Reading together as a family and having conversations about books is important, and I Have a Dream is a great conversation starter!

It provides an opportunity for families to talk about Dr. King’s life and work.

I checked out a hardcover version of this picture book from the Winter Garden Branch Library. (Yes, it is a picture book, but it’s not just for kids! I continue to learn so much from picture books, even in my adult life.)

Connor K.

Connor’s favorite movie quote is “It’s all part of the experience” from Christmas Vacation—a line he finds himself saying often. In his free time, he likes to play video games (and no, there’s no age limit on gaming).

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Lydia S.

Lydia is a Youth Program Specialist for the Orange County Library System and loves pairing the Winter Garden community with its new favorite book. An avid foodie, her favorite place to read is Axum Coffee, with an oat milk latte in hand.

WI N TE R G AR DE N

MARKET WATCH

Fabu Pottery

For Fabian Pesci, pottery is more than art or decor—it’s a memory made.

After 11 years of working with clay, Fabian Pesci still has a fascination and passion for the end results. Fabian trained in a local studio with other artists to develop his technique and style, focusing on plates and platters. After completely selling out during his first art show—with just one year under his belt—he knew it was time get serious. In 2012 he began selling his products to regulars (from here and everywhere) at the Winter Garden Farmers Market. When he outgrew his training studio, he bought his own kiln and worked from home. Now he has two kilns, has developed his own food-safe glazes, and offers pottery dinner classes.

He has a huge heart for the people he meets, the clients who give him precious family doilies or lace from wedding dresses to make custom pieces for everyday use (the fabric is returned as given.) If you ask Fabian Pesci why he loves making pottery, he’ll tell you that it’s “making a memory.”

Knowing a little of his happy energy is in these homes is what keeps him excited in his studio, and what brings him to art shows all over Florida. Stop and say hello to Fabian and check out fabupottery.com for more information.

YOU’VE CHOSEN YOUR COVERAGE. NOW CHOOSE YOUR PHYSICIAN!

M

edHealth Clinical in Winter Garden is a serious breath of fresh air to patients. Because of our unique medical care experience, gone are the days of long wait times, of making appointments months in advance, of feeling that you’re just a number in the system.

It couldn’t have happened at a better time! The New Year has come, bringing with it new possibilities, new promise—and a new start to insurance coverage for the next 12 months. Yes, you’ve picked your coverage. Why not take this opportunity to pick your physician?

And at MedHealth Clinical, a physician is exactly who you get to see every time. How often have you expected to see the doctor and been surprised to meet with a nurse practitioner instead? That doesn’t happen here.

Pedro Garcia, MD, is a MedHealth Clinical primary care physician supported by an energetic, caring staff in tune with his philosophy of wellness.

For Dr. Garcia, good health starts with elements entirely within a patient’s control. Diet, exercise, and a clean-living lifestyle all go a long way toward heading off problems before they start.

When treatment becomes necessary, Dr. Garcia prescribes what you need with an eye toward gradually reducing or even eliminating the need for medication altogether. “He’s the one who introduced me to intermittent fasting,” says Frank Vander Wiede, a longtime patient of Dr. Garcia’s. “Thanks to him, I’ve reduced my medication, improved my blood pressure, and lost over 40 pounds.”

MedHealth Clinical facilities reflect that clean, open approach

PR O MOT IO NAL F E AT U RE

to wellness with a modern decor and a familiar, personal feeling. All our medical professionals, from the front desk to Dr. Garcia himself, treat patients like friends and family and we want to get to know you!

MedHealth is currently accepting new patients. Make your appointment today. We’d like to meet you and we promise not to make you wait.

MedHealth Clinical 1327 Winter Garden Vineland Rd. Suite 130 321-214-8860 medhealthclinic.com info@medhealthteam.com JAN UAR Y 202 2

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CHARITABLE SPOTLIGHT

Addendum 185 Adopting a child can be a daunting and emotionally draining experience. It can also be expensive—prohibitively so for many potential adoptive families.

Enter Addendum 185, a non-profit organization that helps local families through their adoption journeys. If you need help with financial resources, you can apply for one of their grants for support. If you need help with the process, they have educational tools available on their website. If you simply need support for what can be an overwhelming process, they offer encouragement through their team to help you grow your family.

Addendum 185 is a newer organization in Winter Garden. It was founded by Erica Diaz and Yesseika Acosta, both of whom have gone through the adoption process themselves, and understand the trials, tribulations, and ultimate joys of adding a little heartbeat to the family. The team has plans for fundraising through community outreach and events in the future; however, you can donate now to assist with their endeavors or reach out to the team for volunteer opportunities.

Get Involved! addendum185.org

ELLEN PROBST R E A LT O R ® R N , N P

TRACE Y FORRESTER R E A LT O R ® G R I , G K C

ElleSellsFlorida@gmail.com ElleSellsFlorida.com 407.815.4420

Tracey@TraceyForrester.com TraceyForrester.com 914.582.8521

Scene

YOUR BEST RESOURCES FOR LOCAL NEWS AND EVENTS

THE LATEST CITY NEWS, EVENTS, AND MORE, STRAIGHT FROM THE SOURCE Follow the City of Winter Garden’s official social media and subscribe to the Downtown WG blog for bimonthly articles on local businesses and initiatives.

FROM EVENTS TO DEALS, THE WINTER GARDEN APP IS YOUR COMMUNITY GUIDE Check out the Portals and Secret Garden for augmented reality experiences.

@officialdowntownwintergarden downtownwg.com

MARKS THE SP

T

FOR HOMES IN HORIZON WEST AND WINTER GARDEN

Tails to Tell

Big Boy Problems Lord Bentley Great Dane, 21 months I don’t get it. Why does everyone look so surprised when they see me? I’m just a cute little puppy, who does all the things puppies do. I stick my head out the car window—it’s just that the window I like is the sunroof. I sneak off with people food, but I prefer the good stuff straight off the counter. The water bowl at my dog park is all the way on the ground, which is too far for a puppy like me, so I just drink from the taller one the people use.

