Tag Archives: Florida Film Festival

April 5, 2013 · 6:19 AM

Watch the Florida Film Festival with Eyes Wide Open

Experience movie mania April 5-14 during the 22nd Annual Florida Film Festival at the Enzian Theater in Maitland, Fla.! The flick fete, which is listed as one of the 20 coolest film festivals by MovieMaker Magazine and one of the top 50 film festivals in the world by The Internet Movie Database (imdb.com), received 1,500 submissions and features 173 films from 24 countries and 21 world premieres this year.

Image courtesy: Florida Film Festival

Music and movies hit all the right notes with a tribute to back-up singers in Twenty Feet from Stardom, which is this year’s opening-night film on Friday, April 5 at 7 p.m. at the Winter Park Regal Cinema with an appearance by singer Merry Clayton who sang a duet with Mick Jagger on the Rolling Stones song “Gimme Shelter.” Admission is $25.

Twenty Feet from StardomImage courtesy of the Florida Film Festival

Twenty Feet from Stardom
Image courtesy: Florida Film Festival

Other musician movies include Bad Brains: A Band in DC about the legendary punk and reggae group and AKA Doc Pomus a documentary about renowned blues singer and rock ‘n’ roll songwriter Jerome Felder.

Bad Brains
Image courtesy: Florida Film Festival

Celebrity appearances include actress Tippi Hedren, best known for her iconic role in Alfred Hitchcock’s classic film The Birds. Watch The Birds on the big screen and participate in a Q&A discussion with Tippi Hedren on Friday, April 12 at 7:30 p.m. at the Enzian Theater. This event is currently on standby. Arrive one hour before the movie for a possible chance of attending this event.

The Birds
Image courtesy: Florida Film Festival

Stunt woman Zoe Bell discusses film making and appearing in Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof, the feature film presentation on Saturday, April 13 at 1 p.m. at the Enzian Theater.

Death Proof

Actor Cary Elwes participates in a Q&A about his movie career following his portrayal of Westley in Rob Reiner’s funny fairytale The Princess Bride during brunch on Sunday, April 14 at 10:30 a.m. at the Enzian Theater. This event is currently on standby. Arrive one hour before the movie for a possible chance of admittance.

The Princess Bride

Movie highlights include Mud, a story about two boys searching for a boat stuck high in the trees after a flood that discover a criminal hiding from the police, starring Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon.

Mud
Image courtesy: Florida Film Festival

Lore shows siblings struggling after their Nazi parents are taken away by Allied troops in Germany during World War II.

Lore
Image courtesy: Florida Film Festival

Down-on-his-luck David Wozniak is about to become a father and discovers he has 533 children from sperm donations he made 20 years ago under the alias Starbuck.

Starbuck
Image courtesy: Florida Film Festival

Renoir’s love for painting women and his later years are portrayed during this self-titled film.

Renoir
Image courtesy: Florida Film Festival

Drag queen and actor Divine, a star in John Waters’ films, takes center stage in the biopic film, I Am Divine.

I Am Divine
Image courtesy: Florida Film Festival

Besides feature films, the shorts programs are big draws! Laugh,cry and be touched during the shorts series this year.

Calling all foodies! Besides the films, this annual event is a culinary celebration that will be featuring delicious dishes by Eden Bar, K Restaurant & Wine Bar, Ethos Vegan Kitchen, Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, Rangetsu, Tibby’s New Orleans Kitchen and Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant during the opening-night film party on Friday, April 5 from 8:30 p.m.-2 a.m. (food will be served until 11:30 p.m.) at the Enzian Theater. Opening-night film and party tickets are $100 per person and opening-night party tickets are $85 per person.

The food festivities will include chefs preparing mouth-watering cuisine and guests sharing their film and food wisdom. TV personality, film buff, food historian and cookbook author Francine Segan will be dishing about her favorite movie clips and food scenes and book Movie Menus on Saturday, April 6 from 4:30-6 p.m. at the Enzian Theater. Admission is $10.

