Freshest Ingredients Straight from Florida Farms

Casa Feliz

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Photo by: Art Faulkner

It doesn’t get more authentic than this — a five course gourmet “Farm to Fork” dinner from Orlando’s own Homegrown Local Food Cooperative using only ingredients hand-picked that morning from their organic growers.

As we gathered Thursday evening on the sunny patio of Winter Park’s charming Casa Feliz, Wine Down Tonight passed out the first of many outstanding sustainable wine pairings with the local farmers’ deliciously prepared goodies. With the sun setting behind us, we downed shot glasses of chilled tomato basil soup and deviled duck egg crostini with garlic chives, the makings of which came directly from a hydroponic vegetable farm in Kissimmee, a greenhouse in the east-coast town of Micco and a rooftop farm in Winter Garden.

We continued our meal under the whitewashed archways of the historic farmhouse, learning that the freshest poached pear and candied pecan salad hails from little towns like Christmas just east of Orlando. Who knew!

After delighting in sage brown butter gnocchi, braised short ribs and garlicky Swiss chard from Central Florida towns with quaint names like Greenville and Summerfield, I decide that I’m just going to have to pay a visit to the cooperative’s new Farm Store on Orange Avenue in Orlando. With this kind of fresh food on offer — all organic, local and sustainable — how can I resist? And most importantly — it tastes awesome.

With the final serving of crusty tart overflowing with sweet blueberries from the nearby town of Melrose, I don’t need any more convincing that homegrown really is best. homegrowncoop.org, winedowntonight.com

Tags: Casa Feliz | Central Florida | Farm to Fork | farms | Homegrown Local Food Cooperative | organic | orlando | produce | wine | Wine Down Tonight | Winter Park