Here are some quick tips for fun food events around Orlando this week, including strawberry picking, brunch on the farm and more.
February and March are peak season for beautiful, juicy strawberries in Florida – and that’s both in the markets and out in the u-pick fields around greater Orlando. Check out the latest print edition of Edible Orlando for our tips on the best places to go picking.
Got any plans this week – other than a big bowl of vanilla ice cream with fresh strawberries? Edible Orlando is here to help you find the fun food events around Central Florida. Writer John Graham tracks down all the options and brings you the five best each week, Saturday to Friday.
Brunch on the Farm, Beerlympics, Dragon Parade
Local restaurants proudly crow when they serve cage-free eggs from Ocoee’s Lake Meadow Naturals. On Saturday morning, they’ll host Brunch on the Farm, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. You can walk the grounds, check out the animals, maybe grab some eggs or steaks to take home, and eat breakfast. For $7.95, you can chow down on an heirloom green egg sandwich with cottage bacon, real American cheese and grass-fed butter on a rosemary schiacciata bun. Gluten-free bun is a dollar extra. They’ll also have coffee, other beverages, and mini key lime pies.
Also on Saturday, Rockpit Brewing in SoDo is bringing back the Beerlympics, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Teams of four compete in five beer-related “sports.” (You can also sign up as an individual and they’ll put you with other solos to make a team.) Activities include hammerschlagen (pounding nails into a stump), 26.2-meter obstacle relay with a full mug, crazy straw relay beer chug, keg roll relay and stein holding.Rockpit also created a new beer for United Against Poverty that will be on tap leading up to the Beerlympics with a dollar a pint going to the charity. 
On Sunday, the Mills 50 district will celebrate the Lunar New Year with a dragon parade starting at 11 a.m. Dozens of parade units will start at Mills Rd. and Lake Highland Dr., parade down N. Thornton Ave., and wrap up just before hitting Colonial Dr. The parade isn’t a food-focused event, but when it wraps up at noon, it’s a great excuse to hit one of the many Chinese, Vietnamese, Lao, Japanese, Korean, Hawaiian, and Pan-Asian restaurants in the area.
Bruno’s Bodega, Plant-Forward Cooking Class
Another edition of the monthly Bruno’s Bodega pops up at Pizza Bruno on Curry Ford Rd. this Sunday, noon – 4 p.m. More than 20 local businesses set up on site, but there’s also exclusive items from the Pizza Bruno kitchen. This month, it’ll include a strawberry shortcake Dutch baby pancake, cereal milk cannoli, and a frittata with red peppers, caramelized onions, mushrooms and basil. The special pizza will be carbonara with bacon, bechamel sauce, pecorino Romano cheese, black pepper, green onions and a fresh egg yolk.
On Thursday, 6 – 8 p.m., restaurateur John Rivers from 
4Rivers Smokehouse and board-certified cardiologist Dr. Monica Aggarwal will host an interactive cooking demo about plant-forward cooking at Winter Park’s Center for Health & Wellbeing. You’ll help prepare – and then sample – a meal including grilled salmon, roasted beets, arugula salad and sweet potato and chocolate chip muffins. John Rivers’ 4 Roots Foundation wants people to think about where and how food is grown and maintain a balance between people and the planet. Tickets are $40 each.
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