Welcome to Monday Morning in Orlando
What a lovely Mother’s Day weekend for Mrs. Orlando Signal. Not only did we have lots of yummys all around greater Orlando (Superica + Sampaguita), but we also stopped in at The Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens in Winter Park and learned a ton about Albin Polasek and the museum’s history. Interestingly enough, this is also todays Rewind below!
In today’s issue: 👇
- Moving House
- Orlando’s Getting Weird Again
- Francisca Charcoal Chicken & Meats
- ….and much more
Did someone forward this email to you? Join over 20K insatiably curious Orlandoans, right here.
Let’s dive in!
- Philip
P.S. Want some hawt community sourced foodie recommendations? Check out the Orlando Signal Restaurant Guide, right here.
ORLANDO REWIND ⏪
The Lake, the House, and the Man Who Made It All
On a December morning in 2013, Winter Park residents watched a 4,200-square-foot house, sliced in half by hand tools, drift across Lake Osceola on nine barges. Each half weighed 100 tons. The entire operation cost half a million dollars, raised in four months flat.
The organization behind it? The Albin Polasek Museum. Yes, a museum moved a house across a lake.
Albin Polasek was born in 1879 in a Moravian village, apprenticed as a woodcarver at 14, and landed in America at 22 with skilled hands and no plan. He carved church altars across the Midwest, talked his way into the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, won the Prix de Rome, and spent 30 years running the Art Institute of Chicago's sculpture department, producing more than 400 works along the way.
Then he retired to Winter Park, suffered a stroke that paralyzed his left side, and completed 18 more major sculptures anyway. One-handed. From a wheelchair. In his eighties.
The museum sits on Osceola Avenue, fifteen minutes from downtown Orlando, the only Florida site in the Historic Artists' Homes and Studios program, alongside Georgia O'Keeffe and Jackson Pollock.
If you've been, you already know. If you haven't, fix that.
🔥 Want to deep dive into Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens’s history? Check out my expanded version, right here.
🍽️ You Know Ivanhoe Village,
But You Don't Know It Like This.
Let’s Roll!
Sure, you've likely been through this neighborhood. But have you eaten your way through it with a local guide who knows the stories, the hidden gems, and the spots worth seeking out?
The Orlando Signal Ivanhoe Village Foodie Tour: Brunch Edition is happening Saturday, May 23rd (10:30am–1:30pm), and it's the kind of morning that makes a familiar place feel brand new.
Five stops. Brunch bites, local sips, sweet treats, and neighborhood stories you won't find on any menu or map. Just a relaxed one-mile stroll through one of Orlando's most beloved districts, with great company and even better food.
😎 You'll leave knowing this district a little better than when you showed up.
👉 Get the details and grab your spot before it's gone.
THE SQUEEZE 🍊
Orlando Punches Its Ticket to the Olympic Stage
Orlando is officially on the Olympic map, and not just as a pitstop.
The city will host the grand finale of the 2028 Olympic Qualifier Series at Camping World Stadium, June 8th–11th, where roughly 600 athletes from more than 150 nations will battle for one of the most coveted prizes in sport: a ticket to the Los Angeles Games.
The six sports in the mix: climbing, BMX freestyle, 3×3 basketball, beach volleyball, flag football, and skateboarding, promise the kind of action that doesn't need a mascot to sell it.
Orlando joins Tokyo, Shanghai, and Montreal as host cities, anchoring the back end of a six-week global sprint.
Orange County put $15 million in tourist-tax dollars on the table to make it happen, a savvy bet for a city that already welcomed a record 76.7 million visitors in 2025 and knows exactly what to do with a crowd.
Carver Middle School's Finest Just Won Big
A few weeks ago, we told you about the Extra Credit Giveaway, a teacher appreciation contest from The Good Pour, Jeff's Bagel Run, and the BOHO Foundation.
Well, the votes are in, and honestly? They nailed it.
