Central Florida Celebrates #407Day on April 07, 2022

Orange County Government, The City of Orlando and Visit Orlando Celebrate 407 Day (April 7) to Support Local Businesses

Food Blog TastyChomps.com to give away offerings from Orlando and Orange County businesses and organizations in celebration of #407Day

Orange County Government, The City of Orlando and Visit Orlando have announced the return of 407 Day this Thursday, April 7, 2022, for residents to celebrate their hometown pride and support local area businesses. This special campaign, inspired by the destination’s longtime area code, encourages residents to support their favorite restaurants, bars, shops, boutiques, services and other locally owned businesses by sharing posts and photos on social media channels using the hashtag #407Day.

All three entities have partnered with leading food blog Tasty Chomps for a #407Day social media giveaway with the chance to win prizes from local businesses and organizations by sharing posts and photos, marked with the #407Day hashtag, via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

“As Orlando residents we are lucky to live in a destination that tops the vacation bucket list for millions of visitors from around the world,” said Visit Orlando President & CEO Casandra Matej. “Part of what makes our destination so special is the range of local businesses, and we encourage everyone to go out on #407Day to share recommendations and show support for their favorites.”

Prizes are being offered by the following businesses and organizations:

• AVA MediterrAegean (chef’s table dinner for two and sommelier-selected wine bottle)
• deep blu Seafood Grille (dinner for two)
• Downtown Development Board (“407” t-shirts)
• Orlando Ballet (two tickets to “The Great Gatsby”)
• Orlando Cat Cafe (two passes to the Kitty Play area)
• Tapa Toro Tapas & Paella Pit ($25 gift cards)
• Taverna Opa Orlando at Pointe Orlando ($25 gift cards)
• The Glass Knife ($100 gift card)
• Wild Florida (two passes to the Drive-Thru Safari and Giraffe Feeding experience)
• WonderWorks Orlando (Tickets for a family four-pack)

 #407Day 2022 Giveaway Contest Details:

How to Enter: 

1. From now through April 7th, 2022 (407 Day) – post your favorite photo(s) supporting local Central Florida businesses and restaurants on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram using the #407day. Feel free to caption the photo with why you love and support this local business. Make sure your account is public so that the committee can see.
2. Winners will be chosen by a committee for the gift prizes listed above.
3. Deadline to enter is April 7th, 2022 – 11:59pm .

Proudly Sponsored by:
Pammie's Sammies - Winter Garden, FL

Battle of the Food Trucks in Historic Downtown Sanford – Sunday, April 10, 2022 at 1pm-6pm

The very popular Sanford Food Truck Fiesta in beautiful Historic Downtown Sanford, which is usually on Saturdays, will now be held on second Sundays, with the first one starting on Sunday, April 10th from 1pm-6pm. Details: https://tastychomps.com/2022/03/battle-of-the-food-trucks-in-historic-downtown-sanford-sunday-april-10-2022-at-1pm-6pm.html

Heirloom Orlando – Meal Delivery Service – Spring 2022 Menu

Trying to prepare meals for the family this week and run out of ideas and time? Check out @orderheirloom ‘s brand new Spring Menu and save time on cooking and prepping so you can spend more time enjoying time with family and friends. 

Super easy to prep – seconds to just pop the dish in the oven as needed according to the instructions and dinner is ready in less than an hour.

Heirloom’s new spring menu is a chef curated menu packed with freshly picked, seasonal ingredients and a variety of flavor as well as kid friendly options!

SPECIAL – Enjoy chef prepared meals delivered locally to your door in Orlando, Tampa and surrounding areas by using code “TASTYCHOMPS” to take $25 off your first order, no expiration or exclusions.

Visit  https://orderheirloom.com/ to start looking at the available menu items this week!

Proudly Sponsored by:
Tabla Indian Cuisine

Easter Brunch at the Aurora at The Celeste Hotel in East Orlando / UCF Area 2022

The Easter Brunch at Aurora at The Celeste Hotel is a must try especially if you are looking for something family friendly and complete with an Easter bunny and Easter Egg Hunt. Do RSVP ASAP as the seats will likely get booked very quickly.

Proudly Sponsored by:
Pointe Orlando

Local Orlando Specials for Easter Weekend 2022

This is an article in progress – will update as more are announced.

Highlights include:

• Aurora at the Celeste Hotel in East Orlando
• JW Marriott Bonnet Creek Resort in Orlando
• Grande Lakes Orlando Resort

Hemisphere at Hyatt Regency MCO – Wine Dinner – Spring 2022

Hemisphere restaurant at the Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport has some of the most beautiful and unique views in all of Orlando – where else can you dine while watching flights take off and land on the runway below? This year, Hemisphere actually celebrates its 30th anniversary – having opened its doors for the first time back in 1992. For over 20 years, the restaurant has also been hosting wine dinners which resumed this year.

