The mayor of Flavortown🕶️

Hey there Florida Foodie friends,

It’s your old pal Thomas Mates.

I spent my morning with our illustrious Florida Foodie host Candace Campos and our fine photographer Jeff Segers. Our motley crew was out in Winter Park getting an interview with the mayor of Flavortown himself, Guy Fieri.

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He was very generous with his time and seemed like a really nice person. He had a very sweet interaction with a boy. Fieri insisted that the kid shake his hand and say please and thank you before taking a picture. The boy was clearly star-struck but Fieri was patient and all smiles.

We plan to release Candace’s interview as a bonus episode of the Florida Foodie podcast in the next couple days, so keep an eye out for that. I’ll also be writing up a story on ClickOrlando.com, but I wanted to get this newsletter out to you fine people first!

OK, let’s get into it.

Neighbors helping neighbors

Katherine Franco has personal experience with food insecurity. When she moved to the U.S. with her mother from the Dominican Republic, they had very little.

For years, Franco had wanted to find a way to help those struggling with hunger. Recently, she was able to open her first venture, Neighborhood Fridge. It is a fridge and pantry space that is open 24/7 and stocked with free food. People are welcome to take or leave food items whenever they like.

She shared her story with Lisa Bell and me on the latest Florida Foodie podcast.

> You can listen to the episode here <

Small bites 🧄

Booming bagel business🥯: After starting as a cottage business with online sales about three years ago, Central Florida-based Jeff’s Bagel Run is about to undergo a huge expansion. The company is opening more Central Florida locations and then plans to go national. Click here to learn more.

Michelin approved⭐: That emoji is a little misleading. No stars have been awarded yet, but Michelin is recognizing at least eight more Orlando area restaurants in its prestigious guide. Learn more about it here.

Keeping it 💯: Fourteen Central Florida restaurants also made the list of Yelp’s Top 100 Florida Restaurants. We’ve interviewed a couple on Florida Foodie. Check out who made the list here.

Something to try at home 🍽️

OK, I am pressed for time today, so I am going to give you a recipe with only three ingredients, corn tortillas. Sure, you can buy them pretty much anywhere but it will elevate any taco to make your own tortillas. You will need one special piece of equipment, a tortilla press. You can probably get away with using a rolling pin or the bottom of a heavy pan, but the press will get it perfectly flat and round.

Ingredients:

• 240 grams (about 2 cups) masa harina (which is a cooked corn flour easily found at Publix).
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups of hot water (hot, not boiling)
• 1 teaspoon salt

Step 1: Add your masa harina and salt to a bowl and mix them to combine.

Step 2: Slowly pour in your water, you may not use all of it, and mix your masa harina mixture with your hand. It should quickly start to clump together. You want it to have the consistency of playdough. It should hold together into a tight ball without cracking around the edges. Cover the bowl with a rag and let it rest for a few minutes.

Step 3: Cut your dough into 6-8 equal pieces, about 60-70 grams a piece. Then roll each piece into a ball.

Step 4: Line the bottom of your tortilla press with parchment paper. Then, place a ball of dough on that and cover it with another piece of parchment before you flatten it. Repeat until all of your tortillas are pressed.

Step 5: Get a pan, preferably cast iron or carbon steel, ripping hot over medium-high heat. Then, one at a time, place your tortillas in the pan without any oil and cook each side for about 30 seconds to a minute. You should see some light charring on the tortilla. Then just keep them warm until you are ready to use them or you can keep them in the fridge for at least a couple of days, just be sure to reheat them before using them.

That’s it for today.

Please, send me your recipes so I can share them with everyone. My email is tmates@wkmg.com.

Don’t forget to send in your foodie pictures as well through our PinIt! program.

Also, please take the time to rate and review the Florida Foodie podcast.

- Thomas