Meet Taylor Fletcher. The Carver Middle School civics teacher has spent all eight years of her career at Title 1 schools, by choice. She grew up in College Park, set her sights on Washington Shores, and never looked back.
Her nominators called her the GOAT, and last week she found out why that reputation pays off. Taylor was surprised with the $3,745 prize package, including a private wine tasting for 24 at The Good Pour, free bagels for a year from Jeff's Bagel Run, and $500 in classroom supply money.
We'd say she's earned every single bagel!
Orlando’s Getting Weird Again
Thirty-five years of strange, bold, and gloriously unclassifiable, the Orlando Fringe is just getting warmed up.
The Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival crashes back into Loch Haven Park from starting tomorrow (Tuesday), May 12th through the 25th, hauling over 100 shows with it: theatre, comedy, dance, visual art, and performances that laugh in the face of any category.
America's longest-running Fringe festival has been doing things its own way since 1992, with every single ticket dollar going straight to the artists.
This year's theme is 35 Years Weird. That tracks.
💼 This Week’s Curated Jobs
Sourced from the Orlando Signal Job Board!
🏢 Real Estate Associate Greystar / Hammock Park | Orlando
Crunch data, drive deals, and power Greystar's $300B apartment empire. Support portfolio performance, pitch new business, and help scale one of the world's largest property platforms.
💰 Competitive salary + bonuses | 👉 Learn More & Apply
💻 Website Manager Foundation Risk Partners | Orlando
Own the digital front door for one of America's fastest-growing insurance brokerages. Manage multiple sites, lead rebuilds, and keep everything compliant, secure, and on-brand.
💰 $50K-$70K/year | 👉 Learn More & Apply
⚖️ Presuit Secretary (Entry Level) Morgan & Morgan | Orlando
Join America's largest injury law firm fighting "For the People." Manage 100+ case files, send demand letters, and support attorneys taking on insurance giants (no experience needed!).
💰 $20/hour + benefits | 👉 Learn More & Apply
🩺 Multi-Office Operations Manager Outpatient Oncology The Oncology Institute | Kissimmee Area
Lead multiple cancer care clinics bringing compassionate treatment closer to hom. Manage teams, crush metrics, and make a real difference in patients' lives every single day.
💰 Competitive salary | 👉 Learn More & Apply
Tap/click here for lots more opportunities. Over 100 added last week!
✈️ Orlando’s best flight deal - Crabs and harbor views edition
Mid-June Baltimore is scrappy and underrated. The Inner Harbor's buzzing, crab houses are cracking open bushels by the dozen, and you're realizing this city's got serious character. Historic row-houses, killer seafood, and a blue-collar charm that doesn't try too hard. Fells Point's got bars older than your great-grandparents, the aquarium's legitimately world-class, and Old Bay on everything isn't a suggestion, it's the law.
Orlando (MCO) → Baltimore (BWI) for 185 buck-a-roos*, round-trip Thursday through Sunday in mid-June. See the deal.
*Price shown above is accurate as of the time this newsletter was sent.
TASTY NEWS 🧑🍳
Orlando Area Eateries Coming & Going
1️⃣ COMING SOON: Robin's Creamery - The Scoop Orlando's Been Waiting For
What started with a Facebook Marketplace ice cream machine is now heading to Mills 50. This halal-friendly dessert shop (Insta) serves Dubai chocolate, boba, ube, gelato, premium matcha, taro, and more. Opening day is creeping closer.
2️⃣ OPENING SOON: Ravah Culinary Emporium - Breakfast to Dinner, Brazil to Barcelona
Winter Garden's newest all-day spot (Insta) is part bakery, meat boutique, restaurant, market, and cafe, aiming to open next month. The menu weaves Italian, Brazilian, and Spanish influences into a global spread, running from coffee and fresh-baked pastries early morning, all the way through barbecue, paella, and steaks at dinner.