Francine Segan
Image courtesy: Florida Film Festival

Chow down during a four-course, whole cookery feast at Cask & Larder in Winter Park on Saturday, April 6 at 7 p.m. The menu will feature whole suckling pigs, smoked duck, roasted fish and Butcher’s Feast of Lamb. Admission is $150 per person and $250 per couple.

Entice your palate by listening to Southern food experts Martha Hall Foose, a James Beard Award winner for American Cooking and a Southern Independent Bookseller’s Award winner; James and Julie Petrakis, owners and chefs of sister restaurants Cask & Larder and The Ravenous Pig in Winter Park; chef Brandon McGlamery, whose passion for wood burning ovens and Italian food entices palates at Prato and LUMA on Park in Winter Park; and Donald Bender, whose Mockingbird Bakery in Greenwood, Miss. serves and sells artisanal breads and baked goods on Sunday, April 7 from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at the Enzian Theater. Admission is $10.

James and Julie Petrakis, owners and chefs of sister restaurants Cask & Larder and The Ravenous Pig in Winter Park
Image courtesy: Florida Film Festival

Individual film tickets are $9 and $11 and passes and packages are $99-$1,000 per person. For more information, including the Florida Film Festival schedule and purchasing tickets, visit http://www.floridafilmfestival.com.

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April 28, 2012 · 7:07 AM

Barry Levinson Shares His Life and Career with Fans at the Florida Film Festival

Anecdotes and experiences of growing up in Baltimore, Md. and making movies were shared by legendary director Barry Levinson during the 21st Annual Florida Film Festival. The Academy Award-winning director, screenwriter and producer has brought visions to life in his films, including Rain Man and Bugsy and was honored and presented with the John M. Tiedtke Lifetime Achievement Award by the Florida Film Festival.

Director Barry Levinson with his John M. Tiedtke Lifetime Achievement Award at the 21st Annual Florida Film Festival.

Image courtesy of the Florida Film Festival

Fans watched Levinson’s film Liberty Heights (1999), a story about two Jewish brothers growing up in Baltimore in 1954, which explores race, anti-semitism, class and religion during that era. Levinson said during a Q&A following the film that he was fond of Liberty Heights but felt it wasn’t recognized since there was a change at Warner Bros. when the movie was released. He also said it got lost [at the studio] and didn’t get the push it deserved and received very little publicity. Out of all four of his Baltimore films, it was the most neglected and wanted the Florida Film Festival’s audience to have an opportunity to see the film on the big screen.

Liberty Heights

Image courtesy of Movie Memories

Writing Liberty Heights was an adrenaline rush and took three weeks for him to finish the screenplay. Levinson doesn’t use outlines but when he gets an idea in his head, the visualizations come to life and he continues to write until the end. Levinson also explained that when he writes a character’s dialog the word flow is like taking dictation.

His cousin Eddie was one of his inspirations for many of his Baltimore films, including the scene in Liberty Heights where the character Ben Kurtzman dresses like Adolf Hitler for Halloween. He also shared seeing James Brown in concert with a friend like Ben Kurtzman and Sheldon did in the movie.

An Afternoon with Barry Levinson at the 21st Annual Florida Film Festival.

Photo by Sandra Carr

Levinson studied broadcast journalism at American University in Washington, D.C. and later moved to Manhattan Beach, Calif. He met George Jung in 1968 and they became roommates. Jung talked Levinson into attending an acting school in Hollywood, Calif. He wasn’t interested in acting and only wanted to watch but the instructor said he had to participate in the exercises and produce coursework.

The acting school changed Levinson’s life but Jung was bored with the class. Levinson enjoyed the acting classes and decided to move to Hollywood to be closer to the school. The acting classes provided Levinson with a well-rounded background in his new profession. Improvisational exercises led to writing and helped him understand directing. He also observed how actors function, which provided him with the skills to write a screenplay.

He always wondered what happened to his old pal Jung and found out after watching Blow (2001) that he established the American cocaine market in the 1970s and was the biggest cocaine dealer in North America.