It’s so tough when the people don’t see how small I am. I just want them to pet me and sit on the people bench beside me, where I am also sitting. Tell me how cute and handsome I am while you can—I won’t be this little forever.

Does your pet have a tail to tell?

Share it at thelocalwg@emagency.com

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BEFORE

AFTER

Whether it’s coffee, tea, beer, business or pleasure, there’s all kinds of good stuff brewing in the Garden this year. Meet some locals who pour their hearts into their beans, leaves, and barley creations.

M AR K McWATE R S

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F R E D LO PE Z

Danielle and David Moss, Rule 32 Brewing

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The Rule They Live By

“The four of us talked about it all that evening.

We came up with this grand plan to become brewers,” David says. But when it came time for the beer to meet the barrel, “I was the only one of us to actually go out and buy the equipment to get started. No one else showed up to help.”

But David is the kind of guy who, once he gets his mind set, it’s not an easy David and Danielle Moss, thing to unset. Fast-forward five years, and a Rule 32 Brewing whole ton of beers, Rule 32 brewing (Zombieland New Year’s Eve, 2017: Dafans get it) is a serious vid and Danielle Moss were brewing business. David spending it with a couple has developed a logo and of friends and a couple of continues to flesh out his beers. It was all fun and brand. “One day, I want to games until someone in the have my own brewery,” he group got a new idea brew- says. “Like a lot of people ing: “You know, we should like me who are brewing make our own beer!” beer in garages all across

A selection of David’s 16 medals for his beer

“Like a lot of people like me who are brewing beer in garages all over the country, I dream of what it would be like to make it to the next level.”

The Mosses and their two dogs, Stella and Barley.

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the country, I dream of what it would be like to make it to the next level.”

But rather than just dream, David is putting in the work to make it a reality. He’s enrolled in the University of South Florida Brewing Arts Program and never stops experimenting. “Over the last three years, I’ve been adding, changing, studying. I get all the magazines, I absorb the YouTube videos.”

While David thinks of this enterprise as a full-fledged business, his wife has a slightly different take. “I call it a retirement plan,” she says. “We absolutely want this to go international one day—but he is gonna keep his day job, damn it!”

Still, David must be doing something right. He ventures out far beyond the end of his driveway to regularly enroll his beers in craft beer competitions— and wins! “There’s a club we belong to for brewers called Brewers Anonymous. They hold a competition for beer makers from all over, some pretty successful ones, who enter their craft brews. Our club won it in 2019.” In 2020 there was no com-

petition (you know why).

But in 2021, so far, they’re trending in second place.

“There are at least 14 or 15 statewide beer competitions every year. I try to enter every one I can,” David says. “You have to submit your beer in bottles to be judged. I’ve won 16 medals for my beers since 2019— less than half of them in

2019, one in 2020, and the rest this year.”

Despite his wife’s hesitation to go full bore on the beer business, she loves the festivals and competitions. “Maybe even more than I do,” says David.

“We meet people, see old friends, and taste a lot of beer. I learn a little more every time we go.”

For now, David and Danielle are happy to brew in their Winter Garden neighborhood, with their appropriately named dogs, Barley and Stella, where he’s become known for his “adult trick-or-treating” beer tradition every Halloween.

“We set up at the end of our driveway and serve friends and neighbors who stop by,”

says Danielle. “Everyone’s favorite has always been our pumpkin beer. David’s Oktoberfest was amazing!”

Friends and neighbors keep Rule 32 taps in their kegerators—David’s up to seven so far, giving him a great excuse to stop by and visit a couple of friends for a couple of beers, to see what new ideas start brewing.

A Dose of Reali-Tea Suni Maharaj, AntiquiTEAS When you first see Suni Maharaj’s sweet smile behind the counter at her loose leaf tea shop, you might imagine a laid-back young woman who spends her evenings at home with a book and a hot cup of tea.

You would imagine wrong.

“It’s sort of a metalcore band—a blend of metal and hardcore punk,” Suni says of the local band Lies Behind Your Eyes, for which she is the bass guitarist. “Check us out. We play all around here!”

Needless to say, Suni is no stranger to breaking the mold and challenging expectations, even for something as mild and traditional as tea. “I hear

JAN UAR Y 202 2

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it all the time—‘I’m not a tea person.’ There are way too many types of tea to say that!” she says. “Those people just haven’t had the right tea yet. I want to stop them, shake them up, and give them a great cup of tea.”

Suni’s shop, AntiquiTeas, boasts a Florida-inspired assortment of more than 80 custom blends.

And as Winter Garden’s resident tea expert, she

leaves no leaf unturned.

“Green and black teas are the most popular,” she says. “Herbal and fruity teas are very much on trend. The sweeter herbals and fruity teas are not teas in the stricter sense, but they’re prepared like tea, and so we call them that.”

Tea is the second most popular beverage on the planet, just after water (you coffee nuts thought you

were #1, didn’t you?), and it has always been a normal part of Suni’s daily life. “My mom always just made us tea, every morning,” she says. But while tea is second nature to her, she never had it in the cards as a career option. In fact, Suni went to college for building construction technology and architecture.

“Midterms came around in 2018—and I told my par-

“I want to stop them, shake them up, and give them a great cup of tea.”

Suni on stage as the bassist for local metalpunk band Lies Behind Your Eyes

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ents I wanted to quit school and start a business.”

That August, Suni came across the shopfront for AntiquiTeas, which had opened in 2015 as one of the original vendors in Plant Street Market, and she knew exactly what to do. Sort of. “I knew a little bit about tea, nothing about running a business,” she says.

Ready or not, she signed all the paperwork and took over the following March.

“The day it opened, I stood there in my new business with no idea what I was doing. It was a little scary!

I’m a lot better at it now.”

