(Article updated 9/10/18)
Tropical cuisine, fruity cocktails adorned with umbrellas and the relaxing beat of reggae music are headed to Mount Dora.   Jamaica Gardens, a new downtown eatery, is expected to have its soft opening in October. 

Like a lot of visitors to the quaint Central Florida town, Joan Reidenbaugh fell in love with Mount Dora when she married her husband, Mark, twelve years ago at the historic Lakeside Inn.  

“I saw a need for a great Caribbean-style location in the beautiful city and have been dreaming about this since,” said Reidenbaugh.

Fast forward and she is now busy transforming the large space at 322 Alexander Street into Jamaica Gardens, a restaurant offering authentic Caribbean cuisine.  After painters finish turning the drab exterior into a vibrant sky blue,  Reidenbaugh will add new awnings and a “beach area” to the outside to help bring an authentic island vibe to the location.

The cuisine will be mostly Jamaican with a touch of other Caribbean flavors. There will be plenty of the traditional jerk dishes, along with Jamaican-style oxtails and Escovitch fish and conch fritters, plus coconut shrimp, fried chicken, salads and soups.  

A temporary 'Stop-Work' order was recently issued to the business by the City of Mount Dora so the owner can seek the required review and approvals by the city's Historic Preservation Board at a future public hearing.  The owner also must secure the required building permits, according to a City of Mount Dora official. 

Reidenbaugh, a certified chef who majored in hotel and restaurant management, will be the primary chef until she trains a replacement.  The Jamaican native of Christiana, Reidenbaugh said  her authentic Caribbean recipes draw from her island roots just  like her other restaurant in Longwood.

The interior of the restaurant, formerly The Pineapple Place, is also changing to provide an atmosphere that diners would find in Jamaica.   The bar will feature specialty cocktails and a happy hour on Monday through Thursday.  Jamaica Gardens  will feature a live reggae band and steel drums Wednesdays through Saturdays.

The restaurant will be hosting a series of job fairs in September at the location for servers, bartenders, hosts and kitchen staff.  One event will be the middle of September and the other at the end of September.  Watch for dates on the Mount Dora Word of Mouth Facebook page. 

For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, click here. To get the area's top stories in your inbox once a month, sign up for the free monthly issue of Mount Dora Buzz here. 

Updated: 8/24/2018

In the spring of last year, it was announced that Wawa, a national convenience store and gas station chain, was slated to replace the small Shell station on the corner of U.S. 441 and Morningside Drive near Lake Gertrude.   The chain of large gas stations has gained popularity for its variety of take-out food options.
 
Although the Wawa project has been approved for several months by the City of Mount Dora, Wawa is adding approximately 90 new stores in Florida and construction isn’t expected to begin in Mount Dora until next summer, according to a city official.  However, the company couldn't confirm that specific timing.

Wawa plans to kick off its North Central Florida launch on September 12 when it breaks ground on three stores in Ocala.  At that time the company plans to announce its timing for specific sites in the region, including Mount Dora.  "The timing of our site openings are carefully planned and take into consideration many factors in our overall expansion efforts," said a Wawa spokesperson.  
 
Last year, the city of Mount Dora acted promptly to annex the approximately 1.25 acre property and re-zoned it as necessary for Wawa.     
 
Wawa opened its first store in Florida in 2012 and had over 100 locations in the Sunshine State as of 2017. Of the over 730 locations in the eastern part of the U.S., approximately 500 also provide gasoline.

Find more new local businesses opening in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis by signing up for the free monthly issue of 'The Buzz' here and following Mount Dora Buzz on Facebook.  ​

It makes perfect sense.  After all, coffee and reading go together about as well as coffee and donuts.

Mount Dora’s W.T. Bland Library has teamed up with New Vision for Independence, Lake County’s blind services agency, to open the library’s first cafe.  Café Louis, named for Louis Braille who invented braille code at age 15, will be staffed by visually impaired individuals during its two trial openings that will last for four days each.

