Grand opening over, East End Market readies for round 2

After a successful grand opening weekend, East End Market, a new showcase for local food artisans and cuisine in Orlando’s Audubon Park, will close for a week to tie up some construction loose ends and meet city codes.

Here are excerpts from a statement issued to the media from owner-founder John Rife: “For many of our tenants this is the first time they have operated a retail store. The overwhelming attendance and demand this weekend was far more than anticipated. So half of the reason we are closing this week is to give them a chance to catch their breath, put some systems in place to meet demand and hopefully enable me to get the kitchen fully permitted so producing on site rather than offsite at commissary kitchens will be possible...”

Spokesperson Heather Grove said community feedback was overwhelmingly positive during the opening weekend. “We can’t wait to show off the upstairs demonstration kitchen andevent space. We will be rolling out a series of cooking, homesteading and gardening classes in the week to follow.”

At East End, visitors will find such purveyors as Fatto in Casa, Elisa Scarpa’s Italian specialty bakery that offers authentic cookies, cakes and cupcakes; Houndstooth Sauce Co., a source for artisan sauces and marinades; La Femme du Fromage, a showcase of handcrafted cheeses from around the world; and 99 Market, which sells plantings and gifts for the home.