These days she loves to steep new patrons in tea culture. “I start by asking, ‘What tea do you drink now?’ Then I ask about their caffeine preferences. Light caffeine starts us off with green or herbal teas. Strong caffeine leads us to black teas or even maté,” she says.

AntiquiTeas packages its own teas by the ounce. Currently, their teas come from a third party that sources from various tea farmers, but Suni has aspirations of traveling to discover her own farms and develop her own relationships.

From the serenity of blending teas to the intensity of blending sick bass riffs under blacklights, whatever Suni’s brewing up next, we’ll be here for the encore.

Suni at AntiquiTEAS in Plant Street Market

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Rise and Grind Glen and Jaclyn Turchin, Otus Coffee

The story of local brewing business Otus Coffee begins where all good coffee begins: with the beans.

In 2017, Glen Turchin was so taken with the idea of roasting his own coffee that he took matters into his own kitchen. He had the beans. He had a Whirly-pop® popcorn popper and a kitchen stove.

What could go wrong?

“You can absolutely roast coffee beans in a popcorn popper and get good results,” Glen says.

“But I soon discovered lighter roasts would be more successful—after I triggered our smoke alarm a few times.”

It wasn’t long before he went all in on a $5,000 roaster. “Let’s just say that one raised my wife’s eyebrows,” he says. But as it turns out, Glen has a particular bent for beans, and the pastime of “buying a few bags and roasting them for friends” grew into a booming bean business. He still buys a few bags, but they’re 150-pounders now. “I went from dabbling in a really cool hobby to paying bills for my family—a huge mental shift.”

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When a passion transforms into a paycheck, it can sometimes suck all the fun out of it. But for Glen, each brew is better than the last. “I’ve gotten really good at sourcing beans, understanding the nuances of roasting, and the roaster itself. For instance, timings on the first batch in a roaster will be longer than the next batch because the roaster is already hot,” he says.

“Without a doubt, roasting coffee is an art.”

As with any art, it’s important to know your medium, and Glen certainly knows his beans. “Coffee beans are very much like wine grapes. Some years a crop is excellent. Some years it’s not so good,” he says. “Forget what you read on the bag. Forget what country the beans come from. The only reliable way to know you’ve got a great cup of coffee is to taste until you find it.”

But good coffee begins with good beans, remember, and so Glen believes it’s important to recognize the farmers who raise them. “People have no idea how hard it is to grow and deliver high-quality

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“Forget what you read on the bag. Forget what country the beans come from. The only reliable way to know you’ve got a great cup of coffee is to taste until you find it.”

coffee,” he says. His goal with each brew is to tell the story of its beans, a story that doesn’t begin with him. “A lot of our coffee drinkers want to know about our coffees, their backstories, where the beans come from. And I want to tell them.”

The story of the beans doesn’t end with Glen either; it ends with a fresh, hot cup in a local’s happy hands. “We’re bringing people together to enjoy a cup of coffee,” he says.

“The people I’ve met from all of this, it blows my mind. There’s nothing better than the people aspect, even more than the coffee.”

Glen and Jaclyn Turchin spill— and toss—the beans

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Jim Crescitelli, Director of Operations and Programming for the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation

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The Winter Garden Heritage Foundation’s Jim Crescitelli looks back so we can all keep looking ahead.

R H E YA TAN N E R

A

new year means new opportunities, a new chance to make mistakes and make history. And while we’re all out making that history, Jim Crescitelli of the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation will be out there capturing it.

“It’s not just a series of dates. It’s not just documentation. It’s like, what

do you know? What do you draw from the experience of history?” he says. “As archivists and curators, this is what we do. We collect hard evidence of what actually happened, good and bad.”

As the Foundation’s Director of Operations and Programming, Jim is the man who oversees donations of local archival materials, as well as planning

F R E D LO PE Z

three to four exhibits per year to display at the Foundation-run Winter Garden Heritage Museum. He also plans programs with various speakers in person, and now on Facebook Live.

“That grew out of our need to stay in touch with people during COVID, but we’re keeping it up because it proved to be very popular,” says Jim. “Recently, we had

the son of the author of A Land Remembered, which is that Florida novel, at Jesse Brock down the street.”

The History of History Having its own historical foundation is a rarity among smaller towns, especially in Florida. Of course, the Foundation has its own history, and there were a few key facts

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that came together to bring it into being. First, all the abandoned storefronts along Plant Street were preserved during the city’s leaner years. “People used them for storage or just kept them closed, but they didn’t tear them down. So when the renaissance came about, we had a readymade, authentic town,” says Jim. “When people came through on the bike trail in ’94, they said, ‘Wow, look at this place. This could really be something.’”

At around that same time, the second key event came into play: The Edgewater Hotel was in danger of being torn down and turned into a parking lot. The Winter Garden Heritage Foundation was born to protect it, and the rest is history.

“We got a group together that basically prevented the demolition, and then people bought it back and restored it,” says Jim. It was then that locals

realized their history was not only present, but all around them, and worth preservation. “A lot of people had historic things to donate. Photographs, letters, artifacts from farming, tractors, firetrucks, things like that. Funding as well, so we could have a good, hands-on experience of our history.”

That led to the opening of the Winter Garden Heritage Museum in 1998 and, eventually, the Foundation’s History Research and Education Center. “We host people all the time who come to do historical research. Families, land surveyors, historians, writers—that’s what our archive is open for,” says Jim. Today, the historical items in that archive easily number in the hundreds of thousands. “Newspapers, artifacts, yearbooks, business items, family heirlooms, church folders.

We have so much. I’m not

Garden Theatre under construction, circa 1935

Jim Crescitelli’s

Top Five Historic Places Every Local Should Visit

1. The Edgewater Hotel, which was painstakingly restored in the late ’90s. “Step into the lobby and you’ll feel like it’s 1927 all over again.”

2. The Garden Theatre. “The Foundation and a lot of locals and donors from across the area brought that back to life in 2003. We were instrumental in the renovation, and it’s now its own 501c3.”

