Friday, September, 15th. 2023
Article by Austin Fuller Orlando Sentinel
By Austin Fuller Orlando Sentinel
OVIEDO — Chicken and waffles and carnitas tacos are now being served at two small restaurants next door to each other at a new rocket factory-themed dining hub. The Local Hen and The 1 Cantina both opened in July at The Food Factory Foodie Collective in the Oviedo on the Park development off Mitchell Hammock Road. The Food Factory will eventually have seven, 800-square-foot “micro restaurants” to go with its 2,400-square-foot The Factory Bar that also has started serving up cocktails. They all surround a central courtyard with outdoor seating, and while the set-up might sound similar to a food hall, those involved in the project point out the differences. Each of the “micro restaurants” will have seating for customers inside their individual spaces.“Anyone can dine in any of the micro restaurants, so it’s not just a stall. It’s a true restaurant,” said Ruth Zwieg, co-owner of The Food Factory. Kai Asian Street Fare and Buttercrust Pizza, two other existing Orlando area restaurants, are also expected to open at The Food Factory this fall, Zwieg said. There are talks going on with potential candidates to fill the remaining spots. The 1 Cantina and The Local Hen were opened by two couples who teamed up for both Oviedo eateries. “They are micro restaurants, they’re mini restaurants,” said Giovanni Rodriguez, one of the co-owners of The Local Hen and The 1 Cantina. “To us, that was the attraction versus a food hall, that’s kind of two-dimensional. [A food hall is] only like a standup, a quick service, where here we like the idea that people could come in.” Rodriguez and his wife, Marigel Haaz, also own The 1 Cantina in Avalon Park. The Food Factory is the latest attraction to join the 108-acre Oviedo on the Park development, which opened in 2015 and is home to Center Lake Park, residences, and other restaurants and businesses. “Anchored by Center Lake Park, Oviedo on the Park is the ultimate live, work, play development in one of America’s finest cities, and the Food Factory makes it that much better,” said assistant city manager Patrick Kelly, in an email. Pablo Villatoro, 40, enjoyed a dinner of rib-eye carnitas with chicharron de queso on Thursday inside The 1 Cantina. He lives in Waterford Lakes east of Orlando and likes to take his 6-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter to the Oviedo park. He’s been frequenting the new eateries. “We came over here for my birthday, and my kids for more than half the time were out there playing,” he said. “I just love how just in this little bundle area there’s so many things to do.” With gears and rockets as part of the decor, The Food Factory has a fictional backstory as a rocket factory that during Prohibition was a secret distillery, Zwieg said. One of the “Space Craft Cocktails” at the bar is the “Rocket Fuel,” made with cinnamon-infused bourbon. “It’s a factory reimagined,” Zwieg said. Those involved in the new dining options emphasize they’ve created a central gathering place for the Seminole County city of nearly 40,000 people northeast of Orlando. “We thought that this was not only something that could really add to the landscape of Oviedo cuisine, but we could make this a hangout,” said Diana Bolivar, a co-owner of The 1 Cantina and The Local Hen. Or as Zwieg put it: “It brings what a lot of people have been waiting for, which is a place for community. Where can I come with my family? Where can I come with my kids? Where can I come on date night?”
888 Citywalk ln. Oviedo fl. 32765
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