Here it is: Wrap that Abundant Harvest in a Collard Green. Dare ya!

I am sitting here eating a Hunny Mustard wrapped up nice and snug in a collard green plucked fresh from our garden and it occurs to me that you may or may not know that you can have that too. That’s right, you can order any of the wrap items to be wrapped up in a big ole collard leaf which not only makes your meal gluten free, but it’s another way to sneak more greens into your diet. Which we could probably all use a little bit more of, if we are honest with ourselves. The reason I particularly enjoy this wrap method is because I know how much love Sarah and Ralph put into tending the garden and also how much positive energy surrounds the plants in the form of all of you folks bringing your laughter and love to Dandelion.

This thought leads me to a reflection I have had about signage, or, the lack of it. We do have some signs, of course, but we are inclined to not have a big “BATHROOMS THIS WAY” or “ORDER HERE” or “ORDER FIRST, THEN SIT DOWN AND EAT”. By no means was this intentional, at least initially. We just never got around to it, quite frankly. Over time we have come to discover that the less signs there are, the more opportunities for people to actually talk to one another. And perhaps exchange a smile or some kind words, as is often the case. And, at least once a day, asking a fellow diner where the heck the bathrooms are has opened up conversation that actually lead to romance, job offers, or simply just the right conversation at just the right time.

Some of you will remember when we ran as a table service restaurant for half a year. Sales were great, but the spirit of community got squashed precisely because having a server created a separation between diners. Instead of talking to each other, you just talked to your server and that was that. We switched back to counter service literally overnight – knocking down a wall between the front rooms to efficiently handle the long line that forms out the door. Because we missed that line. It’s where the guy in front of the newbie shares his favorite menu item and explains what in the world a Polynesian Banana Fantasy is. And the two people who have seen each other around for months finally bond over their favorite tea recommendations. And fall in love. And get married.

That happens around here. All the time. It’s called community. It grows organically when walls are torn down, when signs don’t exist, when fences are removed. When people are trusted to explore and they discover what is inside the drawer of the coffee table, around the corner in the blue room and on the shelf of the piano, the one that is for playing, by the way.

Click to RSVP on Facebook

Please join us on Tuesday, March 20th for a very special celebration of our six year anniversary all day long. Every entree will be just $6 the entire day as a thank you for your generous support over the years. Click on the image to RSVP on Facebook and don’t forget to invite your friends.

From the bottom of our hearts, and on behalf of the entire Dandelion Tribe, we thank you for co-creating the magic around Dandelion to ensure that with every Giddyup we serve, a generous side of community is built. We are thriving today because of you are choosing to support local goodness and bringing your friends with you. The deepest gratitude that we hold in our hearts have no way to be expressed fully in words. It is our deepest desire that we continue to serve our community by deepening our practice of being of service to our patrons, local food community and the artistic culture that makes Orlando a fantastic place to be growing in. 2012 is the year of PLAY! Join us!!!
 

Click Here for Green Drinks Meetup

Making a Difference: An Evening with Dr. Jane Goodall

In her speech, Making a Difference, Dr. Jane Goodall, will bring her audience into the world of the Gombe chimpanzees, from her early observations and experiences to the latest news and stories from the field.

Dr. Goodall will also provide insight into the person behind the globe-trotting international icon: founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, a UN Messenger of Peace, Dame of the British Empire and the subject of countless articles and television programs around the world. She will also discuss the current threats facing the planet and her reasons for hope in these complex times, encouraging everyone to do their part to make a positive difference each and every day.  More info: http://www.meetup.com/Green-Drinks/

Click Here for Green Drinks Meetup

Author, political-economist, historian Gar Alperovitz–one of the designers of the Cleveland Model of worker-owned cooperatives that is receiving a lot of media attention from Time Magazine, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, The Nation, to name just a few. The Cleveland Model of cooperatives is based on the extremely successful model in Mondragon, Spain where dozens of  businesses are owned by over 100.000 workers. In Cleveland, the model already encompasses three major businesses: an industrial-size ‘green’ laundry cleaning operation, a solar energy company and the largest urban green house in the United States. More info: http://www.meetup.com/Green-Drinks/

And as always, learn how you can get inovlved in the Local First movement in our community, Ourland, and develop local authentic community and culture.