3. The Central Florida Railroad Museum, which, while under the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation umbrella, has been around far longer, since the ’80s. “They were established early on when they saved the railroad depot there. A lot of newcomers don’t know that two major train lines ran through the middle of the city—we were the largest shipping center for produce in the country in the ’40s and early ’50s. The Railroad Museum is in one depot, and the Heritage Museum is in the other.”

4. Lake Apopka. “We have a huge archive on Lake Apopka, and the restoration of the lake is drawing a whole different kind of tourist to the area. Take a kayak on the lake or go along the north shore for a wildlife drive. It’ll bring you back almost to what the lake used to look like.”

5. The Heritage Museum (duh). “Our mission statement is to preserve architecture and inheritance while creating new cultural experiences.

So past, present, and future.”

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WI N TE R G AR DE N

Pre-restoration downtown with fenced-in bike trail even sure the size of the room, but it’s easily a third the size of the building.”

Images courtesy of the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation

Making it Personal Jim’s own history with Winter Garden began in 1970, when he moved to the area from Brooklyn, hopped in his car, and started exploring. “I kind of fell in love with the look of West Orange County— the old houses, the barns, the fields of citrus groves that were so different from Orlando,” he says. For the next 40 years, he took pictures and collected information on the area and, in 2012, began volunteering at the Foundation. “They eventually took me on as an employee. So now I get to do what I love.”

And he’s far from the only one around here who loves his history. “People are dedicated to preserving

“People are dedicated to preserving the area and making it better.

They are conscious of the fact that they live in a very special place.”

the area and making it better. They are conscious of the fact that they live in a very special place, and they support the Foundation with that love,” says Jim. “People are moving into the area and restoring homes and businesses themselves.”

The Foundation partners with local organizations such as the City, the Bloom and Grow Garden Society, the Garden Theatre, and Healthy West Orange on projects to highlight and preserve Winter Garden history.

They also participate in local education, hosting more than 1,500 children every year for field trips through their own heritage. “When young kids get taught about history, they bring it with them,” says Jim. “We take them to the museums. They see

presentations. We walk them along Plant Street for map exercises where they discover the old buildings.

They love it, learn a lot, and have a lot of fun.”

But what really draws Winter Gardeners to their own history is not just that it’s important, but that it is theirs. “People will buy citrus crate labels. They’ll buy old photographs and hang them in their homes. People want to feel like they’re a part of it,” says Jim. “At my age—I’m 66 now—you see a lot of change. You see a lot that happens in a life, a lot of history, let’s call it.

You see how it shapes the region and how it shapes yourself and your family.

It’s important to me to document what happens over the years for future generations, so the lessons of the present can be applied to the future.”

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Together If the past two years have taught the Neufeld family anything, it’s that life has a funny way of working out.

J

R H E YA TAN N ER

F R ED LOPE Z

June 2020 was set to be a sunny time for Jeremy and Katie Neufeld. Not only were they finally realizing their dream of opening their own gym, but they learned they were soon-to-be new parents. We all know what happened next…

“We found out we were pregnant that February.

Then the pandemic hit,” says Katie. “And then we found the space for the gym. So everything was on top of each other.”

While they looked for a space for their gym, Jeremy had been working as a traveling coach, providing personal training to clients at area gyms. When the pandemic hit, the gyms locked their doors. But Coach Jer isn’t the type to throw in the towel.

“I had these members who still wanted a place to work out,” he said. During the summer of 2020, Jeremy turned the tennis courts at Speer Park in Oakland into an outdoor

gym for his members.

“Fourteen of us worked out there at 6 a.m. every morning. I had dumbbells and weights, and one of my members literally lived across the street, so I stored it all in his garage.”

To endure the turmoil of a global pandemic, a new business, and a newborn—and come out smiling on the other side—it takes a strong, flexible couple. Good thing the Neufelds like getting their exercise.

From Jungle to Gym Fitness had always been a huge part of Jeremy’s life, having grown up in a relatively healthy home in Ontario, Canada. But the Neufelds’ story begins outside the gym—far outside it, in fact, as the two first met while working as Animal Keepers at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Animals were Jeremy and Katie’s first love, their college degrees being in Environmental Science and Zoology, respectively.

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Jeremy moved to Central Florida from Naples in the mid-2000s, while Katie, a Windermere native, had worked at Disney since high school. In 2015, she was transferred to Jeremy’s department, and the two became fast friends.

“We both were passionate about working with rhinos, and a type of antelope called the Bongo,” says Katie. “We worked together on a lot of projects with those two species, got to know each other, and I don’t know, one thing led to another.”

As their new friendship morphed into love, Jeremy’s longtime love of fitness morphed into a passion. It

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started with him earning a HardStyle Kettlebell Certification through fitness company Dragon Door, which led him to also earning a CrossFit certification and becoming a CrossFit Coach in 2016. “I would drive to a CrossFit gym and coach on my days off—basically I was working two jobs,” he says. “I knew that was what I wanted to do, but it was a slow, slow build.”

It wasn’t until two years later, with his now-fiancee’s encouragement, that Jeremy finally took the plunge into fitness fulltime. “She was like, ‘look, you obviously love it. The gyms you’re in are really

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good, but you think you can do it better, and you care about people. So do it.’

That’s where the passion truly switched,” he says.

“Animals will always be my love of mine, but I reached a point in that career where I wasn’t learning or growing anymore. And I had this new opportunity to be an entrepreneur and really help people.”

So, Jeremy quit his job at Animal Kingdom to pursue a career in coaching, with Katie following him not long after. He’d already earned some members from his part-time days; now all there’s left to do is open a gym. Easy, right?

The Sun’ll Come Out As it turned out, Coach Jer’s first obstacle to overcome wasn’t finding that perfect space; it was getting the chance to even see it. “One thing we ran into as a first-time business owner, people don’t really want to take a chance on you,” says Katie. “We’re not a franchise; we don’t have a national brand backing us up. That took us out of the running for a couple of spaces.”

