Recipes for Easy Entertaining with a Taste of Orlando featured at Club Wyndham
Exploring the local food scene is a big draw when you’re on vacation. And while Orlando remains theme park capital of the world, it has also become a foodie destination. Club Wyndham, the world’s largest vacation club with more than 100 resorts around the world, one of which is located steps away from Walt Disney World Resort, recognized this. I was thrilled to see they enlisted award-winning Orlando chef Julie Petrakis as one of three chefs nationwide to help launch their Suite Meals by Club Wyndham™ program. She is one of the women chef’s who rock Orlando’s food scene.
I’m grateful Club Wyndham shared the recipes with us during an intimate media preview. I’m sharing them with you below because they are perfect for Easy Entertaining at home to get you excited for your trip to Orlando.
What is Suite Meals by Club Wyndham?
The digital culinary series features destination-inspired, simple and delicious recipes that travelers can recreate while exploring a new city. Families can prepare these dishes right in their vacation club suite, following the recipes crafted by James Beard Award nominated chef Julie Petrakis from Orlando, Florida; Portland’s Chef of the Year Karl Holl from Oregon, and junior chef Gabriel Paredes from Austin, Texas.
“Club Wyndham is all about inspiring families to live their travel bucket list, and trying new flavors is a big part of discovering a new city,” said Lori Gustafson, SVP of Brand Strategy for Wyndham Destinations. “This new culinary series combines the first-hand, local experiences our vacation club members crave when exploring a new destination, while embracing the digital-first environment our travelers live in.”
Having a fully-equipped kitchen is one of the top amenities guests enjoy about their vacation club membership. In fact, sixty-five per cent of club members cook while on vacation.
With a dedicated, mobile-first website featuring the chefs’ recipes, how-to videos and gorgeous photography of the final dishes, along with in-suite recipe cards, guests will be able to recreate the featured dishes at Club Wyndham Austin, WorldMark – Portland Waterfront Park and Club Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort.
Vacation club suites at Club Wyndham resorts offer spacious condo-style accommodations, featuring separate living and dining areas, bedrooms, and kitchens or kitchenettes, equipped with all the tools needed to whip up a quick meal before setting out to explore. The Suite Meals by Club Wyndham recipes were crafted using local ingredients and all of the kitchen tools that are available in vacation club suites, ensuring travelers have everything needed to create a chef-approved dish.
Experience A Taste of Orlando
Chef Julie’s three exclusive recipes are inspired by Floridian flavors. They are takes on popular dishes featured on her restaurant menus but made approachable for home cooking. Perfect for Easy Entertaining at home and for cooking in your vacation suite.
The recipes are easy to prepare and full of flavor. Plus, they will appeal to all age groups, including the grandparents and kids, because after all, a vacation at Club Wyndham is a family affair.
A simple Southern Breakfast Sandwich is taken to the next level with Pimento Cheese. Florida Style Shrimp & Grits is a Southern favorite dressed up with Florida shrimp and savory sausage. The Florida Farmer’s Salad puts the outdoor grill to good use with marinate pork chops and charred corn.
Pair them with a bottle of bubbles, crisp refreshing wines and craft beers and they are perfect for brunch.
About Chef Julie Petrakis
Chef Julie Petrakis is at the forefront of Orlando’s growing food movement. Together with her husband Chef James Petrakis, they’ve played a key role in Orlando’s culinary scene transformation. With numerous accolades including five James Beard nominations, a stop at their restaurants is not only a favorite for locals, it’s a must for any Orlando visitor.
The Ravenous Pig, an award-winning American Gastropub opened in 2007. Cask & Larder, a Southern Public House featuring seasonal ingredients opened in 2012 and relocated to Orlando’s International Airport in 2016. The Polite Pig, a fast-casual concept in Disney Springs combining local Florida flavors with wood-fired, smoked modern barbecue opened in 2017. Their newest venture is The Ravenous Pig Brewing Company, a 3,000 square foot facility that will produce namesake brews, available at both The Ravenous Pig, The Polite Pig and Cask & Larder opened in 2019. A beer garden is on the horizon for 2020.
With her recipes at Club Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort, Petrakis aimed to provide family-friendly dishes that everyone can enjoy while taking a break from a busy day at the theme parks. The mom of two young boys knows all about feeding the family quickly without sacrificing flavor. Living in Florida, the grill is their best friend. Any type of grilled meat or seafood and colorful salad, like their Florida Salad is her go-to for easy entertaining on the fly.
Southern Breakfast Sandwich Recipe
The Southern Breakfast Sandwich is so easy to make and quite addictive. I confess I’ve made it several times since I got this recipe! The use of Pawley’s Island Palmetto Cheese™ from South Carolina takes it to the next level. Because if you can’t make your own, as they do at The Ravenous Pig, then this is the next best alternative. Made with Wisconsin sharp cheddar cheese, it has the texture and flavor you’d expect in a homemade pimento cheese recipe. And the best part, it’s available at local grocery stores like Publix and also on Amazon.
Easy breakfast sandwich recipe with a Southern touch by award winning chef Julie Petrakis of The Ravenous Pig. Created especially for Suite Meals by Club Wyndham.
- 6 English muffins
- 6 slices bacon
- 6 large eggs
- 2 cups arugula
- 1 tbsp. water
- Pimento cheese spread
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Heat non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook bacon until crisp, then drain on a paper towel.
Split English muffins in half and toast until golden. Spread both halves of toasted muffins with pimento cheese. Chef Tip: Try Pawley’s Island.