When: January 19th at 7pm  FREE event.

You can find out more details here: http://www.meetup.com/Green-Drinks/events/46814932/

After an evening weaving together music, food and economics with Charles, spend the day with movers and shakers in our local food system at the SUSTAINABLE FOOD CONFERENCE.

Slow Food Orlando, Winter Park Harvest Festival, Edible Orlando Magazine, and the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce are bringing TEDx Manhattan “Changing the Way We Eat” to our community via live webcast.

This one-day event will take place on January 21, 2012 and will highlight several aspects of the sustainable food movement and the work being done to shift our food system from industrially-based agriculture to one in which healthy, nutritious food is accessible to all. Speakers with various backgrounds in food and farming will share their insights and expertise.

Please visit http://www.tedxmanhattan.org/ speakers/ for more information and speaker bios.

As an added bonus, we’re giving our TEDx “viewing party” a local twist. There will be a handful of speakers presenting some key resources that are available to Central Floridians who are looking to learn to eat more consciously.

Pack lunch, snacks and drinks or purchase edibles from nearby restaurants and vendors.

TEDx Manhattan Webcast and Viewing Party
TEDx: Changing the Way We Eat
January 21, 2012
9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Winter Park Welcome Center
151 West Lyman Ave, Winter Park, FL, 32789

Pre-register online for TEDx today!

When: Saturday, January 28, 2012  from 1:30pm until 2:30pm

Fee: $10 per family

RSVP to Tia Meer to tiameer@gmail.com or call 321-217-8492. Add to your facebook calendar here.

2012 Calls for Major Shifts!

It’s here. The year 2012 is finally upon us. It’s incredible to think that when Dandelion opened in 2006 we had no idea that the next six years would bring so many major shifts. Our first black president. Facebook and it’s instantaneous news sharing of engagements, babies being born, the party happening right now. Twitter organized revolutions by the people. New Orleans. Japan. Haiti. The massive bank fiasco. Millions of people utilizing consensus based decision making through occupation movements worldwide. A vegetable garden at the white house. A massive movement to re-localize. And a Jetson’s future turned reality with facetime on smartphones. Whoa.

In Central Florida we’ve seen massive growth in the re-localization movement: the creation of Slow Food Orlando, Ourlando Local Business Alliance, the exponential growth of Homegrown Co-op, Edible Orlando, Winter Park Harvest Festival, Audubon Park Community Market, Food Truck Bazaars, Grandma Parties, the creation of mini Main Street Districts throughout the city and mini festivals held at local businesses like never before.

At Dandelion, we’ve seen our little block transform into a haven for the open minded. Our community has welcomed the Florida School of Holistic Living, Misty Forest, Shine On Yoga, Michael Arthur Acupuncture, Urban Re-Cycle, the launch of Homegrown Co-op (now in fancy quarters on Orange Ave) along with moon circles twice monthly, the planting of the Bodhi tree, a medicinal herb garden, an edible garden, walls covered in American Clay. In our walls, dozens of people have met and fallen in love, several couples have gotten engaged, one blessed wedding and countless moments of synchronistic ah-ha moments between the amazing folks who find themselves here enjoying the delicious food and tea our tribe prepares for us.

Within our tribe, babies have been born, engagements have been proposed, hearts have been opened, dreams have been encouraged and pursued.

It is apparent to us, with enough to look back at, that the close of 2011 brings The End of The Beginning. The start-up is now established. The foundation is solid. Our community has found it’s rhythm and we know the basics of who we all are and how we are connected; what we have and what we need; when to be proactive, when to be reactive and when to leave well enough alone; where to get our needs met locally; why it is important for all of us to support local. And as a community, each of us is learning how to shift with the times by re-educating, re-skilling and re-membering that we are all here to take care of one another, to share in an atmosphere of plentitude and to co-create the “more beautiful world our hearts tell us is possible.”