If there was one thing Jeremy and Katie knew about their ideal space, it’s that it would be in Winter Garden.

“When I was in school, nobody ever hung out here,”

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Katie says of downtown.

“Seeing all the progress this city has made, and the way the people really value the community, we wanted to be part of that.”

Jeremy continued to be a traveling coach for the solid two years it took for his gym, Sunshine Functional Fitness, to find a home base. “It was a big, gray shell. There was nothing in it for three years, and it was 300 square feet bigger than the space we were looking at before,” he says. “Obviously, not the most ideal to open during the pandemic, but we’d already waited so long.”

Once they got the keys in August of 2020, Jeremy and a very pregnant Katie went straight to work making it their own. “It was the two of us that put down the flooring and got all the equipment. One of my members built these nice storage spaces for us,” says Jeremy. “It was good to have the support of our small community.”

It was that small community that kept them strong during the difficult year. “I had 14 people come with me from the gyms I was coaching at before, so that was a good feeling. And I still had people that would stick with us, that cared about their fitness, and wanted to keep us going.”

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After over a year of tumult, Sunshine is finally seeing the growth they hoped to see this time last year. “We call it our snowball—our snowball is getting bigger,” adds Katie. “We’re happy about it because you open a place like this to help people. We love helping the members that we have, but we always want to extend that as far as we can.”

Growing Pains Because navigating through a pandemic as a new business isn’t complex enough, the Neufelds also had to balance the challenges of parenthood on top of it all.

“Obviously, we don’t get much sleep,” says Jeremy.

Their newborn son named Marsden (as a person with a common name, Katie didn’t want her son to have to share his name with a half dozen of his classmates) needed constant attention and care, as babies are known to do, which led Katie to make a shift in her priorities. “Once I gave birth, I really couldn’t be as helpful with the gym as I wanted to. So we sat down and were like, ‘All right, I’ll take lead on him, you take lead on the business, and we’ll do as much as we can to help each other out.’”

Today, 1-year-old Marsden is just a bit more independent, already on his feet and wasting no time in exploring the huge space

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around him. “We joke that he’s our mascot,” says Katie.

“He comes whenever I come to work out or if I’m doing work here. We’ll be teaching him all about gym safety now that he’s mobile.”

Fitting in Family For the Neufelds, exploring nature as a family helps keep them grounded amid the uncertainty. “We like to take Sundays as our community day. There are so many things about Florida that I didn’t get to see as a child,” says Katie. “Florida has a lot of really awesome outdoor areas to explore. So it’s important to us that he experiences that.”

Among their favorite Florida features are the local springs, like Kelly Park and Wekiva Springs. “Marsden loves the water and doesn’t care that it’s cold because he’s crazy,” Katie says. “We just like to get outside and do things as a family.”

“We’re very outdoorsy.

Even before we had him, we went on vacations to get out there and experience new cultures,” she says. “Now that we’ve had him and we have the business, we can’t really travel as much, so we’re like, ‘OK, what can we do that’s around here?’ So we just experience Florida more. Selfishly, I want him to like it, to grow up with health and fitness as part of this nature.”

With building the new business and keeping up with a growing toddler, making time for everything can be a challenge. The Neufelds are doing their best to balance it all while introducing their young son to the things that mean the most to them.

“This past year is probably the hardest of either of our lives,” says Jeremy. “You realize that stress is a real thing, trying to make a business thrive, and things we had our hearts set on—oh, this is gonna be our bread and butter, we can both do this together—we’re still not there. It’s still a slugfest. But you just make do with what you have, stick to your guns, and know it’s all going to turn around.”

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Life on the

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Changing the way you think of physical therapy, one prevented injury at a time.

THE NEW UNIFIED 40

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WI N TE R G AR DE N

PR O MOT IO NAL F E AT U RE

D

J

eremiah Bradford opened Unified Rehabilitation with an ambitious commitment: Do the most good for the most people.

Jeremiah has always had a passion for human movement, functional capabilities, and the body’s ability to heal itself. He devotes himself to his passion every day, helping improve the lives of others through functional movement. While earning his undergraduate degree, he had the opportunity to shadow several physical therapists. “I saw the impact they had on those lives. I saw the positive differences they made physically and emotionally.

And I saw my path.”

He set his sights on physical therapy, to help more people live their best lives. He started small, providing mobile therapy for several years while he grew his client base and reputation. “I brought my clinic to them, holding sessions at people’s homes and assisted living communities.”

Jeremiah has the heart of an entrepreneur. He wanted his own clinic. “I wanted to bring something to Winter Garden that didn’t exist.”

That something is now named Unified Rehabilitation. “This is not a traditional rehab facility,” says Jeremiah. “We

“

I WANT TO CATCH PEOPLE BEFORE THEY FALL! —Jeremiah Bradford

designed it that way and we built it that way.”

Therapists in most clinics work on several clients at once. What sets Unified Rehabilitation apart from these traditional clinics is that they can provide one-on-one physical, occupational, and speech therapy to better meet their clients’ needs.

Jeremiah also believes in therapy as a preventative measure, rather than waiting for the person to need rehabilitation. “I want to catch people before they have a fall, before they throw their back out, before they grow so unsteady they

stop walking altogether.”

How does his clinic plan to do that? One way that will have an enormous impact is through its specially designed hydrotherapy tank—something that no other therapy clinic in the area offers. The benefits to their clients are immeasurable. For example, athletes’ conditioning sessions can help prevent injuries, strains, and unnecessary down time.

Hydrotherapy allows athletes to train through and recover faster from an injury, getting them back to their passion.

Hydrotherapy can prove to be an ideal benefit for almost everyone. This is especially true for seniors, people with mobility issues, stroke recovery, people living with Parkinson’s disease, and much more.

The underwater treadmill allows clients to work out, gain confidence, and improve strength and mobility—and have fun while doing it!

Unified Rehabilitation is rare among therapy clinics because of its specialization in Parkinson’s and lymphedema therapies.