Blow

Image courtesy of IMDB.com

After acting school, Levinson wrote several TV variety shows, including The Tim Conway Show and The Carol Burnett Show. His first movie, Diner (1982), was based on growing up in 1959 Baltimore.

Barry Levinson wrote the screenplay for Diner.

Image courtesy of IMDB.com

Levinson said his process is based on instincts, which take over and he just goes with it and has a sense of how the set and scenes are supposed to look like in a film. If he can walk into a space and immediately know how it works, then that must be the place but if he’s at a location where he can’t figure it out, then something’s wrong and it’s not going to work. He uses that method as a rule of thumb in film making. Levinson also doesn’t like rehearsing and prefers letting the movie find itself rather than telling actors what to do. If he controls freedom within a small space, then the cast feels like they’re free to do almost anything but they can’t because of the location’s limitations.

Barry Levinson during a Q&A discussion at the 21st Annual Florida Film Festival.

Photo by Sandra Carr

At times, writing about anything that’s close to you is harder than you think. Sometimes you have to step away from the story or not be attached at all. I asked Levinson if writing about Baltimore, which is near and dear to his heart difficult or just another script. He said writing about Baltimore wasn’t hard and there were no bumps along the way. However, Levinson said he had an eerie experience when filming Tin Men (1987), a movie about competing aluminum-siding salesmen in 1960s Baltimore.

Tin Men

Image courtesy of IMDB.com

The film’s production designer was looking for a house with shingles because those were the aluminum-siding salesmen’s customers and that’s how they made their money. Levinson told the set designer to go to the house where he grew up in Baltimore. He knew the family that bought his parent’s home but didn’t know it was sold with all of the furniture. Levinson walked into the house and said it was surreal because it looked as it did when he left for college, including his room with a black door on the third floor. The door was black because no one was allowed into his room when he was a teenager. The room was the same except his mom had removed the football pendants from the walls.

He also got goosebumps when looking at period cars parked and extras in place on his street. He said it was exactly the way it looked the last time he was there because he never went back to his childhood home when he left for college because his parents sold it. Levinson re-created his last, fond memory of being in his Baltimore home. He said it was a strange feeling because he was stepping back in time. But his time capsule from the past has taken audiences on a trip that has been worth while and will never be forgotten.

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April 20, 2012 · 9:17 PM

Rick Springfield’s Sold-Out Movie Premiere and Appearance Draws Large Crowd at Florida Film Festival

Rick Springfield has accomplished many feats during his career—rock star, actor, author and now his own fan documentary An Affair of the Heart, produced by local Orlandoans and gal pals Melanie Lentz-Janney and Sylvia Caminer.

Filmmakers Melanie Lentz-Janney and Sylvia Caminer strike a pose with the Yellow Rick Road sign on the red carpet during the world premiere of An Affair of the Heart at the 21st Annual Florida Film Festival.

Photo by Sandra Carr

An Affair of the Heart, a film named after one of Springfield’s hits on the Living in Oz album, highlights the musician’s relationship with his devoted fans. The movie set a Florida Film Festival record with his premiere and appearance on April 19 selling out in an hour after the tickets went on sale on March 21 at the Enzian Theater in Maitland, Fla. and caused a fan frenzy for a coveted ticket. Fans lined up beginning at 7:30 a.m. for a chance at receiving a stand-by ticket and I’m happy to report that every single fan was able to get in the door to see the film and pop star.

Rick Springfield and Dustin Walker in An Affair of the Heart.

Image courtesy of the Florida Film Festival

New Jersey fans and moms Sue DeVita and JoAnn Camporeale became friends because of Springfield and are featured in the flick. The duo was excited to be at the Florida Film Festival and enjoys having some girl bonding and reliving their teen fandom during Springfield concert getaways. The mothers could relate to reality TV and movie stars during filming and provided the producers with all-access and full-disclosure.

“It was kind of surreal and we really didn’t know how in-depth it would be,” explains Camporeale. “I pictured us being filmed with our friends in a crowd but when they placed the mics on us and the cameras were in our faces, then we realized it was more than that! We also didn’t know how deep they got with the other fan stories in the documentary until watching it for the first time.”