Inside Look: Pasion Orlando at the Hall on the Yard – Plus What to Try

The Rains are the founders behind The Chef and I, a modern take on approachable gourmet fusing international flavors into beautiful, well balanced dishes and Pasion a new Latin fusion themed restaurant putting new takes on classic Mexican, Puerto Rican and Cuban fare.

Inaugural Direct Orlando MCO-BQN Overnight Puerto Rico Experience with Frontier Airlines

Frontier Airlines recently announced new nonstop flights to Puerto Rico from Orlando.  The low-cost airline begun flying nonstop from Orlando International Airport to Rafael Hernández International Airport (BQN) in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico starting on March 24, 2022.  With the addition of Aguadilla, Frontier will offer more than 80 nonstop destinations from Orlando.  The airline said fares for the new route will start at $59.

Upcoming Event: Orlando Science Center's 10th Annual Science of Wine – Saturday April 23, 2022

Orlando Science Center’s 10th Annual Science of Wine

Next Event: April 23, 2022 | 7:00 – 10:00 pm

The 10th Annual Science of Wine fundraising event, benefiting the Orlando Science Center, is a unique wine and food tasting with an educational twist. This event offers a chance to celebrate with others who enjoy the culture of wine while also benefiting Orlando Science Center’s mission to “inspire science learning for life.”

Tickets for the event are available for purchase online at www.osc.org/wine. Tickets can be purchased until April 10 for the discounted price of $110/each. After April 10, they will be $125. Members of Orlando Science Center can purchase event tickets for only $100..

Details: Upcoming Event: Orlando Science Center's 10th Annual Science of Wine – Saturday April 23, 2022

7 of the Best Restaurants for Fried Fish in Orlando / Central Florida

Sometimes you just want some good fried fish. Sometimes it’s Friday and you want to order some fish, too.

Here is our list of the 7 of the Best Restaurants for Fried Fish in Orlando / Central Florida

Fundraiser to Support the People of Ukraine – World Central Kitchen – Disaster Relief Fund - Plus Call for Recipes

Update 3/20/2022 – In less than 2 short weeks, we have achieved our goal of $10,000 raised thanks to the compassion and generosity of our Central Florida and Orlando community. Big thank you to Amy Thompson of Orlando Sentinel (What can you do to help Ukraine? Feed them) and Holly Kapher of Orlando Weekly (Support Ukraine at these local Orlando restaurants) for covering the story, as well as to the support of local friends and restaurants (Domu, Tori Tori, Peterbrooke Chocolatier, Hinckley’s, The Ravenous Pig, and many more) who all helped support and donate.

The war continues, and as of today, over 3 million Ukrainian refugees have fled, many still in need of hot meals – if you are able to, please continue sharing this fundraiser with family and friends to help support the people of Ukraine. We are also still collecting recipes from local chefs and community members for a digital thank you recipe collection e-book to send out to donors after the fundraiser is over. If you have a family recipe to share, please e-mail us at tastychomps@gmail.com.

José Andrés’s nonprofit World Central Kitchen (WCK) is now in Poland, Romania, and Moldova feeding “hot, nourishing meals” to tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees coming across the border at all hours. The aid group says it is also working with restaurants in Odessa and Lviv, two cities in Ukraine, to feed those who remain there.

The WCK most recently arrived in Moldova and began serving chicken over plates of pasta, fresh bread from local restaurants, and tomato salad. The nonprofit group is heading to Slovakia and Hungary as well to find out how to support refugees arriving from Ukraine.

All proceeds to benefit World Central Kitchen disaster relief funds (worldcentralkitchen.org) – Chef Jose Andres and team are currently providing hot meals for refugees from the Ukraine conflict on the ground.

To donate, visit: https://donate.wck.org/team/411729

As a thank you to donors, we are compiling a recipe book tentatively titled “To Ukraine with Love: Recipes from the Heart of Central Florida to the People of Ukraine” – if you would like to submit a recipe please fill out the below recipe submission or email tastychomps@gmail.com with the below email by 3/30/2022:

Recipe Submission Form:
https://forms.gle/VrKyReHgSxXnNw4j8

Recipe Name:
About the recipe:
List of Ingredients:
Preparation Instructions:
About You/Chef/Restaurant:
Send photos if any to tastychomps@gmail.com

We will send donors a copy via e-mail in PDF format in early April after we compile. Donor – Sign up for the Recipe Book: https://forms.gle/hJ6mBwwKXmSYZey47