They have clinicians, including Jeremiah, who are specially trained and certified in LSVT BIG and LSVT LOUD to help people with Parkinson’s take control of their lives. Jeremiah is a trained lymphedema therapist with advanced training in lymphedema and edema management.

Whether symptoms are brought on from cancer treatment or other health conditions, Unified has the tools and knowledge to empower you to live your life to the fullest. Unified also has clinicians who are specially trained in stroke recovery.

Winter Garden isn’t only where Jeremiah built his clinic, it’s where he makes his home. He loves the people and sense of community our small town provides and wants his clients to feel at home when they come to his clinic. “I want to provide that same community feeling, that sense of belonging, we are all friends here. We are all family. Whether you need prevention, prehab, or rehab, you know you have a home here with us.”

Unified Rehabilitation PLLC

14215 W Colonial Dr 407-595-8962 / unifiedrehabilitation.com jeremiah@unifiedrehabilitation.com

PR O MOT IO NAL F E AT U RE

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Oh Well!

American Ballroom student, Mayme Wilson, and instructor, Thomas Butler, glide across the dance floor.

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So, You Think You Can’t Dance?

Ballroom dancing can be a healthy alternative to working out.

Y

ou’re sick of weights. You’re tired of jogging.

You feel yourself falling off the fitness train, and it hasn’t even been a month.

Getting back on the wagon may be as simple as taking those feet off the gym floor and bringing them straight to the dance floor.

“Even something simple like a waltz is really great movement,” says Dawn Killam, co-owner of American Ballroom on Plant Street. “It takes just as much energy to exert a beautiful waltz as it does a swing, but most people wouldn’t realize that.”

Dance lessons of any kind are great exercise— equivalent to a 30-minute jog, according to WebMD— and help build not just muscle strength and tone, but also balance and coordination. Ballroom dance in particular offers a wide variety of movements that challenge the body differently. “If you were only to focus on Latin dances, you

wouldn’t get the flexibility of a waltz, or the flow and control required for a tango,” says Dawn.

For Mayme Wilson, who started taking lessons at American Ballroom last May, dancing is the only way to exercise, having sustained a back injury about a year ago. “If you told me I needed to jog or run, I’d start crying,” she says. “With dance, I get to move in a way I hoped I might actually be good at, to move in a way that’s really beautiful, and I leave feeling like I’ve used my body and my muscles.”

So if dancing is so healthy and rewarding, why do so many people outright refuse to try it? “A lot of people think they can’t dance,” says Dawn. “But I think it’s because they’ve literally never been shown.

For 40 or 50 years, partner dancing was not popular in the US, so a whole generation of people didn’t learn to dance with each other.”

WELLNESS COUNTS

150 The number of calories burned while dancing for 30 minutes.

SOURCE: dancefacts.net

35% The increase in the number of people taking dance lessons and attending ballroom events in the 2010s.

SOURCE: USA Today

107

The age of the oldest living dancer, Australian choreographer Eileen Kramer.

She has been a professional dancer since 1940.

30 SOURCE: BBC News

The approximate number of knee bends in a two-minute waltz.

SOURCE: dancecompreview.com

Twelve-year ballroom dance instructor Thomas Butler adds that it is also a self-confidence issue. “A lot of people, young and old, think of dancing as flowing gowns and tuxedos, or as whatever the kids are doing on TikTok, and think, ‘that’s definitely not me.’”

One misconception about dance lessons is that you’ll learn a dance, when what you’ll actually learn is how to dance. “It’s all about pace and time,” says Thomas. “There’s so much to learn in any one dance and there’s so many dances to learn from. Anything that we get uncomfortable with we tend to drop, so those first few lessons are about building confidence, continuity, and consistency.”

“It’s not just learning the steps; it’s putting them into motion,” adds Mayme.

“Even if you’re not musical, even if you don’t have a background in dance—it’s just to get you moving, trying specific shapes and forms.”

If you resolved to improve your fitness in 2022, Dawn says that dancing has turned out to be an effective method. “The people who come in and say, ‘This is what we wanted to do for New Year’s,’ a lot of times, they stick with it because there are so many different ways to do it, so many things to work on. It doesn’t have to end.”

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Just Do You

While I’m on the journey to my healthiest self, sometimes I’m navigating that road on the struggle bus. Social media can be a deceiving highlight reel of people’s best moments, and you do you, boo! Just be sure it’s easy to think I’m the only opportunities, big goals, and sparkly celebrations are it’s something you enjoy one in the world not at the doing, and it’s safe for your awesome. But why are we party. #FOMO. I have to rebody and mind. Me person- member to take a mindfulexpected to transform ally? A long walk on the West ness moment to meditate, into a new person? The Orange Trail with my pup YOU you are now is pretty breathe deeply, or even take Clementine is my cup of tea. a nap. That’s right ,folks, dang fabulous.

True life: I can’t live withI know I’m not one to talk snoozing is an important out chocolate. And that’s an- part of health! about getting ripped. It’s no secret that these stick-figure other thing! Toss those diet Ready for your fresh start? fads out the window. Telling Join the community and arms could use a couple myself I can’t eat cookies is more push-ups. But that’s get active with Westly’s 5th a sure-fire way of ending up Annual Virtual 5K and walk, the thing! Small changes covered in crumbs at 2am in your day can make a big run, bike, or even skateboard after demolishing a whole difference. You don’t have your way to 3.1 miles all Janupackage of Oreos. It’s all to be up in the gym workary long. To register, go to about balance! I can be a ing on your fitness 24/7 to in.thelocalwg.com/Westly5K. healthy me without depriva- I’ll be here to cheer you on! be healthy. If you want to become a marathon runner tion. As long as I have some Thanks for coming to my or a pumped-up weightlifter, green on my plate, it’s gucci. Ted Talk. See ya around!

Healthy West Orange’s Westly is here to remind you that you’re already your best you in 2022.

