Episode 005 – Air Date July 1, 2021

Title: Exploring Culinary Arts in Orange County 

In this episode of Emily Tells All, Emily explores the delicious side of Orange County from culinary training programs to philanthropy. Plus, in honor of National Grilling Month, we’ll learn grilling tips from an expert.

School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts, Valencia College – Dean Alex Erdmann

Second Harvest Food Bank (Culinary Training Program), Vice President – Nancy Brumbaugh

Orange County Convention Center, Centerplate Chef – James “Chef K” Katurakes

Everything You Need to Know About Culinary Arts in Central Florida

With a history steeped in produce and tourism, it should come as no surprise that Orange County is rich in culinary talent.

Recently, I had the privilege of meeting with some of the county’s most prominent figures in food and hospitality, including James “Chef K” Katurakes from the Orange County Convention Center, Dean Alex Erdmann from the School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts at Valencia College, and Nancy Brumbaugh, Vice President at Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida (Culinary Training Program).

Here are some of the key takeaways from my meetings with these remarkable citizens of Orange County.

Everything you want to know about grilling with James “Chef K” Katurakes

One thing is for certain about Chef K—he loves his job at the Orange County Convention Center. For over 20 years, he’s worked at the Convention Center’s Centerplate, and today he boasts the title of executive chef.

He showed me some of his favorite grilling recipes, and what you can do with the very versatile lemon. The lemon can be used in everything from beverages to dessert to entrees. The first recipe he showed me was Grilled Lemonade—a simple yet refreshing and unique drink for summer or any time of year. In order to grill lemons properly, you must “learn how to control your flame and your heat,” says Chef K.

Another of Chef K’s favorites is a grilled Caesar salad. The salads at the Orange County Convention Center are grown in-house. In fact, Chef K and his team harvest 850 heads of lettuce every 10 days. During the pandemic, they donated over 50,000 plants to our local community and plan on donating more.

To see all of Chef K’s recipes and to learn how to grill mahi-mahi, salmon, chicken breasts, and more, please check out our video above.

Start your culinary career

If you’re just starting college or thinking of going back to school, Orange County’s Valencia College has a state-of-the-art culinary program that’s sure to take your career to the next level. They have “everything from culinary management, baking and pastry management to hospitality,” says Dean Alex Erdmann. When I visited the school, I got to see their mixology lab—a makeshift bar where students can learn the ins and outs of bartending and business owning. I also got to oversee students making bread and cookies—and I can confirm that their creations are delicious!

With Orange County being a prime tourist destination, we are fortunate to have such a reputable program available right in our community. To learn more about Valencia College’s Culinary Arts and Hospitality program, please visit their website.

Giving back—in more ways than one

Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida not only shares food with our local community—they also train citizens through their culinary program. “It teaches under-employed or unemployed adults that might be economically challenged to learn the culinary arts, to become cooks, and most important to learn life skills so that they can be successful,” says Nancy Brumbaugh, Vice President of Food Service at Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida.  

In addition, students of the program are trained in food safety and sanitation, kitchen equipment and workplace conflict, and they learn the important basics such as mother sauces and knife skills. From there, they move on to the food bank’s full-service catering department and ultimately graduation. The Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida is proud to have graduates go on to open their own bakeries and food trucks. “If you know somebody that is looking for a career change or needs to skill up some training to get a more livable wage, please send them our way,” Brumbaugh says.

To volunteer with Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida and their mission to serve our community, or to learn more about their culinary program, please visit FeedHopeNow.org