(Tallahassee, FL) – The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association (FRLA) is proud to present this week’s episode of Emeril’s Florida airing on Sunday, January 12, 2014, at 2:30 p.m. EST on the Cooking Channel. In Sunday’s episode entitled ‘Orlando Farm-to-Table & Norman Van Aken’ celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse meets with some of Orlando’s leaders in the farm-to-table movement, and visits long-time friend and chef Norman Van Aken.
“Agriculture is second to tourism as our State’s economic driver. With Florida’s ability to grow fruits and vegetables year round, the agriculture and tourism industries truly complement one another through the farm-to-table movement,” said Carol Dover, President and CEO of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association. “We are thrilled to have Emeril feature our FRLA restaurateurs in this episode and hope it will encourage viewers to visit these incredible establishments for themselves.”
Chef Emeril begins this week’s program in Ocoee with Dale Volkert owner of Lake Meadow Naturals, a local farm supplying eggs to some of the top restaurants in the Orlando area and beyond. After touring the farm, he and Dale whip up an omelet in the kitchen. Emeril then visits The Rusty Spoon in downtown Orlando where he and owners, Chef Kathleen and William Blake, talk about their leading roles in Orlando’s farm-to-table movement. Emeril takes a tour of the kitchen and tastes some of Chef Kathleen’s signature dishes. Finally, he heads to Norman’s at The Ritz-Carlton Orlando to meet up with old friend and fellow chef Norman Van Aken. The two sample some of Norman’s signature dishes while sharing stories about their long history and how the Orlando dining scene has changed since Norman’s opened in 2003.
The show reruns on Monday, January 13th at 9:30 a.m. EST and Thursday, January 16th at 11:30 a.m. EST. Please check local listings.
Emeril’s Florida Season Two is a 13-episode series highlighting the Sunshine State through the eyes of Emeril on-location with a focus on food, cooking, events and activities around the state. Throughout the second season, Emeril will be visiting Florida’s top restaurants and resorts. He will also prepare some of his favorite recipes which often will feature some of the best seafood Florida has to offer. The program is sponsored by the FRLA and VISIT FLORIDA. For additional information on the series, including links to previous episodes, please go to the Cooking Channel website here. For a preview of Sunday’s episode, click here.
# # #
About the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association
FRLA’s mission is to ‘Protect, Educate and Promote’ Florida’s hospitality industry – which represents a $71.8 billion industry, 23% of Florida’s economy, $4.3 billion in sales tax revenue, and over one million employees, making it Florida’s largest employer. It is Florida’s premier non-profit, hospitality industry trade association. FRLA safeguards the needs of the hospitality industry, improves the business climate, promotes the highest levels of quality and safety for our patrons, provides legislative advocacy, and eases navigation of government regulation. The Association represents and serves more than 10,000 independent and household name members, suppliers, and theme parks. For more information, go to www.FRLA.org.