Their families were supportive and were featured in the film, too.

“Our husbands were excited for us and thought it was cute,” says DeVita. “We didn’t know they had interviewed our husbands. It was a surprise! We were so glad to be a part of the film.”

(l-r) Rick Springfield fans JoAnn Camporeale and Sue DeVita are featured in An Affair of the Heart.

Photo by Sandra Carr

Rock ‘n’ roller Dustin Walker, 16, has idolized Springfield since he was a toddler. He has followed in his fave rock star’s footsteps by forming and playing in a band called Talking to Strangers, which pays homage to Springfield and his hit “Don’t Talk to Strangers.” It was a thrill for him to be featured in the documentary as well as performing live with Springfield on stage during “Victoria’s Secret” in his hometown Joliet, Ill. He channels Springfield entirely.

“Rick invited me backstage after bringing me on stage when I was two years old and said he was going to be my Uncle Rick, and ever since then I have met him at his performances. He has really been my inspiration—in the music that I write to the bracelets and clothes that I wear down to my Converse. He’s my hero.”

Musician Dustin Walker performs for fans before the world premiere of An Affair of the Heart during the 21st Annual Florida Film Festival.

Photo by Sandra Carr

Springfield was pleased with his first documentary, An Affair of the Heart and appreciated the fan’s support during the world premiere at the Florida Film Festival.

“Having the Florida Film Festival premiere sell out in one hour during my 40-year career was good news,” he says. “The film crew followed me and the band around for about a year. It got pretty tough at times, but it was really amazing what they [Lentz-Janney and Caminer] did. They promised something very different [fan stories] and they delivered.”

Journalist and blogger Sandra Carr interviews Rick Springfield during the An Affair of the Heart world premiere at the 21st Annual Florida Film Festival.

Photo by Tanya Hanson

His new album is almost finished, but Springfield could only reveal a few details or my life would be in danger since the release was top secret. However, he was excited to discuss the fan’s participation on the record.

“Having the fans sing on a rock record is a first. People are sending us [videos of fans singing on YouTube] their voice and we’re going to have them sing along with us on the record.”

Rick Springfield appears on the red carpet during the world premiere of An Affair of the Heart at the 21st Annual Florida Film Festival.

Photo by Sandra Carr

Springfield performed on American Bandstand numerous times and was honored to know Dick Clark, who passed away recently at the age of 82. Clark gave him a tip that he will never forget.

“Dick Clark taught me how to get rid of zits,” he recalls. “When I was 22 years old, he said you take the sticky part of the Band-Aid and you put it on the zit and when you go to sleep, it will be gone. I have used it ever since and it’s really bizarre because I was doing it the night that he died. I was thinking about him and found out about his death afterwards. He was an amazing and incredible guy and helped me and so many people. He really was the nice and lovely guy that you saw on TV.”

(l-r) Dick Clark interviewing Rick Springfield on American Bandstand on Sept. 13, 1969.

Image courtesy of ABC Photo Archive/Getty Images

Fans were able to get up-close and personal with their rock god during a Q&A following the film. Springfield spoke eloquently about his passion for dogs and discussed his new pup Bindi. He was like a proud papa and admitted having lots of photos of Bindi on his phone and said the pooch thought his face was a chew toy. He plans to adopt a rescue dog in the future. He also showed his inner geek by admitting he was a Sci-Fi fan and that Star Wars was one of his favorite films.

Rick Springfield answers a question during a Q&A following the world premiere of An Affair of the Heart at the 21st Annual Florida Film Festival.

Photo by Tanya Hanson

Springfield appreciated the movie experience and sees his fans in a different light since filming An Affair of the Heart.

“I actually see them more as human beings now. Their life goes on after the lights turn off and I’m very aware of that now. Usually, as human beings, the person you’re talking to shuts down like C-3PO once you get into your car and drive away and they no longer exist. That’s kind of like how we treat the world. A movie like this showed me that their lives don’t stop once I leave the theater.”