H

ey y’all, Westly here! I’m the star, the face of Healthy West Orange!

Which is ironic, because I don’t even have a face.

(Stick figure problems.)

Anywho, I’m really excited for 2022! But I keep hearing “New year, new you!” from every radio ad, TV commercial, and social media newsfeed these days. You know, I really hate that phrase. I’m just here scrolling my way through TikTok and BAM – another fad challenge about getting ripped. Don’t get me wrong, a new year is exciting! Seemingly limitless

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THE EXPERT AVANTAGE

D

r. Sijo Parekattil started his career as an electrical engineer with a degree from the University of Michigan, which explains his interest in robotics and microsurgery as a doctor of urology! After a residency at the Albany Medical Center, the doctor went on to complete dual fellowship training from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Laparoscopy/Robotic Surgery and Microsurgery/Male Infertility—one of the only urologists in the country with that distinction. Today, he is the Director of Avant Concierge Urology and an Associate Professor of Urology at the University of Central Florida.

Dr. Parekattil matches his unusual medical background with an equally unusual approach to urology. The number of cases the clinic treats per day is intentionally limited to allow plenty of time for every case. Even the most common urologic conditions— vasectomy reversals, testicular or groin pain, male infertility, BPH, kidney stones, bladder pain—can sometimes

Dr. Sijo Parekattil and Dr. Alex Galante mask root causes. So, rather than deal with mere symptoms, Dr. Parekattil and Dr. Galante look deeper to treat the entire patient.

If microsurgery is indicated, Avant patients can rest assured they’ll be treated using the most advanced technologies by one of the finest surgeons in the field. Dr. Parekattil has performed over 3,000 such procedures, many of them with the Karl STORZ 3D Vitom digital microsurgery system. In keeping with the doctor’s abiding interest in leading edge technologies, Avant Concierge is the first and only in-office operator of STORZ Vitom system in the United States.

Dr. Parekattil entrusts his patients’ care to only the most skilled experts, which is why he has partnered with fellow urologist Dr. Alexander Galante.

Dr. Galante received his medical degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and is a fellowship trained microsurgeon.

Patients who trust their health to Dr. Parekattil and Dr.Galante can be

PR O MOT IO NAL F E AT U RE

assured they are in excellent hands.

Known throughout the world as a pioneer in robotic-assisted microsurgery, the doctor is one of the founding Board members of the Robotic Assisted Microsurgical & Endoscopic Society (RAMSES). He’s even found the time to publish several important papers and edit books on the subject.

Urological conditions are about as personal as medical conditions can get. Luckily for the residents in Winter Garden and beyond, the highly personalized, individual treatment available to them at Avant Concierge Urology is there for them should they ever need it.

Avant Concierge Urology 15548 W Colonial Dr, 407-547-1654 avanturol.com

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Eats+Drinks

Back to Basics A

fter attending numerous parties this holiday season, I noticed some unintentional slips in the drink department and figured I could shed some light on the subject. Let’s cover the basics of cocktails and learn to avoid the common faux pas in mixology.

Nº1

Quit Overbuying.

It never fails; you buy more than enough alcohol to cover all your guests, and then your polite friends bring their own spirits to the party. Inevitably, you’re left with several open bottles and a punch bowl half-full.

A good rule of thumb: Guests will enjoy one to two drinks in the first two hours, and one per hour thereafter.

While it’s admirable to try and appease each palette, sometimes it’s nicer to limit to just one or two options for each category, such as wine or beer, to ensure you’re left with empty bottles and fridge space for your leftover party snacks. Another great option is to have a premade punch for the party. You can often theme it with the event and put a creative

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with white cranberry juice and pinot grigio + gin, it was an absolute knockout! You can get very creative without buying a ton of things you don’t need and don’t know twist on it, and it will help how to use. Remember to stir you avoid buying single mix- it in a pitcher first and pour ers for a “whiskey and coke” over ice as served, so you or “vodka and soda.” won’t water down the flavors!

Nº2

Nº3

There is a basic formula to punch making, and it only involves three ingredients: 3 parts juice, 1 part spirit, and accent to taste.

Use any juice you’d like, including lemonade. Pick a spirit of your selection. Accents can include anything from fresh herbs and fruit to bitters or syrups! The sky is the limit. I made a white sangria one summer that overaccentuated, with watermelon, lemon, lime, mint, and cucumber, and finished with lime seltzers as the bubbly accent! But because the cocktail was balanced

There are small changes you can make to amplify your cocktails to the big leagues.

If you drink spirits neat, invest in silicone trays to make spheres or large cubes. Use boiled water for a crystal clear cube.

Quit buying Rose’s Lime Juice or Simple Syrup when you’re perfectly capable of making it. It’ll taste better and save you money.

Invest in a jigger or measuring device—and use it. You’ll create a balanced cocktail and drink it promptly, rather than sipping and letting it dilute.

Make a Weird, Fancy Punch.

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Make ’em, Don’t Break ’em.

Also, you’ll drink responsibly and maintain your buzz, while preventing too harsh a hangover the next day.

You shouldn’t shake cocktails that are spirit based, such as a Manhattan or Old Fashioned, but you should shake a cocktail that is based with citrus, herbs, or dairy.

Spirits are dense and don’t require shaking, while the other cocktails may be prone to separation if not dispersed correctly. Additionally, the aeration from shaking helps build a beautiful body to the cocktail and is necessary for presentation and taste. Also, be fun and throw the cocktail in a pretty glass or add a garnish. It helps stimulate the senses and looks really good for your Instagram photos.

Finally, drink what you like and don’t let anyone tell you different!

Tarin Scarbrough

The Sommelier at The Attic Door. If you like what she pens, you’ll love what she pours! Be sure to stop by and let her know what you think or drink.

Photo by Fred Lopez

Since I took my Dry January in December, I’m ready to reintroduce cocktails to the mix—and to brush up on my mixology know-how.