Welcome to the future. 2012 is here. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are one. There is no central figure come to save us, the time of the guru is gone. We are each a leader, a teacher, a student. We are each here to do our part, we are each here to change within, to dream a new dream. Thank you for being yourself, for believing in yourself, for using your power to co-create an interdependent community that is thriving, feasting, singing, dancing and doing good work that nourishes the soul of self, family and community. We are so grateful to be in this moment out of time with each of you.

May our hearts be open at the dawn of 2012 and beyond.

Happy Holidays

We hope you are enjoying this delightful holiday weather as you make your final preparation for the holidays!

Just a quick reminder that we will be CLOSED on Christmas and CLOSING EARLY at 4pm on Christmas Eve.

Even though the cafe is closed, there will still be a moon circle on Christmas Eve in the garden if you would like to join in.

Our favorite picks for last-minute holiday idea:

• Gift certificates and Gift Baskets from Dandelion are still available at the cafe
• The Ourlando 2012 Event Calendar is also available in the cafe and features the urban sketches of Thomas Thorspecken of Analog Artist Digital World. A collectors item for the local lover in your life. One is on display in the front room of the cafe for you to check out!
• Membership to Homegrown Co-op for the new year!

And here are some cool things we’ve found to make the holidays just an itty bit more enjoyable…

• Local Listen. Hey, It’s Christmas – Put this awesome album of local orlando musicians in your iPod rotation. Totally Free Download. This is volume two featuring a majority of Florida musicians. Volume one is just as awesome, see link at bottom of page.
• Gather. Around the tree – local, u-pick Christmas trees complete with hayride, petting zoo, zip lines, kettle corn at this family farm just 35 minutes north of downtown for your last minute tree needs. Trim off the branches when you are done and cut the trunk into block sized pieces – instant present for the cool kid in your life!
• Mystical Santa. We love holiday myths and legends of all kinds and we recently discovered the Mushroom-Santa Link. Should make for delightful conversation around the yule log!
• Simplify.Too often, the holidays seem to exhaust rather than uplift us. Take the 2011 Simplify the Holidays Challenge and get a free e-book full of ideas!

With love from the entire Dandelion Tribe!

Become a Patron, Get it Delivered with Your Local Groceries!

We are pleased to announce that you may now place your order for your favorite Dandelion goods through Homegrown Local Food Co-op. We currently offer Hummus, Chili, Whirled Peas and are going to be adding our dressings and more dips and sauces in the near future. With Homegrown, you place an order online, we prepare it for you fresh in the morning and it is delivered to your home that afternoon along with other local grocery items or you can visit the Farm Store on Orange Avenue and pick some up there. We are proud to be patrons and producers for this awesome local food gem!

About Homegrown: Homegrown Local Food Cooperative exists to ensure convenient access and consistent supply of locally grown foods that are ethical, organic and sustainable in production to the communities of Central Florida. Our mission is to support the production, promotion, and distribution of these foods throughout our region. Educating the community about the products we sell, and don’t sell, is our contribution to a healthier, better informed community. Inspiring and empowering our members to grow their own organic food is our commitment to a sustainable future.

Have a Fairy Happy Thanksgiving!

Today we stand in gratitude for our all those who bring the delicious food we serve to the table. From the long line of seed savers, our rich soil, the buzzing bees, the hardworking farmers, pickers, packers and drivers to the hands of our Dandelion Tribe who transform the grains and vegetables and fruits into something delicious for you to enjoy. And, of course, to you, our patrons and friends, who make eating organic and supporting local & independent a priority.

In honor of gathering around the table with friends and family, we will be closed on Thanksgiving and closing early today at 5pm. We will reopen on Friday for normal business hours.

We wish you an abundant, safe and joyous Thanksgiving!