Besides Springfield and his fans showing their adoration for the film, the Florida Film Festival’s jury has also spoken, giving the filmmakers one award under their belt so far. Director Sylvia Caminer received the Special Grand Jury Award for Outstanding Direction for An Affair of the Heart at the 21st Annual Florida Film Festival’s awards brunch on April 21.

(l-r) Sylvia Caminer and Melanie Lentz-Janney pose proudly with their Special Grand Jury Award for Outstanding Direction for An Affair of the Heart at the 21st Annual Florida Film Festival.

Image courtesy of Yellow Rick Road Productions

After the Florida Film Festival, the documentary will be appearing at the Nashville Film Festival (April 19-26) in Nashville, Tenn. and the HOT DOCS film festival in Toronto, Canada, the number one documentary film festival in North America (April 26-May 6).

Assist with An Affair of the Heart being seen at other film festivals across the country, on TV and a DVD release by donating funds at http://www.indiegogo.com/An-Affair-of-the-Heart through Wednesday, April 25. The film’s goal is $25,000. All proceeds will go towards the marketing aspects of the film. For more information about An Affair of the Heart, visit: http://rickspringfielddoc.com/news.html

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April 17, 2012 · 6:39 PM

Fans Rockin’ Synergy Radiates in Rick Springfield’s An Affair of the Heart

The 21st Annual Florida Film Festival is adding rock ‘n’ roll to the mix with Rick Springfield’s An Affair of the Heart, which is named after one of his popular songs on his Living in Oz album, and world premiered during the flick fest. Fans supported their fave rock and General Hospital soap star [Noah Drake] by setting a record during the festival this year.

Rick Springfield’s career went into overdrive and super stardom after he released the single “Jessie’s Girl” off the Working Class Dog album in 1981. The song and album won him a Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance that year.

The An Affair of the Heart movie screening and Rick Springfield’s appearance on Thursday, April 19 at the Enzian Theater in Maitland sold-out one hour after tickets went on sale on March 21. The first showing on April 14 sold out the day before the premiere at the Winter Park Regal Cinema. The sold-out premiere showings are a good start to An Affair of the Heart’s film festival circuit.

My walls were plastered with Rick Springfield and Duran Duran posters as a teenager so, An Affair of the Heart was at the top of my list during the Florida Film Festival this year. I attended the sold-out world premiere on April 14 where local celebrity Hollis Wilder, the winner of Food Network’s Cupcake Wars and owner of Sweet! By Good Golly Miss Holly in the Waterford Lakes Town Center was in the audience rockin’ out. Scott McKenzie of Scott McKenzie & The Morning Mix on Mix 105.1 FM and local band Simulcast also was in attendance and introduced the movie and its filmmakers Melanie Lentz-Janney and Sylvia Caminer.

(l-r) Sandra Carr and An Affair of the Heart’s executive producer Melanie Lentz-Janney

Photo by Tanya Hanson

Fans continued to go the extra mile by uniting and sharing their passion for Rick Springfield and his music on the big screen during the documentary. The movie’s journey discusses fans that have grown up with Springfield and still hold the torch for him and his music, including Dustin, a teenager that’s fulfilling his rock-star dream, fans Jill and Steve finding love through their mutual adoration for Springfield, Laurie who underwent a second congenital heart surgery when Working Class Dog was released, housewives JoAnn and Sue who get their Rick fix by traveling to see him perform during the weekends and Reverend Kate Dennis who found strength after Shock, Denial, Anger and Acceptance came out. The movie also features concert footage, RickFest in Milwaukee, Wis. , Late, Late At Night book signings and his cruise. The film explains that the fandom isn’t just an obsession but a mutual lifestyle shared by Springfield and his fans. The documentary has been well-accepted and will also be appearing in the Nashville Film Festival (April 19-26) in Nashville, Tenn. and the HOT DOCS film festival in Toronto, Canada, the number one documentary film festival in North America (April 26-May 6).

