Media Contact:
Elizabeth Ray, ERay@FRLA.org, 850.224.2250 x255
Christina Johnson, Christina@On3PR.com, 850.391.5040
(Tallahassee, FL) – The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association (FRLA) is proud to present this week’s episode of Emeril’s Florida airing Sunday, March 8, 2015, at 2:30 p.m. EST on the Cooking Channel. In Sunday’s episode, celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse travels to Key Largo, Daytona Beach and Homestead to visit two restaurants and a farm that are all family-owned and -operated.
“Family run restaurants create flavors that are unique to Florida and play a vital role in our state’s economy,” said Carol Dover, President and CEO of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association. “FRLA is thrilled that this week’s episode of Emeril’s Florida features establishments that have become cuisine landmarks in the state through the support and loyalty of their local communities.”
Emeril’s first stop on the “Family Owned & Operated” episode is Key Largo where he visits the Conch House owned by the Dreaver Family. Ted and Laura Dreaver moved to Florida and opened a restaurant with no prior experience, and it paid off. Family is a big part of their business. All their family members work, or have worked, for the successful restaurant. Over time, the restaurant has become known for great food. The menu is classic Florida Keys cuisine, but with their own family twist. They serve plenty of conch as well as other favorites such as hogfish, yellowtail, and even the newly popular lionfish when available.
Emeril then heads to Daytona Beach to visit The Cellar, one of the best Italian restaurants in Northeast Florida. Sam and Lina Moggio purchased the historic home of President Warren G. Harding and, seeing a need for fine dining in the Daytona Beach area, transformed the basement into a beautiful cellar restaurant. It opened to the public 11 years ago. Sam, a CIA trained chef and a 31-year veteran of the industry, oversees the restaurant’s kitchen and ensures everything served at The Cellar is authentic and made from scratch. Lina manages the hand-selected wine lists and the front-of-house operations. Emeril sits down with the couple and samples some of their signature dishes including Polenta con Salsiccia e Porcini, Ravioli di Carne alla Montepertuso, and Filetto al Barolo e Porcini.
The third stop for Emeril is Teena’s Pride in Homestead. Teena Borek owns the farm and works alongside her two sons. Teena came to South Florida in the 1970s and met Steven, a Homestead vegetable farmer. The couple married and had two sons, Michael and Steven Jr. After her husband’s untimely death, she ran the 500-acre vegetable farm knowing very little about farming or farm management. For the last 35 years, Teena has been an active member of the Dade farming community, and at one time, was the only female farmer in the area. The farm grows heirloom tomatoes, arugula, spring lettuce, herbs, heritage eggplant and peppers that are supplied to area restaurants as well as more than 350 families throughout the year via their Community Supported Agriculture organization. Emeril spends time with Teena to hear their story and see the farm.
The show reruns on Monday, March 9 at 9:30 a.m. EST and Thursday, March 12 at 10:30 a.m. EST. Please check local listings.
Emeril’s Florida Season Three 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 third 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 FRLA and VISIT FLORIDA sponsor the series. 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.
Editor’s Note:
For photo and video requests of Emeril Lagasse with local chefs, photos of dishes prepared, and recipes of featured dishes, please contact Elizabeth Ray at ERay@FRLA.orgor 850.224.2250 x255, or Christina Johnson at Christina@On3PR.com or 850.391.5040.
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About the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association
FRLA is Florida’s premier non-profit hospitality industry trade association. Our mission is to ‘Protect, Educate and Promote’ Florida’s $76.1 billion hospitality industry which represents 23% of Florida’s economy, $4.6 billion in sales tax revenue, and more than one million employees – making it the state’s number one industry. We offer regulatory compliance and food safety training needs (RCS and SafeStaff®); industry developed career-building high school programs (FRLAEF); sponsor the only event in Florida exclusively serving the restaurant and foodservice industry (FR&L Show, October 6-8, 2015 in Orlando); and we safeguard the needs of the hospitality industry by providing legislative advocacy. We represent and serve more than 10,000 independent and household name members, suppliers, and theme parks. For more information, go to www.FRLA.org and find us on Twitter @FRLAnews, Facebook and YouTube.