HUE Restaurant is Closing

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Published on Wednesday, 15 May 2013 18:49

Written by Scott Joseph

EXCLUSIVE -- HUE, one of the vanguards of the downtown Thornton Park revitalization of over a decade ago, is closing. An exact date for “last call” has not yet been announced, but it is expected to be in the next few weeks.

HUE opened on the corner of Central Boulevard and Summerlin Avenue in December of 2001. Although it was denied later, original designers of the restaurant had said the name was an acronym for Hip Urban Eclectic, which it certainly was. The word Urban came to it naturally, as it was one of the first brands for Urban Life Management Restaurant Group. The company also owns and operates Citrus and Cityfish. ULM will likely redevelop the space into a new concept.

There has been talk of a redevelopment for the HUE space for some time. It was always an odd design, occupying a corner space with a central bar and two wings with minimal dining space. The showcase, however, was the patio space with an overview of the cross-section of Thornton Park. It was, from the early days, a place to see and be seen.

“We are proud of the role we’ve played in establishing and growing the downtown Orlando dining scene,” the company said in a statement.

Urban Life Management Group says that it will honor any certificates for HUE, including SJO Dining Deals, at either Citrus or Cityfish.

The closing of HUE comes on the heels of a neighboring restaurant’s restructuring. As announced earlier, Prickly Pear, part of FMI Restaurant Group, no longer is taking reservations or walk-ins and is now open only as a catering and private party venue.

Orlando Science Center Hosts "The Science of Wine" Saturday

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Published on Thursday, 09 May 2013 03:00

Written by Scott Joseph

This sounds like a really fun and interesting event. On Saturday, May 11, from 7 to 10 p.m., Orlando Science Center will host the Science of Wine. Guests can sample more than 100 fine wines while enjoying food from more than a dozen of Orlando’s restaurants.

The folks at at the science center will educate you on how much science there is in wine: how it’s made, what’s the chemistry makeup, how is sugar converted to alcohol, etc. It’s deisgned to be top-notch and classy, and you go home having learned something.

Luis Torres of the Constellation Academy of Wine will hold a workshop that explores how best to pair wine with cheese. Tim’s Wine Market will host education stations that explore the elements and origins of wine-making. And there’s the Science On A Sphere—which utilizes state-of-the-art projection technology on a six-foot suspended sphere—to show you vineyards across the globe.

Tickets are available at $75 per person. Special tickets for Science Center members are $60. Sponsorships are available from $1,750. All sponsorships include event tickets and exclusive admission to the VIP Champagne Pre-Event Reception. Please contact Kathy Lopus at 407.514.2233. For more information, visit http://www.osc.org/wine.

Neil Connolly, Former Kennedy Family Chef and Owner of Doc's in Orlando, Dead at 66

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Published on Friday, 03 May 2013 12:45

Written by Scott Joseph

Neil Connolly, former chef to the Kennedy family and executive chef of the short-lived Doc’s restaurant in Orlando, died Thursday after an extended battle with cancer. He was 66.

Connolly was the private chef for Edward M. Kennedy and his mother, Rose F. Kennedy, from 1983 until 1995. In 2007 he published “In the Kennedy Kitchen: Recipes and Recollections of a Great American Family,” which he co-authored with Elizabeth Benedict.

In 2005, he opened Doc’s, an upscale restaurant on Orange Avenue across from Orlando Regional Medical Center (now Orlando Health). Although the food was critically acclaimed, the restaurant struggled. In 2008, Connolly announced that the restaurant would become part of the Professional Culinary Institute, which was to open a branch of its school for culinary and wine education in Orlando. But just several months after the announcement, and following open houses for prospective students and the completion of one wine class, the school closed.

Faced with the recession and a dearth of good jobs for executive chefs, Connolly moved back to his native New England to accept a job as food and beverage director at Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa in Whitefield, New Hampshire. Most recently, he was executive chef at Avila Golf and Country Club ins Tampa. 

Connolly was well respected among his peers and often honored by them. Celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse had Connolly as a guest on his Food network television show, where he introduced Connolly as “my mentor.”

Connolly died at his home in Winter Park. He is survived by his wife, Kathy, son, Sean, and three grandchildren. He is also survived by two brothers and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. 

Services will be held at St. Margaret Mary’s Catholic Church in Winter Park on Tuesday, May 7 at 10 a.m. preceded by a wake service at St. Margaret Mary’s Chapel on Monday May 6 at 6:30 p.m.