orlando

Raphsodic Bakery

A little over a year ago my wife and I were looking to move to Orlando. We spent tons of time driving around downtown, looking everywhere for a place to live. We found a little house in colonial town, dialed the number on the sign, and said we were interested in seeing the space. The property manager said he would be there in an hour. We had time to kill and decided to visit a bakery we had recently noticed on Mills. 

This bakery happened to be both Vegan and Gluten Free and all around, AWESOME. The coffee was from a small roaster in Clermont and all the baked goods were made in house. 

We ended up moving in to the house we looked at and several days later I went back to use the wifi. I had hours worth of work and the staff was gracious enough to let me occupy a table and suck up their bandwidth. 

Its been awhile since I'd been back, but when I heard they were closing a few weeks ago I had to make sure to stop in and say my goodbyes. 

We went on Thursday this past week and then I came back again at open on Friday with my camera. From the moment the doors opened there was a line. People were waiting to get in and get their last fix. Some customers even brought gifts. 

The staff was upbeat, and Katie the owner, while noticeably tired from a long week of preparation for the final day was filled with light and joy, making sure to smile and let every customer know that she was truly thankful for each and every person who came in supported the shop for the last five years. 

The mills 50 district and might I say, Orlando, lost a really great part of its food community, but heart of the business and the people in it won't be forgotten. 

Thank you Katie for loving this community and being intent on doing things well and always serving up good things. I wish you the best of luck and hope our paths cross again in the future! 

New York Times Staff Party Stencil by SKIP

My friend Skip was recently hired by Ocean Prime in Dr. Phillips to stencil a logo on to a dessert for the New York Time's yearly staff party. I was asked to document the stenciling for future marketing and promotion.

Here is what we came up with. 

Downtown Credo

About two weeks ago I did a shoot with my friend Jordan at Credo. Jordan runs a collective called Elementum - a community based movement that seeks to connect the consumer with the producer. Need some fresh fruits and vegetables? Jordan is your guy. 

On top of this, he is also top notch in the realm of Coffee and happy to make you a damn good cup! If you are in the college park neighborhood, stop by Downtown Credo and say hello. 

Michael and Jess - Winter Park, FL.

These are my friends, Michael and Jess. Today is their two year anniversary of being together- the perfect time to post these photos! They are our neighbors and two all around awesome people and I've enjoyed getting to know them over the last 7 months of living in Orlando.

Thanks guys for letting me take these photos. 

Appreciate you both! 

The Dinner Party Project - October 15th, 2014

For the second time I was able to participate in The Dinner Party Project. 

For those that don't know, this is a weekly gathering where 8 individuals are picked at random to share a meal with people that they have never met before. The time together is filled with a variety of awesome food and a series of questions to keep conversation flowing amongst one another. This week we ate food from Avenue Thai and Sushi. Desert was made by my wonderful wife Dawn! 
 
The hope is that these dinners will allow you to get out and connect with people in your community that you wouldn't have otherwise have met had it not been for the dinner!

If you are interested, contact Dana at danamarieroquemore@gmail.com