During the two trial runs, visitors can purchase coffee, tea, juices and pre-packaged snacks in the lobby of the library.  The pop-up cafe will be open the weeks of July 9-12 and July 23-26, running from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. during both weeks.
Visitors to the library are also being encouraged to enjoy new, comfortable chairs, ice-cold A/C, free Wi-Fi and over 78,000 items to browse during the hot summer months.
W.T. Bland Public Library is located at 1995 North Donnelly Street, Mount Dora.



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Economic development has long been a spoken priority in Mount Dora.  Now that spoken word has turned into action.
 
Almost a year’s worth of effort by City Manager Robin Hayes and Mount Dora’s economic development consultant Dr. Richard Levey paid off in May when Steamroller Studios announced it would relocate its headquarters to downtown Mount Dora.  ​ Read more

Soon a quick trip to a French market  may be as easy as visiting downtown Mount Dora’s Renaissance Building.  

A new store, Black Swan Mercantile, is expected to open on Memorial Day weekend and will feature everything shoppers would expect to find in a charming Paris market, including French linens, lavender products, French-milled soaps and vintage items, plus Southern-inspired decor and related books.  The small shop will also have a pantry section stocked with French gourmet foods and candies.

“I like to think of the shop as being themed by old Southern charm with a nod to flirty French inspiration,” said owner Lee Ann Ganung who wants customers to feel at home in her store.  She chose the name because a black swan is a rare anomaly which she feels is much like her store.
 
Ganung will be working in the store along with some part-time help.
 
“I’m a people person, love sales, and am grateful that I have this opportunity to be surrounded by and to market beautiful things,”  said Ganung of why she decided to open her own store. Previously she had a career in finance and most recently managed her husband’s land surveying business and operated a local vacation rental.   

A Florida native, Ganung moved to Mount Dora five years ago with her husband, Clay, and two dachshunds, Wally and Emma.  

​Find more new local restaurants and stores opening in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis here and follow Mount Dora Buzz on Facebook.   Free subscriptions to the monthly issue of 'The Buzz' are available here.

Last week downtown Eustis added its second new eatery in a month.  The El Marie’s Pizzaria and Sub Shoppe opened in a small, but inviting space down the street from The Crazy Gator.  

Guests order at the counter from a short menu that features an 18-inch cheese pizza ($15) and seven other specialty pizzas ($17 to $19) including a white pizza.    Calzone lovers can get their fix of the oven-baked folded pizza with a choice of five selections on the menu ($16-20).

Among the seven submarine sandwiches are a turkey and cheese ($11) and Pop’s Italian sub ($14).

The El Marie Pizzaria (yes, that’s their spelling) and Sub Shoppe is located at 200 Bay Street.  The hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday through Thursday and open until 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.  

The other new downtown Eustis restaurant is the Turkish restaurant, Nalan Sultan.  ​Find more new local restaurants and stores opening in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis here and follow Mount Dora Buzz on Facebook.   Free subscriptions to the monthly issue of 'The Buzz' are available here.

Although the location and the smell of fresh coffee will be familiar, the business is a new one.  Cafe Aroma is expected to open this Thursday in the downtown space formerly occupied by The Coffee Branch Cafe, which closed earlier this spring.  

The new rustic coffee shop will feature premium Viennese coffee, as well as the usual espressos, lattes, cappuccinos and teas.  For anyone desiring a nosh with their cup of joe, Cafe Aroma will serve up traditional morning offerings of muffins, bagels, croissants and Danish pastries. Pies, cakes and cookies will be added in the afternoons.   Prices for treats will range from $1.25 to $5.00.

“We are hoping down the road to open up the deli portion of the cafe and be able to serve breakfast and lunch items,” said Reginia Kelly who co-owns the coffee shop with her husband Dan.

The Kellys plan to create a friendly atmosphere with occasional special events on some evenings that include trivia, live music, poetry readings and painting classes. They are also planning “give back” nights that support less fortunate members of the community. This is a natural part of their business, since the couple also runs Feed the Need Central Florida, a Seminole County non-profit that helps feed the hungry.  

Cafe Aroma is located at 144 W. 5th Avenue in downtown Mount Dora and will be open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and later for special events.  Free wifi and cell phone charging stations are available for customers.

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