“Flavor by Loews Hotels” Showcases Local Food & Drink at Universal Orlando Resort Hotels

Hi everyone!

We were invited to the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando for an event to learn about the new Loews initiative, Flavor by Loews Hotels. Company wide, Loews is bringing local food and beverage to its hotels, which is something I am a huge fan of – I really enjoy having access to some of the best that Florida has to offer in a central location. The tagline for Flavor by Loews Hotels is Eating like a local made easy, and anyone who follows me on social media may know how much I enjoy finding local food in places I frequent. Jennifer Hodges, Director of Public Relations for Loews Hotels at Universal Orlando said that, “Passion is what drives Flavor by Loews Hotels” and that food is as much of the journey as the trip itself. We had an opportunity to try a variety of items that the onsite Loews Hotels are now offering. Three onsite hotels – Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, Loews Royal Pacific Resort and Loews Sapphire Falls are showcasing a variety of items from around the state. You’ll find quite a few family owned companies here, and I linked to each company listed. We were also invited to Harbor Nights at Loews Portofino Bay, and we will talk about both on an upcoming Mousesteps Weekly YouTube Show and I will post an article this coming weeks on our Harbor Nights experience as well.

Here is a look at the local flavors being served at Loews Hotels at Universal Orlando.

One of the local companies we experienced at the event is the Olde Hearth Bread Company from Casselberry, which is located just outside of Orlando. Sal’s Market Deli at Loews Portofino Bay offers this artisan bread, which we tried as part of slider dishes and bruschetta. Most of their breads are vegan according to the Olde Hearth website. This is a very popular local bread company with excellent products and also a retail location in East End Market in Winter Park.

Duomo Gelato is from Tampa, and uses a secret Italian recipe for their delicious gelato. The Gelateria on Harbor Piazza serves over 50 flavors and we were told that the gelato can be found elsewhere in restaurants at the resorts as well.

We tried a number of different flavors – for research, of course.

Accomplice Brewery & Ciderworks is from West Palm Beach, and the company offers fruit-infused ciders including a lemon basil cider exclusive to Loews Portofino Bay Hotel – it can be found at most of the restaurants and bars.

Crooked Can Brewing Company is a newer brewery in the Orlando area, founded in 2014 in Winter Garden and has become an extremely popular local brand in a short period of time. Jakes American Bar at Loews Royal Pacific serves four Crooked Can brews.

Webb’s Honey is an Orlando brand, and can be found in the Islands Dining Room and Jakes American Bar.

Kissimmee River Mushrooms is from Okeechobee and the family-owned company grows colorful oyster mushrooms for some dishes at the Islands Dining Room and Bula Bar & Grille at Loews Royal Pacific. We enjoyed the mushrooms as part of Jack’s Steak & Frites with a Black Angus Beef Ribeye.

St. Augustine Distillery offers a wonderful Fountain of Youth cocktail at Strong Water Tavern in Loews Sapphire Falls Resort. This seemed to be the biggest hit at our table of everything our group tried, which was impressive considering how good everything was.

Also at Loews Sapphire Falls Resort, Pure Produce from Sebastian is a family-owned hydroponic farm and grows “high quality, fresh vegetables without the use of machines”. Look for this produce at Amatista Cookhouse, Strong Water Tavern and Drhum, Club Kantine. We tried a Grilled Pineapple Salad that included Pure Produce arugula.

Palmetto Creek Farms is in Avon Park, and this is also a family-owned company – according to its website, “Our farm started as a family 4H project that totally changed our lives for the better.” The pork is natural and can be found in menu items throughout Loews Sapphire Falls Resort and at the weekly Caribbean Carnaval dinner show.

If you’ve never visited the Loews Hotels at Universal Orlando, I highly recommend it. You can take a water taxi or walk to most of them, and to all of the ones mentioned here. Loews Portofino Bay is an especially beautiful, Italian themed resort but we enjoyed visiting each one for various reasons. Universal Orlando is so much more than the parks, and with Flavor of Loews Hotels, there is even more reason to stop by and enjoy dining at these outstanding hotels.