Click for larger view of menu

We are happy to announce a delicious dinner menu available after 6pm during Eat Local Week. Dandelion is also hosting a film about the young farming movement. Click here for trailer & information.

Local Seasonal Vegetable Medley Soup featuring Jonathan’s Farms local produce including: Squash, Zucchini, and Green Beans.
Stuffed Portobella Caps featuring Zellwood Farms Portobella Mushroom Caps stuffed and served on a bed of organic spring greens drizzled with red wine demi-glace.
served with Quinoa Pilaf featuring Organic Tempeh from Gainesville’s Tempeh Shop

Local Beverage Options
Autumn Tea Blended by Local Herbalist Dawn Gates featuring 100% organic and feature biodynamically harvested Spanish Needles from Dawn’s Enchanted Garden and
Orlando Brewing Organic Beers

Click Image to go to Facebook Event

Sparkle is back! For More Information, click here.

Pre-Order Today

For Thanksgiving, we’ve crafted a homemade feast for your enjoyment. We use delicious organic ingredients that are completely vegan and gluten free! Our gluten-free “Feast” is pre-cooked and packaged –  just reheat and enjoy when you get to your Thanksgiving destination.

Sorry, we are not able to accept any more orders at this time. Check back for a Christmas feast in December!

The Thanksgiving Feast To-Go is vegan, gluten-free, organic and homemade.  You will get a Marsala Mushroom Nut Loaf, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Roasted Root Vegetables, Cranberry Ginger Sauce and Corn. Single serving is $14.95 or $49.95 and feeds a family of four.

This is our chance to change the world.

Hello sweet breezy weather that makes you want to get cozy with a fresh brewed cup of hot tea and a big bowl of homemade chili!!!! As we prepare for VegFest this weekend and with an eye on the upcoming Eat Local Week and Winter Park Harvest Festival, we cannot help but notice the sweet sound of transformation all around us. Dandelion is a place for everyone in our community to find common ground and our patrons make up a deliciously diverse cross section of ages, ethnicities, preferences, faiths, professions and income levels. We are a place where the 100% enjoy good food, including at least one of the 1%, the late Steve Jobs, may he rest in peace.

Chris and I opened the cafe because we became aware of injustices occurring across the globe that adversely affect the quality of life for everything and everyone on this planet of ours. We experienced moments of deep sadness and anger and even helplessness. We wanted to make a positive difference  but weren’t sure how. After many attempts and deep thought we realized our particular talents might best be put to use with our training in business and penchant for dinner parties.  Looking back at our beginnings, we understood so little compared with what we have learned from all of you in the past five years, but we knew in our heart of hearts that we had to be the change we wanted to see in the world. One of the most heartening and hopeful things we are witnessing is regular folks standing up for their rights, finding their voice, telling their stories and finding ways to create the more beautiful world our hearts tell us is possible.

We may disagree on who or what broke the system, but we all agree that is is broken. Here are my picks for some of the most inspiring, informative, interesting and intelligent concepts to help restore vitality, personal freedom and equality.

Further Resources

• Yes! Magazine —- the BEST publication in the world!!!!
• Center for a New American Dream
• Living Economies Forum with David Korten
• Sacred Economics by Charles Eisenstein
• The Soul of Money by Lynn Twist
• Business Alliance for Local Living Economies — of particular interest to small business owners
• Slow Money with Woody Tasch
• Economic Podcasts from Front Porch Radio hosted locally by Julie Norris

Do you have a resources you want the world to know about? Please leave a comment below!

Green Drinks

This month’s Green Drinks will be especially informative for those of you interested in creating a local food business or those who would like to meet other business representatives in the local food industry. Based on a recent suggestion, we will be discussing the new Cottage Industry law, as well as shared commercial kitchens, and the process it takes to get products into farmers markets and restaurants.

Green Drinks is held the third Thursday of every month starting at 7pm.

In order for us to fully understand the new Cottage Industry Law, which allows some small-scale food production for farmers markets to take place at the home, LuAnn Duncan will be joining us.  She is the Orange County Nutrition Agent and her focus is on nutrition, health, and food safety. http://orange.ifas.ufl.edu/faculty.html#LuAnn_Duncan

While the new Cottage Industry Law is a huge break-through, shared kitchens can bring almost any small food business to reality.  Talking with us this month we will also have Joshua Weinberg from the Kissimmee Kitchen Share, where their mission is “to provide culinary entrepreneurs with the tools and resources to build their dream business and succeed in today’s marketplace.” http://www.kissimmeekitchenshare.com/

Once the food is made, the next step is getting it to market.Gabriela Othon Lothrop the director of the Audubon Park Community Market will be sharing the ins and outs of getting into local farmer/community markets.   The Audubon Park Community Market is truly local market, supporting local artisans, farmers, ranchers, chefs, musicians, and so many more.  These authentic markets are springing up all over town, so come find out what it takes to get a space. http://audubonparkmarket.com/

The Green Drinks session is hosted by Emily Rankin, Founder of Audubon Park Community Market, Co-Founder of Ourlando and Proprietor of Local Roots Farm to Restaurant Distribution.

Ice ice baby
Ice ice baby
All right stop
Collaborate and listen
Dandy is back with a brand new invention
Something grabs a hold of us tightly
Then I flow that ice tea daily and nightly
Will it ever stop?
Yo, I don’t know
Turn off the lights and we’ll glow
To the extreme I rock a mic like a dandy
Light up a stage and wax a chump like a candle

We Made the Top Five! Thanks for your votes!

We must learn to invest as if food, farms and fertility mattered. We must connect investors to the places where they live, creating vital relationships and new sources of capital for small food enterprises. – Slow Money Principle #3

With your support, Dandelion placed fifth in the nation out of over 600 integrity oriented businesses. Thank you for shining the light of Orlando in front of the nation. We know that light has been seen and look forward to witnessing how local investors find new ways to connect with local food producers to help our local food movement reach critical mass and long term sustainability.

Stay tuned for more Slow Money news!

Let us celebrate the new generation of entrepreneurs, consumers and investors who are showing the way from Making A Killing to Making a Living. – SM Principal #5

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves! Check out this sweet video promotion put together by the awesome couple at In Joy Healthcare. You can enter to win a Iridology & Nutrition Session when you get a Communitea Tumbler which includes a customized nutrition plan, digital photos of the irises, and digital recording of the Iridology Interpretation.  (*** video says 12 grande prizes based on early info, but there are actually over 40!***)

This week’s $5 Deal will inspire fantasies of tropical getaways!!! Learn more about the Polynesian Banana Fantasy including popular variations.

This deal is so good it can’t be combined with any other offer.

Polynesian Banana Fantasy with Curryous Dressing

One more reason to hurry in and get your very own Communitea Tumbler!!! Let’s celebrate with a FREE Tea of the Day every Tuesday in August when you bring in your cup!

The tumblers have arrived! We SO want you to have one of these cups, which is why your first cup of ice tea is FREE, plus we will knock 25 cents off your bill every time you come in and fill the cup up!

Let’s Sweeten The Deal: every cup comes with 32 coupons from 60+ great indie places in town including $25 Off at Eola Eyes, 50% of a year subscription to edibleOrlando magazine, free pool at Sportstown Billiards and much more!

You absolutely cannot resist: We’ve gathered together an astounding amount of fabulous prizes that you could win with the three wishes you receive including:

• a Vintage Sears Free Spirit 3 Speed Bike from our new neighbors at Downtown ReCycles
• 2 Global Peace Film Festival Passes to the Global Peace Film Festival
• One Year of FREE Monthly Reiki Sessions from I Deserve Healing, a Basket of Poca’s Hot Sauce by Poca’s Hottest
• FREE Teeny Tiny Play Party at Amaya Papaya
• One Hour Massage from Motherlove Massage and a
• Girls Night Out Sexy & Sassy Party Package from Blissful Lotus School of Loving Arts, to name just a few!

