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Grande Lakes’ Curated Experience will be a Michelin Weekend with lots of stars

Written By Scott Joseph On September 21, 2022

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Grande Lakes Orlando is continuing its series of Curated Experiences with a special Michelin Weekend Oct. 7-9. It’s a celebration of the inaugural Florida Michelin Guide, which awarded a star to Knife & Spoon at the Ritz-Carlton and named JW Marriott’s Primo a Bib Gourmand recommended restaurant.

But the resort isn’t just tooting its own horn, it’s invited other recognized chefs to play.

The weekend will kick off with a Mingle with Michelin event Friday evening from 6 to 9 p.m. with Knife & Spoon’s new chef de cuisine, Tyler Kineman, and Primo’s new executive sous chef, Rhys Gawlak. They’ll be joined by Niven Patel, executive chef at Ghee Indian Kitchen, Miami, and Cindy Hutson, executive chef of La Tropical, Coral Gables, and others.

On Saturday, two time James Beard Award winner Melissa Kelly of Primo will host Brunch with Melissa and Friends. Those friends will include Hutson; Julie Petrakis (The Ravenous Pig); Alexia Gawlak (Swine And Sons); Joanna Kaskiw (Grande Lakes Orlando Pastry); Alexa Delgado (Grande Lakes Orlando Evrbar); and Amanda Gibbons (Primo).

The evening’s event will be Michelin Under the Stars, a gala dinner featuring Mitch Lienhard, whose Michelin-starred experiences include stints as chef de partie at Alinea in Chicago, sous chef at Grace in Chicago, executive sous chef at Saison in San Francisco, and chef de cuisine at Manresa in Los Gatos, Calif. He’ll be joined by Michael Ferraro, chef and vice president of food and beverage at Tavistock Restaurant Collection, and world-renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten.

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(Pictured from left, Meliissa Kelly, Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Michael Ferraro.)

Dinner will include a private concert featuring Nashville songwriters Jim Beavers and Jon Nite, followed by a fireworks finale.

In between lunch and dinner, guests can attend Fall on the Farm at Whisper Creek Farm, the resort’s 7,000-square-foot vegetable garden. Or you can check out the new cabanas featuring oysters shucked tableside, a ceviche bar, open-fire skewers and a mixology station.

Breakfast Sunday is at leisure at the very good Florida themed Highball & Harvest on the lower level of the Ritz.

You can choose to do the entire weekend for $710 per person if you’re staying at the resort (and really, you should consider that) or $810 if you’re not. Or you can purchase individual tickets for Friday’s Mingle with Michelin ($225) and Saturday’s Gala Dinner ($250).

Click this link to see the full schedule and to reserve your tickets.

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