Welcome to Monday Morning in Orlando
For those who celebrate, I hope you had a wonderful Easter weekend. I know we did!
In today’s issue: 👇
- Orlando’s Original Class Act
- Time Is Everything
- Peperoncino
- ….and much more
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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 ⏪
Orlando's Original Class Act
In 1892, eleven students climbed a staircase above a grammar school and made history as Orlando's first high school graduating class. Modest beginnings, sure, but this school had absolutely no intention of staying small.
Over sixty years, Orlando High chased its own growth across four downtown campuses, perpetually bursting at the seams. A fire torched the second building in 1905. A gorgeous lakefront campus opened in 1922, officially renamed Memorial High School, a rebrand students completely ignored, stubbornly scrawling "O.H.S." in every yearbook like the loyal little rebels they were.
The 1926 Robinson Street building finally delivered: six columns, stone lions, genuine grandeur. Its alumni roster got pretty interesting too, astronaut John Young, actor Buddy Ebsen, and Pro Football Hall of Famer Pete Pihos all walked those halls.
Then, on the very last day of classes in June 1952, principal William Boone died at his desk. The school closed that same morning, the two endings arriving together, quietly, like a final bell.
Today, those stone lions still stand guard on Robinson Street, and Orlando High lives on in the two rivals it became: Boone High and Edgewater High, both tracing their roots all the way back to eleven kids on a second floor.
🔥 Want to learn a ton more about Orlando High School’s history? Check out my expanded version, right here.
THE SQUEEZE 🍊
In the Heisler Family, Time Is Everything
Tucked inside a Winter Park storefront, Scott Heisler is doing what his father did before him, hunched over a workbench, coaxing tiny gears back to life.
A graduate of the Bulova School of Watchmaking with over 37 years under his belt, Heisler holds an impressive collection of factory certifications from some of the most respected names in the industry.
He launched Orlando Watch Company in 1995 after spending years fixing high-end timepieces for collectors who knew exactly where to bring their prized possessions.
But the real magic? It runs in the family. Daughter Carissa Dixon (Heisler) is third-generation, and while she channeled her passion for horology into a marketing career inside brands like BALL Watch and Mühle-Glashütte, the pull of the family business was too strong to ignore, eventually bringing her back home.
Every brand they carry, they service.
In a world of fast fashion and disposable everything, these folks are proof some crafts are absolutely worth obsessing over.
The $400 Million Welcome Mat
Jacksonville's stadium is getting a makeover after 2026, which means the Jaguars need a temporary home, and Orlando didn't just raise its hand, it showed up with $400 million in Camping World Stadium upgrades to seal the deal.
Now everyone's doing the math, and the numbers look good.
Jacksonville pulls roughly $25 million per game, but Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer thinks his city can top that, counting on visitors who never just visit: they linger, explore, and spend.
Small businesses near the stadium are already buzzing with anticipation.
Street beautification around the stadium is also in the works, because Orlando knows 2027 is more than a football season. It's a tryout.
Come for the Art, Stay for the History
For more than 50 years, Crealdé School of Art in Winter Park has been Central Florida's cultural heartbeat, the kind of place where history and creativity collide and people keep showing up for more.
Now, a fresh boost from Orange County's Cultural Tourism Grant Program means the fun is only getting started.
The grant, drawn from the Tourist Development Tax and administered through the County's Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs, will fuel bigger exhibitions and hands-on workshops where visitors actually make things, not just look at them.
And anchoring it all is the Hannibal Square Heritage Center, keeping Winter Park's historic African American community stories loud, proud, and very much alive.
💼 This Week’s Curated Jobs
Sourced from the Orlando Signal Job Board!
💰 Financial Services Representative Charles Schwab | Orlando (Evenings/Weekends/Overnight)
Become a finance pro on Schwab's dime. Get paid to earn your Series 7 license, then rake in extra cash working chill evening/overnight shifts from home helping people build wealth.
💰 $54.1K-$61.7K/year + 10% bonus + shift premium | 👉 Learn More & Apply
🎁 Director, Community Giving AdventHealth Foundation | Orlando
Turn generosity into game-changing gifts for healthcare. Orchestrate donor campaigns, mine patient data for prospects, and watch grateful families fuel AdventHealth's healing mission.
💰 $83.6K-$155.6K/year | 👉 Learn More & Apply
🚀 Product Marketing Specialist (REMOTE) Tews Company | Remote
Launch products from your couch like a marketing mission control operator, juggle creative briefs, wrangle agencies, and watch campaigns go live without pants (we won't tell).
💰 $22-$24/hour (remote!) | 👉 Learn More & Apply
📊 Digital Marketing Analyst AppleOne | Orlando (Hybrid)
Turn ad spend into marketing magic across Google, Meta, and streaming TV, crunch the numbers, optimize like crazy, and prove you're worth every dollar of that $50/hour rate.
💰 $50/hour (1-year contract) | 👉 Learn More & Apply
🏥 Administrative Assistant Innovative Renal Care | Orlando
Be the heartbeat behind a dialysis clinic that literally keeps people alive. Juggle schedules, charm patients, and keep operations humming in a place where your work truly matters.
💰 $19-$25/hour | 👉 Learn More & Apply
Tap/click here for lots more opportunities. Over 100 added last week!