- In a bowl, whisk eggs with water, salt, and pepper. Return cleaned pan to heat. Once hot, add 1 tbsp. olive oil, pour in the egg mixture, and immediately swirl to coat the entire bottom of pan. Cook for about 1 minute or until set. Loosen edges and flip cooked egg round onto cutting board. Allow to cool slightly, then cut into 6 wedges.
- Place a folded egg slice on the muffin, top with crispy bacon and arugula, then close the sandwich. Slice in half and enjoy.
Florida Farmer’s Salad Recipe
The Florida Farmer’s Salad uses every Floridian’s favorite kitchen appliance, the grill! Luckily Club Wyndham guests have access to outdoor grills so they can feel right at home. This salad features a host of colorful ingredients but don’t sweat it if you have to improvise and replace a few ingredients. They key is get yourself in season veggies.
Grilled Pork chops marinated with honey Dijon vinaigrette with colorful salad veggies make a perfect Florida lunch, brunch or dinner entree. Recipe by Chef Julie Petrakis of The Ravenous Pig. Created especially for Suite Meals by Club Wyndham.
- 4 each boneless, center cut pork chops
- 1 bottle Honey Dijon vinaigrette
- 2 each ears of corn
- 6 cups baby kale
- 1 cup grape tomatoes
- 2 each ripe avocados
- 2 each large hard-boiled eggs
- 2 each bacon slices
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Coat pork chops with 2 cups of vinaigrette and marinate for 2 hours.
Heat non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook bacon until crisp, let it cool, then crumble into small pieces.
Shuck and clean corn ears, cut grape tomatoes in half and slice avocados and hard-boiled eggs.
Heat grill to medium-high. Drain pork from marinade and pat dry. Toss corn cobs with olive oil, salt and pepper.
Oil grill grates and grill pork chops 5-7 minutes per side, until juices run clear. At the same time, grill corn until slightly charred, about 5 minutes.
Remove pork from grill and allow to rest at least 8 minutes. Cut kernels from corn cobb and slice the pork.
To assemble the salad, arrange kale, tomatoes, avocados, eggs, bacon, feta, charred corn and sliced pork on a large platter. Serve with remaining vinaigrette.
Pair this fresh salad with a local craft beer like Ravenous Pig Brewing Company Saison du Cochon, a Belgian style farmhouse ale.
Florida-Style Shrimp & Grits Recipe
Florida-Style Shrimp & Grits is the most Southern dish there is. In fact, it’s one of the most popular dishes at The Ravenous Pig. The secret pro-tip from Chef Julie, don’t skimp on the bacon fat and cheese in the grits. You can also make grits the day before if you’re short on time. Lastly, the sausage oil rendering is what takes this dish to award-winning status.
A Southern favorite dressed up with Florida Shrimp style shrimp and savory sausage, corn, tomatoes, goat cheese grits topped with chives by Chef Julie Petrakis of The Ravenous Pig. Created especially for Suite Meals by Club Wyndham.
- 1.5 lbs raw, peeled and deveined shrimp
- 8 oz Andouille sausage
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup coarse-ground corn grits
- 1 cup fresh corn kernels
- 1 cup halved grape tomatoes
- 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh chives
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper
Bring cream and stock to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add grits slowly, whisking vigorously. Cook, whisking frequently, about 10 minutes until grits are tender.
Heat 1 tsp olive oil in large saute pan over medium heat. Add sliced sausage and cook 3-5 minutes until warmed and slightly crispy. Remove sausage from pan with slotted spoon, then pour all but 1 tbsp of the cooking oil in a bowl to reserve.
Return saute pan to medium-high heat. Add shrimp, corn and tomatoes. Saute until shrimp are just barely opaque, then add cooked sausage.
Whisk goat cheese and reserved sausage cooking oil into the warm grits. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
In each bowl, spoon shrimp mixture over grits, top with chopped chives and enjoy.
About Club Wyndham
Club Wyndham is the flagship vacation ownership brand in the Wyndham Destinations portfolio, the world’s largest vacation ownership and exchange company. From the busy streets of the Big Apple to the calming shores of Hawaii, Club Wyndham owners have access to more than 200 resorts to unlock new cities, new experiences and new destinations. Club Wyndham lets travelers spark their sense of adventure with spacious resort suites featuring the comforts of home, including fully equipped kitchens, separate living and dining areas, and separate bedrooms, plus resort amenities and quality service. Wander across town, across the country or across the ocean – no matter what’s on your travel bucket list, Club Wyndham offers the chance to live it. All Club Wyndham resorts participate in Wyndham Rewards, the number one hotel rewards program as named by readers of USA TODAY with more than 30,000 hotels, vacation club resorts and vacation rentals globally.
For more information, visit ClubWyndham.com. Follow on Twitter @ClubWyndham; Facebook @ClubWyndham; and Instagram @ClubWyndham.
I hope you’re inspired to go #MakeSomedayHappen one delicious bite, sip and trip at a time! Book that vacation, get friends together and prepare the meals at home. These recipes are great for a Florida themed brunch. Whatever you do, just go do it! And don’t forget to share. Tag me @GoEpicurista and let’s celebrate checking off our “someday” list experiences together!
Cheers!
Go Epicurista
Disclosure: I was a hosted media guest for this event for promotional purposes. I am under no obligation to share this post. As always, all opinions are my own. I only share with you products and experiences I love to inspire you to safely get together with family and friends, celebrate life and go #MakeSomedayHappen one delicious bite, sip and trip at a time! You can read more about my guidelines in my disclosure policy. Cheers!
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