Eat Local, Be Local: Whisper Creek Farm’s The Kitchen & Brewery at @JW_Orlando !

Grande Lakes Orlando announces the opening of Whisper Creek Farm: The Kitchen and The Brewery at JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes. Orlando’s luxury leader comprised of The Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes continues to set the bar high for farm-to-fork experiences in Orlando, a rising culinary destination. The Kitchen at JW Marriott Orlando features the inaugural batch of beer from The Brewery at Grande Lakes, an in-house first-of-its-kind nano-brewery producing house-made brews on tap and served throughout the resort.

The Kitchen’s small plates are carefully planned by the JW Marriott culinary team and brought to life by Chef de Partie Jason Shapiro who joined Grande Lakes Orlando in 2009, and since then has been involved in the resort’s farm-to-fork efforts including the creation of Whisper Creek Farm.

Menu items at The Kitchen—including snacks, small plates and sandwiches, charcuterie & cheese boards, and flatbreads—will feature seasonal ingredients from the 7,000-square-foot on-site garden at Whisper Creek Farm as well as fresh eggs daily from the farm’s recently added chicken coop. The Kitchen’s sausages and charcuterie, prepared by the JW Marriott butcher, pair perfectly with The Brewery’s hops-laden creations. Signature menu items prepared in the restaurant’s open-air display kitchen include fresh pickled vegetables, hop-salted house pretzels served with “Surplus” Ale cheese fondue, seasonal flatbreads, and a smoked ham sandwich with a Whisper Creek Farm fried egg served on house-made Whisper Creek Farm honey pecan roll (inspired in part by a popular ham sandwich on the original 1927 Marriott Hot Shoppe menu).

Whisper Creek Farm: The Brewery
The first Marriott property to launch a nano-brewery, Grande Lakes has brought in a local Cicerone-certified brewmaster to lead The Brewery. The Brewery will produce 28 gallons of beer weekly including five styles of beer created each season—Dark, Wheat/Light, Amber, IPA and a Special Brew (a seasonal made from the freshest farm ingredients). Signature Special Brew varieties will include the Maple Bacon Stout, Soup of the Day IPA, and Ghost Pepper Wheat. In addition to brewing signature beer for The Kitchen, The Brewery also operates as a highly unique back-of-house Chef’s Table for intimate evenings and group events.

To complement The Brewery launch, Grande Lakes Orlando is collaborating with nearby Florida Beer Company, a Cape Canaveral-based brewery, to create its flagship beer: Surplus, a signature Floridian honey citrus ale to be distributed throughout the resort’s outlets and available year around (naturally infused with Grande Lakes honey sourced from the resort’s on-property apiaries).

Recently I attended a media preview luncheon to taste the delightful and fresh offerings of dishes and beers from The Kitchen and Brewery. Whisper Creek Farm is truly redefining the meaning of Eat Local, Be Local with their one of a kind authentic farm-to-fork experience.

Our decadent multi-course luncheon comprised of:

Chive Biscuits, pork butter, apple moonshine jam; Kale pesto, eggplant, gruyere, balsamic onions, arugula Flatbread paired with Farmhouse Brown Ale.

Whisper Creek Farm Harvest Salad – citrus ricotta cheese paired with WCF Lemon Tea Ale. I was swooning with delight, if only ALL salads tasted as good!

Seared Grouper, Anson Mills grits, ham hock broth, leeks paired with Surplus Pale Ale. I am still dreaming about that deep, soul-satisfying ham hock broth.

Smoked Ham, fried egg, avocado, mustard frills, honey pecan roll paired with Lemon Grass Amber Wheat. On it’s own, I love the individual ingredients of this drool worthy sandwich, put together – it’s brilliant! The lemon grass beer was perhaps the finest and freshest brew I have had the pleasure of tasting through all my travels.

We ended this indulgent meal with Surplus Kumquat Gelato paired with Paradise Orange Wheat.

Whisper Creek Farm is a 7,000-square-foot fruit and vegetable garden with an adjoining 11,000-square-foot outdoor event space, barn, apiary and chicken coop. Through the rustic iron gate, groups enter into an authentic farm-to-fork experience. The farm can host events of up to 550 people where guests are encouraged to peruse the garden and pick and taste the products. Products produced on the farm are featured at events as well as throughout the resort at both The Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott, in restaurant dishes, beverages, and even spa treatments at the award-winning Ritz-Carlton Spa Orlando. Select classes at the JW Griffin School incorporate on-site activities at Whisper Creek Farm.
Events:

• Plated dinners for groups of 250 or less served by chefs right in front of guests
• Family-style seasonal menus served at long communal tables for groups of up to 400
• Argentinian & Uruguayan outdoor barbeque grilling
• An intimate Chef’s Table with seating at a handcrafted wood table for up to twelve, shaded by a large oak tree, the centerpiece of Whisper Creek Farm

So what are you waiting for? The Kitchen is now open in the evening from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., with the bar open until midnight. And make sure to shoot me an email or comment under this post regarding your dining experience.

Until next time, have a delicious day!!

 

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