1921 by Celebrity Chef Norman Van Aken

Hello Loves,

I have some wonderful news to share with you. Celebrity Chef Norman Van Aken opened a restaurant in downtown Mount Dora, Florida called, 1921!

Mount Dora is one of my favorite places to frequent and it is also where I spent most of my childhood to adulthood. If you've never been there before, I recommend checking it out.

Here are a few reasons why I love this place:

1. My parents live there.
2. I teach yoga at a beautiful yoga studio in the downtown area - SamaCore Yoga & Barre.
3. The bakery that crafted my wedding cake and dessert table resides there - Le Petit Sweet.
4. My favorite cupcake shop is there - Cupcake Delights.
5. There are many cute shops where you can find unique home decor items :)
6. The list can go on and on and on...

After obsessively checking social media over the past few months, trying to find out when 1921 was going to open its doors, I found out that the opening would be on 8/9/16. 

So what did I do, you might ask? I immediately called the restaurant and made dinner reservations to celebrate my dad's birthday on the opening weekend, 8/13/16.

A few candid shots of myself and my husband inside 1921.

I started off the evening with a glass of sangria (my fav) and an order of hushpuppies...yum!

VINHO VERDE SANGRIA - Very refreshing with hints of peach and lemon.

HUSHPUPPIES with Lake Meadow Naturals Chicken Liver ‘Butter’ & Asian Spice Syrup - These were super tasty & surprisingly light.

My mom and husband both ordered the heirloom tomatoes salad, which had cubed watermelon, pieces of avocado, juicy tomatoes (of course), radicchio, and cotija cheese. I got to try a bite and it was what I would consider to be a bright summer salad.

What stood out to me were the tomatoes; they were fresh and tasted like they were picked off the vine right before adding them to the salad. I love fresh veggies and fruit!

HEIRLOOM TOMATO Salad - Presentation makes it taste even better. 

I should point out that my dad ordered the caesar salad, of which I forgot to grab a photo of, but he did enjoy it and said it had a unique flavor -- I think the uniqueness came from the preserved lemon flavor. 

All of the food at 1921 is locally grown and supplied. Even a majority of the art work within the restaurant is local and tied in partnership with the Modern Museum of Art. "The philosophy of 1921 embraces sustainable practices when sourcing ingredients. The restaurant will work closely with local farms and purveyors within Mount Dora and the surrounding area, maintaining an allegiance to the local growers, producers and food artisans of Florida," says the restaurant's website. 

Main course event for the evening was a twist on southern comfort food, including mac n' cheese, cola collard greens, and a 'Korea Town' fried cornish hen...sigh. Where do I begin to explain how delicious this was? 

- 'Korea Town' fried cornish hen was perfectly crispy, light, and not oily. It had a sweet hint of flavor too. 

- Cola collard greens were not overly cooked and tasted like my grandmother made them.

- Mac n' cheese was out of the world. It was very creamy with a spicy kick to it. I found out it had a spanish cheese incorporated into the cheesy sauce :)

‘Korea Town’ FRIED CORNISH HEN with Cola Collards & Mac n’ Cheese - I could and will eat this again hah!

From the food to the decor and the service, 1921 met all my dining expectations. If you are in the area, I suggest dining at this restaurant. You won't be disappointed. 

Oh, I forgot to mention their dessert menu is wild...but that's for another time and another blog post!

Sending inspiration your way :)