Orlando baker wins national competition for 3d time

Written by Scott Joseph on 26 November 2021

Rahman check Orlando's Evette Rahman receives check after winning dessert competition at the World Food Championship in Dallas earlier this month. (Photo: WFC)

You may have had some great desserts at your Thanksgiving feast, but you probably didn’t have world champion quality desserts. Unless, of course, you ordered your holiday pies and cakes from Sister Honey’s on Michigan Street in Orlando.

And you didn’t have Sister Honey’s pies and cakes at your holiday feast unless you ordered them before October 1. That’s when the small bakery’s reservations for Thanksgiving filled up.

And sometime between then and D-Day (the D is for Dessert), Sister Honey’s owner Evette Rahman traveled to Dallas to compete in the dessert category at the World Food Championship.

And she won. Again. In fact, it was Rahman’s third time taking first place at the competition, something no one else has ever done.

Join Scott in New York in December 2022

Written by Scott Joseph on 24 November 2021

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Update: Use promo code SCOTT and save $100 per person if you reserve before Dec. 15.

I’m getting really excited about the trip to New York City I’m hosting in conjunction with Art In Voyage – Beyond Travel. It’s just two weeks away and I’m anxious to see the city in all of its holiday splendor again and to share it with others.

And I’m even more excited to announce that because this trip proved to be so popular, we’ve already scheduled another New York trip for December 2022.

The Catfish Place of Apopka

Written by Scott Joseph on 23 November 2021

Catfish Place ext

I have just enough time to induct the Catfish Place of Apopka into our list of Orlando Classics before it goes away forever. After 38 years, the restaurant has been sold and will soon change its name to Nauti Lobstah.

Michael Rumplik and his wife, Cara, along with Christine Gonzalez purchased the landmark eatery from Bob Johnson last month. Rumplik’s name should be familiar to longtime readers as the executive chef at Rosen Centre, where he oversaw Everglades restaurant. So he knows seafood (though one of my favorite Rumplik dishes is his focaccia-crusted lamb).

But devoted Catfish Placers should take heart: Rumplik says that although he’s adding to the menu – a live lobster tank is now on premises and he’s featuring more oysters and clams – he has no intention of deleting the erstwhile eponymous items. Translation: Catfish will still be available. “I kept many of Bob’s recipes and favorites on the menu,” Rumplik told me by phone. “I want to keep everybody happy and content.”

On the House: Annie Oakley from The Whiskey

Written by Scott Joseph on 22 November 2021

Annie Oakley still

I know you’ve seen the beautiful burgers served at The Whiskey, the restaurant and lounge on Sand Lake Road, but you won’t be surprised to know that The Whiskey also specializes in cocktails.

Whiskey cocktails, at that. And one of its signature concoctions is the Annie Oakley, a straight shooter made with Heaven Hill Bottled in Bond with some blackberry puree.

Despite the puree, the cocktail isn’t sweet – that’s thanks to some chili bitters.

Watch the video with bartender Kelli Whitney, then give the cocktail a try.

Here’s the recipe: