Central Florida Home & Garden Show Features Yard Crashers’ Ahmed Hassan; Edible Orlando; Food Truck Rally & More, April 4-6, 2014

Hi everyone!

The Central Florida Home & Garden Show is returning to the Orange County Convention Center’s North Concourse beginning April 4th, 2014, and running through the weekend. This is a great event for anyone looking for more information on home improvement, cooking, gardening, pets, and other interests! Ahmed Hassan from DIY Network’s Yard Crashers will be making appearances, and there will even be a food truck rally on Sunday.  We just attended a mouth-watering event at Barnie’s CoffeeKitchen, and Chef Camilo Velasco from the restaurant will be one of the guest chefs. Keep reading for the full press release with links to learn more.

ORLANDO, Fla. – With springtime’s arrival to Florida, there’s no better time for homeowners to get started on projects to maintain their number one investment. Luckily, inspiration is just around the corner: the 2014 Central Florida Home & Garden Show, returning April 4-6 to Hall North B in the Orange County Convention Center’s North Concourse facing Universal Blvd. The home improvement extravaganza is the premier place to find innovative products, new ideas, practical advice and great deals in remodeling, home improvement and gardening with hundreds of experts all under one roof. From windows and flooring to cabinets and landscaping, consumers can shop, compare and save on a wide variety of products and services to renew, refresh and restore their homes.

Show highlights include appearances by celebrity landscaper and green expert Ahmed Hassan of DIY Network’s Yard Crashers; demonstrations by some of the area’s favorite chefs on the Edible Orlando Cooking Stage; daily how-to presentations by Chris Tice, the DIY Guy; a Pet Pavilion with cash and carry items; designer rooms with instant ideas to refresh and restyle; a food truck rally on Sunday; and hundreds of DIY, landscaping and home improvement experts offering a range of new products and services, including exhibitors new to the market or making their Central Florida Home + Garden Show debut.

 “There’s something for everyone at our shows,” said Cristian Moore, show manager for Marketplace Events, North America’s largest producer of home shows, including the Central Florida Home + Garden Show and fall Orlando Home Show. “Whether they have a specific project in mind or simply want to enjoy a fun day out, local residents and visitors will find inspiration to refresh their space, reinvent their décor and restyle their lives, plus competitive pricing and promotions that even the savviest shopper might not find elsewhere.”

Ahmed Hassan of DIY Network’s Yard Crashers shares his passion for “getting down and dirty in the garden,” along with tips, advice and behind-the-scenes stories during his appearances on the Fresh Ideas Stage on Saturday at 12 noon and 4 p.m., and Sunday at 12 noon and 3 p.m. (Subject to change without notice).

The popular Edible Orlando Cooking Stage will heat up with mouth-watering cooking demos by Central Florida’s top chefs throughout the weekend. The best part?  Samples! Scheduled to appear are Chef Larry Eels of Hyatt Regency Orlando; Orlando Sentinel Food Editor Heather McPherson; Katie Farmand and Pam Brandon of Edible Orlando; Andres Montoya of The Wine Barn; Chef Camilo Velasco of Barnie’s CoffeeKitchen; Chef Jose Gonzalez of Cuba Libre Restaurant; Chef Jerry Helminski of ‘Kesh; Chef Laurent Hollaender of Grand Bohemian Hotel; Shantell Williams of Shantell’s Café; and chefs and experts from Whole Foods Market and Feeding Children Everywhere. Gloria B, the bi-lingual host of KQ103 FM’s afternoon drive show, spices up the stage on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

The show will also host a food truck rally on Sunday only from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Some of Central Florida’s favorite mobile food purveyors, including The Yum Yum Cupcake Truck, The Crepe Company, Sweet City Gelato and Gourmet Desserts, London Fish and Chippy and Magic4urPalate will serve delicious fare for purchase at the entrance to the Convention Center.

After fueling up at the stage or truck rally, “Stay Calm and DIY” with Chris Tice, our DIY Guy. Tice will demonstrate four projects each day in Booth #844: a wine bottle chandelier; a silverware wall clock; a handy space saving knife/spice/iPad stand; and especially for tailgaters, a cooler converted into a portable a/c unit!

Get answers to important DIY and home improvement, landscaping, home décor and lifestyle questions from hundreds of experts around the show floor and on the Fresh Ideas Stage throughout the weekend. Learn how to save 90 percent on your groceries without spending 90 percent of your time clipping coupons from savings guru Mary Edwards of Couponers United. Manage your clutter and master the sacred art of de-accumulation from Sue Marie Bowling of ThatOrganizer.com. Ditch the frustrating search for photos and other content and make life easier in Digital Organizing 101 by Diana Uricchio of OXO Digital. Create a beautiful home with design secrets from Jacqui Hutchinson of Jacqui’s Elegant Interiors. Nate, the Garden Guru, seen weekly on FOX 35 “Good Day Sunday,” appears at 2:00 p.m. and Sunday at 11 a.m. with irrigation tips to make your garden grow. (Visit www.CentralFloridaHomeAndGardenShow.com for a complete listing of presentations and times.)

Other experts can help show-goers make their gardens a beautiful retreat. Pondtastic Water Gardens, Lanai Hardscape, Hoffner Nursery and Landscape Supply, Infinity Landscape, Artistic Stone, JLC Outdoors Lawn Maintenance, The Rose Gardener, GS Plant Foods, Under The Coconuts and Garden Marketplace will be on site with ideas, tips and cash-and-carry items.

Speaking of items for sale, don’t bark up the wrong tree and miss the Pet Pavilion sponsored by Urban Pet Magazine and Greenbrier. This “woof-worthy” pavilion features training, boarding, treats, food, emergency services, fashion and much more for furry friends. Stop by Harbor House’s booth and save $5 off registration fees to the 4th Annual Paws for Peace Walk on April 26. Meet some of Central Florida’s top dogs and cool cats and their celebrity owners appearing throughout the weekend on the Pet Pavilion Stage, courtesy of Harbor House, including WKMG Local 6 Anchor Jessica Sanchez, Orlando Sentinel Senior Sports Columnist George Diaz, and OPD Officer Tim Stanley with K9 Dog CB.

Another can’t-miss feature at the show are a cluster of four designer rooms created by students from The International Academy of Design and Technology featuring repurposed and recycled items styled into shabby chic, urban upcycle, tropical and modern spaces. New and interesting products making their debut at the show will be noted by a “featured product” floor tile, making it easy for guests to find them. Giveaways, enter-to-win contests and prize drawings round out the winning line-up for guests.

Show hours are Friday and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m, and Sunday, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.  Tickets are available at the door, and are $10 for adults 13+, $5 for seniors (60+, at the box office only), $5 for children ages 6-12, and free for children ages five and under. Advance tickets can be purchased online for a $3 discount off full-price $10 admission at www.CentralFloridaHomeAndGardenShow.com. Convenient on-site parking is available in the adjacent lot and is $9 per car per day.

For more information, visit www.CentralFloridaHomeAndGardenShow.com , or call 877-871-SHOW (7469).  Connect on Facebook, Twitter (@FloridaHomeShow), Pinterest (pinterest.com/homeshows/) for up-to-the-minute show details, discounts and fabulous home improvement tips. Visit the show’s blog at www.HomeAndGardenBlog.com.

The Central Florida Home + Garden Show and its fall sister show, the Orlando Home Show (October 24-26, 2014) are both produced by Marketplace Events.