18-Year Winter Garden Anchor Finds New Home The Chef's Table and The Tasting Room, which have anchored downtown Winter Garden for 18 years from the 1927 Edgewater Hotel, will relocate to the Bond Building at 2 and 12 West Plant Street. The Tasting Room will occupy the corner location at 2 West Plant, while The Chef's Table will take the adjacent space at 12 West Plant. Both restaurants are expected to open in mid-2027, with service continuing uninterrupted at the current location until the move. The Bond Building, also known as the original Dillard & Boyd Building, was constructed in 1912 by civic leaders James L. Dillard and Benjamin T. Boyd. It stands as the oldest brick building in Winter Garden's historic district, erected after the fire of 1909.
From Nine Tables to Expansion Founded in May 2008 by Kevin and Laurie Tarter with nine tables and thirty seats, The Chef's Table was named Best New Restaurant in Orlando in its first year and earned Florida Trend's Golden Spoon Award. The Tasting Room launched in 2011 and was voted Best Appetizers in Orlando by Orlando Magazine readers. Both concepts have operated from the original small kitchen, growing to nearly 200 seats combined. The expansion will deliver what the restaurants have lacked: adequate space. Plans include a dramatically larger kitchen, expanded dining rooms, multiple private dining and event spaces on the second floor overlooking Plant and Main streets, and expanded covered outdoor dining.
Leadership and Local Impact Alicia Havard will continue as General Manager, and the expansion will create new local jobs with hiring to begin ahead of opening. Jim Larweth, a 20-year Winter Garden resident and founder of Anton Hospitality Holdings and Anton Property Investors, acquired the restaurants and is overseeing the expansion. "Kevin and I always dreamed about what these restaurants could do with more room," said co-founder Laurie Tarter. "Watching Jim and his team carry that vision forward — and grow it in the heart of the town we love — means everything to us." Larweth stated: "When Kevin and Laurie entrusted us with these restaurants, we made a commitment to honor what they built and protect the people and guest experience that made it special. This expansion is that commitment in action — a larger kitchen, more room for guests, new private dining and event spaces, and a long-term home in one of Winter Garden's most important historic buildings." Havard added: "Our guests will see the same familiar faces and the same experience they've trusted for years. What expands is everything around it — a larger kitchen for our chefs, new private spaces for celebrations, and more room for the memories our guests come here to make." Additional details on opening dates, menus, design previews, and hiring information will be shared in the coming months.
Why It Matters
The relocation signals a rare expansion for established independent restaurants, requiring both a committed operator and historic real estate investment. The move addresses a persistent operational constraint—the original small kitchen—that has limited menu scope and table count despite strong demand. For Winter Garden's downtown core, the expansion anchors two tenured concepts in a restored historic building while creating local employment.
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Written by FBM Publications Editors