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Eats+Drinks I D I N I N G G U I D E

The French Café WINTER GARDEN 16412 New Independence Pkwy / 407-500-4050 WINDERMERE 5855 Winter Garden Vineland Rd / 407-500-0306 thefrenchcafe.com Do you feel like you’ve been transported to a cozy neighborhood café in Paris, sipping a French coffee while the smell of fresh pastries fills the air? You may be surprised to find you’re not in France at all; instead, you’re enjoying a meal at The French Café. Try our one-of-a-kind pastries baked fresh daily by our acclaimed chef. Join us for a relaxing breakfast on the weekend or stop in before that evening movie for a delightful dinner. We can’t wait to say bienvenue to you!

MENU

HOURS WG Sun-Sat 7am-3pm WIN Sun-Sat 7am-5pm

ENJOY PASTRIES

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% OFF THRU JAN ‘22

Main House Market 108 S Main St. Winter Garden / 407-919-5402 mainhousemarket.com Main House Market and Kombucha Bar is our love letter to Central Florida’s past, present, and future. We celebrate the Sunshine State by showcasing the work of home-grown artists as well as products made and sourced by various local vendors, including plants, pottery, garb, antiques, baked goods, and—the MAIN attraction—locally brewed kombucha.

For the uninitiated, kombucha is a fermented, sweetened black or green tea drink loaded with probiotics and other vitamins. While it’s only become popular in the US in the last decade or so, it has been around for nearly 2,000 years.

HOURS Tues-Fri 10am-7pm Sat 9am-7pm Sun 9am-4pm

ENJOY

13 TAPS FROM OUR LOCAL BREWERS

Sugar Rush Marshmallows sugarrushmarshmallows.com / @sugarrushmarshmallows Sugar Rush Marshmallows is a from-scratch marshmallow company. Our HQ is in Orlando, but our test kitchen, Sugar Works Lab is on East Plant Street. And when we say “from scratch,” we really mean it—we make all our own sugar syrup, cinnamon, extracts, and graham crackers, and our gourmet marshmallows are never made with corn syrup.

On our website, you’ll find a selection of items that can ship anywhere in the US. But if you want to check out all our latest flavors and get the freshest s’mores you’ll find, keep track of our S’mores On Wheels food truck on Facebook and Instagram.

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The Local

WI N TE R G AR DE N

CURBSIDE PICKUP

Order “Local Delivery” online to pick up from our Winter Garden Location TRY OUR NEW

CAMPFIRE

PIE! Handmade graham cracker crust chocolate filling, and mallow creme on top.

Eats+Drinks

You Don’t Know Jackfruit

if it actually tastes like pulled pork. And, well, yeah, especially in a barbecue context.

Jackfruit on its own is rather sweet, but combined with the zest of the cabbage slaw here’s nothing like Jackfruit is a popular pulled is pretty—not to mention and the kick of the sauce, it a new-year diet to pork substitute, a fact which pretty good for you, since does scratch that Carolina really give you a the BBQ Jackfruit sandwich both the sandwich and its barbecue itch. hankering for barbecue. at The Deli Downtown takes sides of pickled beets and And before you southern Luckily for your resolution, a full advantage of. Topped a pickled, uh, pickle, are gourmets come break down satisfying pulled pork sand- with purple cabbage slaw 100% meat-free. my door for BBQ blasphemy, wich isn’t out of reach; it just and whiskey barbecue on But you’re not wondering give it a shot. A new year is makes do without the pork. a challah bun, this thing about that. You want to know full of surprises.

Photo by Fred Lopez

Eating healthier, but secretly wish you weren’t? This meat-free twist on barbecue will feel like a cheat day.

T

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Rhetoric Rheya Tanner muses on life as a local

Fit by Bit

Even though it wasn’t a resolution, this working out thing seems to be working out.

C

hances are you’ve already bought the flowers for whatever resolution you allowed to die this year. I resolved years ago to never make another resolution, and I’ve kept it faithfully, so I can’t relate. However, I did decide to start working out more this year—just not on day 1 of 2021.

Actually, it was a random Thursday last March (because that was when they ran my card). I’m using one of those apps where a real-life personal trainer plans my workouts so I don’t have to. Even better, I do it all at home, because no one but the Lord can ever watch me exercise.

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The Local

But working out at home means buying workout gear, and I will not allow some hulking Bowflex abomination into my dainty lady house. No, if it’s my equipment, it’s gonna be ~pretty.~ Pink hand weights, pink Pilates ball, pink resistance bands, pink foam roller (side note: why didn’t I hear about these things until now? I almost broke my spine with it, but, like, in a good way).

I’ve been at it for 10 months now, and this may be controversial, but I’m gonna come out and say it: Working out? Doesn’t suck.

OK, it kinda sucks, especially when you’re not used to it. It’s all sweaty

WI N TE R G AR DE N

and you’ve gotta get on the ground and you can’t remember whether you just did your fourth squat or your fifth. And yet—geez, I never thought I’d say this—I like working out.

For the first time, after years of counting calories and stalking the scale, my health kick has really stuck. For the first five months, my effort didn’t show in my physique. But I built strength, went from struggling to do even one push-up to doing a few of them without thinking. More importantly, I promised myself that even if I never lost an ounce, I will keep exercising, keep pushing. Giving up now

does nothing but postpone my well-being.

Of course, this is Winter Garden, so I’m preaching to the choir. Runners and bikers are better than me, if only for having the discipline to wake up any earlier than 7 a.m.and having the guts to exercise in public.

If anything, I’m barely one step above that ironic un-athlete culture of “fitness whole pizza in my mouth.”

(For the record, I think it’s funny, and health absolutely comes in all shapes and sizes. But please also exercise.)

There’s never a bad time, a bad way, or a bad place to get down to business. Unless that place is anywhere near me.

THANKS to everyone for their kind and generous support!

The ride is over, but the fight continues.

to support Connor go to ➧ Rentals and service available

855 Plant Street, Winter Garden / 407-614-8220 westorangeelectricbikes.com

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