✈️ Orlando’s best flight deal - Bagels and borough hopping edition
New York City in early May. The parks explode with green, rooftop bars re-open, and the entire city shakes off winter like it's been waiting for this moment. You already know what's here. The museums, the food, the energy, but in May it's all dialed up without the summer sweat or winter freeze. Grab a bagel that'll ruin Orlando bagels forever, walk the High Line without shoulder-to-shoulder tourists, maybe catch a show if you're feeling it. It's intense, exhausting, and 1000% worth it.
Orlando (MCO) → NYC (Newark - EWR) for 85 bucks*, round-trip Thursday through Sunday in early May. See the deal.
*Price shown above is accurate as of the time this newsletter was sent.
TASTY NEWS 🧑🍳
Orlando Area Eateries Coming & Going
1️⃣ OPENING SOON: NOODS - Bangkok Comes to Orlando
Tucked into Orlando's Raleigh Street, NOODS (Insta) is a Thai noodle bar opening late April with a simple promise: food good enough to eat every day, priced like it too. Boat noodles, Bangkok street staples, and a moody retro atmosphere inspired by In the Mood for Love. No special occasion required.
2️⃣ OPENING THIS MONTH: Flavors of Jamaica - Authentic Jamaica, Coming Very Soon
Orlando, your oxtails are ready. Flavors of Jamaica (Insta), all the way from Pontiac, Michigan, is opening its first full sit-down location this month, and it's bringing the whole spread: jerk chicken, curry dishes, and a full Jamaican breakfast.
#ORLANDOSIGNAL 📸
That’s right!
📷 via @orlandosignal |📍Orlando
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FOODIE FIND, FORK YEAH! 🤩
Peperoncino
📍7988 Via Dellagio Way #108, Orlando, FL 32819. Map to this location.
Peperoncino (Insta) on restaurant row in Dr. Phillips isn't hiding exactly, but it has all the charm of a place you'd stumble upon in Rome.
Chef Barbara Alfano brings the real deal straight from Italy, cooking with seasonal ingredients and regional soul.
Expect house-made pastas, Roman street classics like supplì, and showstoppers like polpo alla calabrese and duck pastrami burratina salad with truffle pearls.
Throw in rotating wine dinners and a killer Italian wine list, and date night just got a serious upgrade.
👉 Check out this deliciousness, right here 👈
Source: Peperoncino. Carbonara, anyone?
MORE PULP! 😎
Weekday things to check out
Presented by CFCArts Stage 55: America turns 250, and Stage 55 is celebrating with a comic twist on everything you thought you knew. Betsy Ross & Friends takes history's most iconic moments and momentous figures and asks, "What if…?," then answers in ways that would make your history teacher uncomfortable. Expect sharp monologues, chaotic scenes, and laughs you definitely won't find in a textbook.
Grab your seats for April 11th (Saturday) or 12th (Sunday), 3:00–4:30 pm. History has never been this much fun.
Tap/Click here for more info & tix.
🍦 407 Day Face Off at Kelly's Homemade Ice Cream
📅 Tuesday, April 7th | 12-10pm
📍 All 7 Kelly's Scoop Shops (Audubon Park, SoDo, Ivanhoe Village, Maitland, Lake Mary, Oviedo, Horizon West)
Vote for May's featured flavor: Parent Trap (vanilla with peanut butter and Oreos) vs. Kelly's Trifecta (peanut butter with cookie dough and Oreos); ticket with purchase.
👉 You Decide
📚 OMA Book Club: Mad Enchantment
📅 Tuesday, April 7th | 2-3:30pm
📍 Orlando Museum of Art
Discussion of Ross King's "Mad Enchantment" exploring Claude Monet's attempts at capturing light, water, and color painting water lilies at Giverny.
👉 Monet's Garden
🍔 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
✂️ Mini Junk Journalling
📅 Tuesday, April 7th | 6-8pm
📍 Lazy Moon Pizza - University
Create journals using repurposed materials like old book pages, envelopes, and packaging; free mini journals available while supplies last.
👉 Sustainable Craft
🎭 Korean Arirang Festival
📅 Tuesday, April 7th | 7:30pm
📍 DeVos Family Room, Dr. Phillips Center
UCF Korean Culture Club's Shining Knights host Central Florida dance groups performing Korean songs from different generations.
👉 K-Culture
🎵 Spring Choral Concert
📅 Tuesday, April 7th | 7:30pm
📍 Valencia College East Campus Performing Arts Center
Valencia Singers perform sacred and secular works followed by Contemporary Ensemble's musical theatre hits; complimentary admission.
👉 Vocal Excellence
💎 Bedazzling
📅 Wednesday, April 8th
📍 Messy Craft Studio
Bedazzle books, Kindles, journals, or phone cases with rhinestones and gems; all supplies, tools, and guidance provided.
👉 Add Sparkle
🎨 Meet the Artist Reception
📅 Thursday, April 9th | 6-8pm
📍 Sanford Historic Welcome Center
Browse "Spring Has Sprung" exhibit, enjoy hors d'oeuvres, and meet Sanford Seminole Art Association artists; all art for sale.
👉 Meet Creators
🌸 Galleries in Bloom ~ After Hours
📅 Thursday, April 9th | 5:30-9:30pm
📍 Orlando Museum of Art
Exclusive after-hours preview of Art in Bloom 2026 with Paris-inspired floral interpretations, artisan markets, and David LaChapelle exhibition.
👉 Parisian Spring
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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
