Orlando, FL, Aug. 31, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes has announced its second annual Homestead Harvest taking place on Grande Lakes’ own Whisper Creek Farm on Friday, October 26, 2018. Chef Scott Pizzo of Highball & Harvest, the resorts’ Southern-inspired restaurant will host the farm-to-table dining experience to benefit Fleet Farming, and Free Mulch Incorporated by Frog Song Organics, both sustainable agriculture programs.
Kicking off at 7 p.m. Homestead Harvest at Whisper Creek Farm will feature a line-up of Florida’s most talented and celebrated chefs including Todd Richards, Iron Chef participant and author of Soul: A Chef’s Culinary Evolution in 150 Recipes as well as James Beard Award Winning Chef, Norman Van Aken, and local talents such as Kevin Fonzo previously chef/owner of the popular K Restaurant and Elek Kovacs of The Osprey Tavern, among other chefs from restaurants in Orlando. Guests can expect live music, as well as beverage pairings with beer, cocktails and wine by Tito’s Vodka, Breakthru Beverage, Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits and Icelandic Glacial.
This event is a collaborative effort to bring awareness to Fleet Farming and Song Frog Organics’ Free Mulch program and their joint missions to shift how Orlando eats. Fleet Farming strives to reduce the environmental impact of food production through a pedal-powered, hyper-local urban farming model that creates a culture of health and vibrant ecosystems by: teaching an intergenerational fleet of volunteers how to grow their own food, activating and re-engaging the community through biweekly Swarm Rides, and creating a breathe free and biodiverse environment through emissions-free, organic farming. Free Mulch by Song Frog Organics’ farm incubator model provides hands-on training and access to land and equipment for new farmers.
It also offers the opportunity to develop business skills of a real working farm in a lower risk environment, with the mission of creating a resilient and vibrant Florida food system by supporting local growers and sponsoring a beginning farmer.
“Last year’s Homestead Harvest event was extremely successful in raising money to support sustainable agriculture, which was the inspiration behind its creation,” says Chef Scott Pizzo. “Each participating chef practices the belief that guests should consume responsibly-sourced and local ingredients, we’re looking forward to sharing those incredible flavors with our attendees again this year.”
Tickets for the event begin at $135 for general admission. Guests also have the opportunity to attend exclusive pre-dinner dining experiences with guest chefs. For ticket prices, bookings and information, please visit: www.HomesteadHarvestatWCF.com. For more information and reservations please call (407) 393-4422 or visit our website. Highball & Harvest is located at 4012 Central Florida Parkway Orlando, Florida 32837. Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
About Highball & Harvest
Highball & Harvest at The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes combines rustic authenticity with Ritz-Carlton refinement to feature interactive dining, a novel rail-road inspired design, handcrafted cocktails and a creative menu. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Highball & Harvest offers Low Country and Cajun-inspired dishes infused with local Floridian citrus flavors using ingredients from local purveyors and the 7,000-square-foot on-site farm at Whisper Creek Farm. Complementing its cuisine, Highball & Harvest offers Central Florida’s largest selection of wines from the cask, which ensures perfect temperature and freshness, and an interactive cocktail table complete with a high-end Japanese ice saw and Whisper Creek Farm fruits and herbs.
About Grande Lakes Orlando
The 500-acre Grande Lakes Orlando estate features a 582-room Ritz-Carlton and 1,000-room JW Marriott hotel situated at the headwaters of the Florida Everglades. Guests at both hotels can enjoy all the facilities and services at Grande Lakes Orlando, including an 18-hole Greg Norman-designed championship golf course and the 40,000-square-foot Ritz-Carlton Spa as well as three pools including the winding lazy river at JW Marriott. Dining options feature the culinary mastery of award-winning chefs Norman Van Aken with Norman’s at The Ritz-Carlton and Melissa Kelly with PRIMO at JW Marriott, a leader in the city’s farm-to-fork movement. The resort’s renowned culinary program is further showcased at The Kitchen at JW Marriott Orlando and Highball & Harvest at The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, as well as The Brewery, an on-property nano-brewery and Chef’s Table. Furthering this farm-to-fork commitment are the on-site apiaries and 18,000-square-foot Whisper Creek Farm.
On-property activities include Grande Lakes Sports activities like biking, kayaking, eco-tours on Shingle Creek, fishing, and more. Conference and meeting attendees have their pick of a selection of meeting space options located across 150,000 square feet that connects the two properties plus more than 100,000 square feet of outdoor space.
Grande Lakes is located 15 minutes from the Orlando International Airport, five minutes from the Orange County Convention Center and minutes from the major theme parks. For more information about Grande Lakes Orlando, visit www.grandelakes.com. Follow The Ritz Carlton Grande Lakes, Orlando on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, or follow @JW_Orlando on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on all things Marriott and The Ritz Carlton.
About The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C., of Chevy Chase, Md., currently operates more than 90 hotels in the Americas, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the Caribbean. More than 30 hotel and residential projects are under development around the globe. For more information or reservations, visit the company website at www.ritzcarlton.com, for the latest company updates, visit news.ritzcarlton.com and join the live conversation, #RCMemories. The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Marriott International, Inc.
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