Rick Springfield and Dustin in An Affair of the Heart.

Image courtesy of the Florida Film Festival

Longtime Rick Springfield fan and executive producer Melanie Lentz-Janney fulfilled her dream of filming a documentary about Springfield and his fans with gal pal and Emmy Award-winning director-producer Sylvia Caminer. They both set out on a mission and captured Springfield’s music and heartfelt-fan moments in a film that’s touching, inspiring, hilarious and a time capsule of rockin’ memories. Orlando public-relations executive Lentz-Janney’s heart and soul went into the production and her passion for Springfield hasn’t waned.

“It was surreal and I will need the rest of my life to process this experience [Laughs]!,” says Lentz-Janney. “At 15, my whole room was decked-out with Rick posters and I hyperventilated when his name was mentioned on television. I had to put that energy into something productive. I was ready for this movie to destroy my fandom because he’s human but I’m proud to say that I’m still a huge Rick Springfield fan.”

Besides Springfield fans, those of you that don’t get rock-star fascination or being a fan in general, then this movie is for you. Walking away from this movie may give you a whole new perspective about being a fan and you may become one yourself.

Sandra Carr with Rick Springfield during a Virgin Megastore signing in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. in 2004.

Image courtesy of Sandra Carr

Stand-by tickets may be available for the sold-out April 19 showing at the Enzian at 9:30 p.m. I highly recommend getting in line early. Fans will be lining up that morning for a chance at purchasing a $10 ticket to see Rick and his flick that night. Fans have traveled as far as Australia for this once-in-a-lifetime fan opportunity. I will be there on the red carpet with local media as well as watching Rick Springfield’s panel discussion after the movie presentation. The evening’s festivities also include Rick Springfield karaoke. Heck, you may even catch me getting my rock-on by singing “An Affair of the Heart.” Find out for yourself by reading my blog.

I have seen Rick Springfield five times and he doesn’t disappoint so, experience his live performance as well as my sixth time seeing him in concert at The Plaza Live in Orlando on Friday, April 20 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $45 (plus a $10.63 service charge) at http://www.plazaliveorlando.com/. See what the hype is all about and why these fans have been devoted to Rick Springfield for more than 30 years. For more information, visit http://www.floridafilmfestival.com and http://rickspringfielddoc.com/news.html.

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April 14, 2012 · 7:11 AM

The Florida Film Festival = Film, Food and Fun

The 21st Annual Florida Film Festival kicked off with its opening-night movie Renee at the Winter Park Regal Cinema and a culinary celebration followed at the Enzian Theater. It was a foodie’s paradise! I enjoyed sampling delectable dishes by Sushi Pop, White Wolf Cafe, Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Hotel, K Restaurant Wine Bar, the Black Bean Deli and Whole Foods Market while watching The Mud Flappers jam on stage.

Sushi Pop

Sushi Pop was a hands-down favorite during the food festivities. The restaurant served its White Tiger sushi rolls, Pork Tacos and Bubblegum Sorbet. The yummy sushi featured fresh ingredients, including Kampyo, Escolar, cucumber, sweet chili and topped with salmon, shallot-ginger sauce and Daikon sprouts.

The Oviedo restaurant’s Pork Taco also pleased the palate. The mini taco featured a marvelous mixture of cinnamon and Star Anise braised-pork, avocado puree, greens, cilantro sprouts and Hoisin barbeque sauce.

A Bubblegum Sorbet was a delightful ending to a three-course edible extravaganza. The sorbet was prepared liquid nitrogen-style with Pop Rocks (I haven’t had Pop Rocks since I was a kid!) and whipped cream. The delectable dessert was an amazing combination and the Pop Rocks popping in my mouth were a nice surprise. Peruse Sushi Pop’s menu or better yet, visit their restaurant with chop sticks in hand: http://sushipoprestaurant.com/

White Wolf Cafe

White Wolf Cafe always delivers and they didn’t disappoint during the Florida Film Festival’s opening-night gala. The eatery served a hot dog but it wasn’t your average Oscar Mayer Wiener! This specialty beef dog and short rib combination was cooked the sous-vide way and smothered with shallots and chives and presented on a white bun.