#ORLANDOSIGNAL 📸
Amazing OPL architecture
📷 via @orlandosignal |📍City District
Tag @orlandosignal to get your photo featured in the newsletter!
FOODIE FIND, FORK YEAH! 🤩
Francisca Charcoal Chicken & Meats
📍12325 S Orange Blossom Trl, Orlando, FL 32837. Map to this location.
There's a moment when the smell hits you, charcoal, woodsmoke, something slow-cooked and deeply savory.
At Francisca Charcoal Chicken & Meats (Insta), that smell isn't ambiance. It's the whole point.
This Hispanic-owned Latin American grill house fires everything over real charcoal: juicy wood-fired chicken, picanha, blood sausage, crispy chicharrones, and Venezuelan-Colombian snacks like cachapas, tequeños, and pan de bono.
The lunch special: quarter chicken, hallaquitas, and coleslaw is the sleeper hit. And the family platter, stacked with meats, plantains, and sausages, is the main event.
👉 Check out the menu, right here 👈
Source: Francisca Charcoal Chicken & Meats
MORE PULP! 😎
Weekday things to check out
👩⚕️ Food as Medicine: Women's Health
📅 Monday, May 12th | 6-8pm
📍 Center for Health & Wellbeing – Nutrition Theatre, Winter Park
Culinary Health Institute class with Dr. Anupama Saigal and dietitian Katya Galbis featuring 3-course plant-forward tasting menu supporting women's vitality for $60.
👉 Balance & Wellness
🎭 The Notebook
📅 Tuesday-Sunday, May 12th-17th | Various times
📍 Walt Disney Theater, Dr. Phillips Center
Broadway musical based on beloved novel and film featuring Ingrid Michaelson's score telling Allie and Noah's lifetime of enduring love.
👉 Love for the Ages
🍔 Tasty Takeover in The Milk District
📅 Tuesdays | 6:30-10pm
📍 The Milk District – 2424 E Robinson St
Orlando's premier weekly food truck block party featuring diverse culinary offerings behind the shops and bars.
👉 Dine Alfresco
🎬 Popcorn Flicks in the Park: National Treasure
📅 Tuesday, May 12th
📍 Winter Park - Central Park
Family-friendly outdoor screening themed for Winter Park Celebrates America250; bring blankets, picnic, and friends.
👉 Treasure Hunt
🎤 Diljit Dosanjh: AURA WORLD TOUR
📅 Wednesday, May 13th | 8pm (doors 7pm)
📍 Kia Center
Indian singer and Bollywood star brings unique blend of Bhangra, pop, and traditional Punjabi folk music with catchy melodies and heartfelt lyrics.
👉 Punjabi Powerhouse
🎨 Heritage Happy Hour: "America 250: Patriotism on Plant Street"
📅 Wednesday, May 13th | 5-7:30pm
📍 Heller Hall, Winter Garden
Opening celebration with light bites exploring America's Revolutionary origins and West Orange County's century of honoring American values.
👉 Toast to History
🧘 Meditation for Peace with Puja
📅 Wednesday, May 13th | 7:30pm
📍 Timucua Arts Foundation
Monthly meditation blending ancient wisdom with modern mindfulness to cultivate inner stability and connectedness; alcohol-free, pay-what-you-like.
👉 Inner Peace
🎤 Special Event Cabaret: Gabriel Preisser
📅 Thursday, May 14th | 7:30pm
📍 University Club of Winter Park
Grammy Award-winning lyric baritone presents "Baritone to Broadway" with opera and Broadway entertainment accompanied by pianist Christopher Leavy.
👉 Stage to Opera
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THANKS!
✅ Want to connect with 20K+ curious Orlandoans for your business?, start a conversation here.
🌟 Know a community superstar? Tell me about them, right here.
Thanks for reading! I’ll see you again on Thursday’s weekend fun issue.
My Best,
Philip - Publisher, Orlando Signal