Um… can you say best dandy deal ever!!!!

Of course, you also lessen your impact on the environment, promote your favorite gathering place, and discover a new favorite enterprise while enjoying an ice cold organic tea this summer!

Business Directory of All 60+ Participating With Coupons for Every Cup
(All coupon sheets have 32 coupons on them, but not all sheets have the exact same coupons. Some businesses offered only 100 or 500 coupons and we are selling 1000 cups).

Check Out All these AWESOME Raffle Prizes!!!

>>>>>>> Enter the Raffle Here After Purchase <<<<<<<

We only ordered a limited quantity so get your sassy self down to the cafe and grab one up before they are all gone!

**If you preordered one online, bring your receipt in and pick yours up!**

Photo by Michael Anthony Moffa

The Mix

What’s a Giddyup you say? For you newbies, it’s a mouthful of deliciousness, served as a wrap or salad. Get giddy with spring greens, crumbled blue corn chips, our famous chili, fresh diced tomatoes and scallions. Served with vegan queso or organic dairy cheddar.

Why is it SO delicious?

We think it’s because we make it from scratch from the finest organic ingredients, including artisan tempeh from the Tempeh Shop in Gainesville which is prepared according to traditional methods. It’s this magical combination that came together shortly after we opened when we wondered what the heck we were going to do with all the broken chips at the bottom of the bag. It’s just another example of how thinking to reduce our waste turns out to be an amazingly positive thing for everyone.

Variations:

• Don’t forget that the chili also comes stand alone as a cup or bowl or you can try out the Macho’s Libre appetizer to get your fill.
• Julie likes to swap out the spring greens for quinoa. YUM!
• Lots of folks add Green Goddess dressing for something creamy dreamy.

Vegan When You Choose Queso & Gluten Free without the wrap.

ONE DAY ONLY: Thursday, July 28th

This week’s $5 Deal is so tempting!!! Learn more about the Eve’s Revenge including popular variations.

This deal is so good it can’t be combined with any other offer.

you the best!

We are grateful to be amongst the best in this year’s truly spectacular Best of Orlando by the Orlando Weekly . (Is it me or was this year’s best of the best yet? Great job everyone at the weekly who pulls this thing together!) Thanks to all of you who voted for us – we were winners in the Best Vegetarian and Best Teahouse category. We’ve been recognized every year we’ve been in business, which is saying a lot as many great place to to eat and sip have multiplied in the past five years.

This $5 Deal is fresh and delicious!!! Click here to learn more about our Stir Fresh including popular variations.
This deal is so good it can’t be combined with any other offer.

You've waited all year for this

We’ve had people bring in their own avocado’s so we can build this sassy dish up for them, they must have a fetish! See, we are committed to organic down at Dandy, and that means we have to wait for avocado’s to come in season before we can offer this popular salad or wrap up to you. We suggest adding some fakin to the mix if you really want to get freaky. Get it while you can, we usually sell out of this pretty quickly and have to wait for another round of avocado’s to arrive. As long as we have these voluptuous green fruits in stock, we’ll have this special throughout summer.

Click to order

PRE-ORDERS ARE NOW CLOSED!

By request, you can now pre-order our Dandelion Communitea 16oz tumblers and reserve your cup! We are only ordering a limited quantity of these BPA free, double-walled acrylic cups and your purchase comes with your first cup of ice tea free, plus 25 cents off your bill every time you come in and fill the cup up!

To entice you even further,  every cup will comes with coupons to other great indie places in town plus the chance to enter to win over a dozen grande prizes! (Directory of participating businesses here). Lessen your impact on the environment, promote your favorite gathering place, save money, and discover a new favorite enterprise while enjoying an ice cold organic tea this summer!

We’ll email you when the cups arrive & you can come into Dandelion and pick up your treasure! We are expecting to have the cups available in store on August 1st.