The Cracker Jack cotton candy concoction was a pleasant ending to the White Wolf’s two-course meal. Butter, popcorn and Isomalt were fused together and voila, you have Cracker Jack cotton candy!

White Wolf Cafe: http://www.whitewolfcafe.com/

K Restaurant Wine Bar

K Restaurant Wine Bar was the only restaurant with a salad on their menu and it was very refreshing. The Cape Canaveral Red Shrimp Salad is perfect for a spring or summer day in Florida. The name didn’t hurt either. K Restaurant got it. The green mixture wasn’t spicy and featured chilled Royal Red Shrimp, mango, hearts of palm, Jicama, cilantro, citrus and chili.

The BBQ Pork Belly Slider was also delish and included house-cured Palmetto Creek Farms Pork Belly with savory bacon marmalade and tomato jam.

K Restaurant Wine Bar: http://www.facebook.com/pages/K-Restaurant-Wine-Bar/106618472590

Black Bean Deli

Winter Park’s Black Bean Deli is a family-owned Central Florida institution. The tiny eatery is packed for lunch and it’s worth the wait. The restaurant serves Cuban recipes and bakes homemade bread. The restaurant’s pork sandwich was tasty but mum was the word with the chef. Heck, some things are worth remaining a secret! You will just have to wait and taste it for yourself!

Black Bean Deli: http://blackbeandeli.yolasite.com/

Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Hotel

The Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Hotel always entices my sweet tooth during the Florida Film Festival’s opening-night gala and this year was no exception. The hotel provided attendees with six dessert options. I sampled the Mango Cream and Grapefruit Caviar Push-Up, Bouchee of Banana Bread Pudding with Foster’s sauce and the Spicy Pecans with Powdered Chocolate and Peanut Butter.

All three desserts were delicious but I really enjoyed the Mango Cream and Grapefruit Caviar Push-Up or as my husband Dan would say, a dessert shooter. I don’t recall having a dessert or candy push-up as a child, so this interactive experience intrigued me. In fact, I had two just to fulfill my sweet sensation and it was worth it!

Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Hotel: http://grandcypress.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp?null

Whole Foods Market

Whole Foods Market is renowned for their natural and organic groceries but I never sampled any of their food offerings until now. The grocer served Tomato Gazpacho Shooters, which included a blend of farm-fresh veggies in a shooter cup. I sampled their yummy pork slider with Thompson Farms’ New 5 Plus Step rated pork and topped with a blue cheese slaw.

Whole Foods Market: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/

Top Chef Marcel Vigneron

Top Chef Season Two runner-up and star of the Syfy cable network’s Marcel’s Quantum Kitchen Marcel Vigneron attended the Florida Film Festival’s opening night gala and raved about Sushi Pop’s Bubblegum Sorbet and White Wolf Cafe’s Cracker Jack cotton candy and was impressed with the Black Bean Deli’s specialties and homemade bread. Me and a Top Chef think alike and have great taste! I guess it’s the foodie in me!

See Marcel Vigneron, two-time cookbook author and award-winning Southern maven of deliciousness Martha Foose and blogger/author and culinary artisan Gui Alinat during the Digital Dish on Saturday, April 14 from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Enzian Theater. A special complimentary taste will be prepared by Marcel Vigneron and served during the panel discussion. Tickets are $10. View the entire Florida Film Festival schedule and purchase tickets at http://www.floridafilmfestival.com.

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Tag Archives: Florida Film Festival

Watch the Florida Film Festival with Eyes Wide Open

Barry Levinson Shares His Life and Career with Fans at the Florida Film Festival

Rick Springfield’s Sold-Out Movie Premiere and Appearance Draws Large Crowd at Florida Film Festival

Fans Rockin’ Synergy Radiates in Rick Springfield’s An Affair of the Heart

The Florida Film Festival = Film, Food and Fun

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