Grande Lakes Orlando announced the opening of Whisper Creek Farm: The Kitchen and The Brewery at JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes.
Grande Lakes, which includes The Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott, continues to set the bar high for farm-to-fork experiences in Orlando, Florida, a rising culinary destination. The Kitchen at JW Marriott Orlando features the inaugural batch of beer from The Brewery at Grande Lakes, an in-house nano-brewery producing brews on tap served throughout the resort.
Whisper Creek Farm: The Kitchen
Showcasing a rustic yet polished design, The Kitchen is meant to feel like eating in a family kitchen with a variety of communal, high-top, sofa, outdoor and bar seating with rich woods, steel blues, and leather accents. Menu items including snacks, small plates and sandwiches, charcuterie and cheese boards, and flatbreads will feature seasonal ingredients from the 7,000-square-foot on-site garden at Whisper Creek Farm as well as fresh eggs from a recently added chicken coop.
The Kitchen's sausages and charcuterie, prepared by the JW Marriott butcher, pair with The Brewery's hops-laden creations. Signature menu items prepared in the restaurant's open-air display kitchen include fresh pickled vegetables, hop-salted house pretzels served with Surplus Ale cheese fondue, seasonal flatbreads, and a smoked ham sandwich on a house-made Whisper Creek Farm honey pecan roll inspired by a popular ham sandwich on the original 1927 Marriott Hot Shoppe menu.
The Kitchen's small plates are planned by the JW Marriott culinary team and brought to life by Chef de Partie Jason Shapiro, who joined the hotel in 2009 and has since been involved in the resort's creation of Whisper Creek Farm.
In addition to showcasing The Brewery's seasonal brews, The Kitchen's six taps will rotate between five seasonal selections and Surplus (Honey Citrus Ale), Grande Lakes' flagship beer.
Located just off the main JW Marriott lobby, The Kitchen seats 100 indoors and 50 on the outdoor terrace.
Whisper Creek Farm: The Brewery
The first Marriott property to launch a nano-brewery, Grande Lakes has brought in a local Cicerone-certified brewmaster to lead The Brewery.
The Brewery will produce 28 gallons of beer weekly with five styles created each season—dark, wheat/light, amber, IPA and a special seasonal brew made from the freshest farm ingredients. Signature Special Brew varieties will include the Maple Bacon Stout, Soup of the Day IPA and Ghost Pepper Wheat.
In addition to brewing signature beer for The Kitchen, The Brewery also operates as a Chef's Table for intimate evenings and group events.
To complement The Brewery launch, the hotel is collaborating with Cape Canaveral-based Florida Beer Company to create its flagship brew, Surplus. A signature Floridian honey citrus ale, Surplus will be distributed throughout the resort and available year-round. The beer is naturally infused with Grande Lakes honey sourced from the resort's on-property apiaries.
