West Orange Welcomes New Businesses in 2016
2016 brings in plenty of
things to keep West Orange buzzing with activity and excitement. Lots of
businesses are opening in West Orange. Here are some of them:
1. Young Chefs Academy
Did you know there is a
cooking school in the U.S. especially for kids? The Young Chefs Academy has
more than 20 locations across the U.S. and 9 international branches. The good
news is, Young Chefs Academy is setting its sights on Winter Garden Florida as
its next location.
The Young Chefs Academy was
founded by Julie Burleson in 2003, originally opened under the name “Mud Pie
Cooking School for Kids.”
Young Chefs Academy started
when Julie Burleson was preparing a meal and her then 4-year-old son asked if
he could help. It was then she thought about putting up a cooking school just for
kids.
Burleson never had
franchising in her plans when she started Young Chef’s Academy, but a year
after opening the first location, she started opening other branches and now
has almost 30 locations both locally and internationally. This is a testament
to the success of the Young Chef Academy, which Burleson started from the
ground.
Since this is a real cooking
school, they focus on teaching kids real culinary skills, but that’s not all,
according to Burleson. Aside from cooking skills, the students are also taught
important life lessons sprinkled in every classroom experience - from history,
culture, geography, to team building. Each class becomes more than just a
cooking class.
Classes are held weekly in
all locations with students from ages 7 to 14. Members are automatically
enrolled in the Master Chef Program, which is a 3-year program that gives its
graduates the title of “Master Chef” upon completion of the course.
The membership rates vary
depending on each location but the average price is $99/ month and $35 for a
one-time class.
If you are looking for
things to do for your kids in Florida, the good news is Young Chefs Academy is
now accepting and reviewing franchise applications for their Winter Garden
location.
Its first location in Florida
is located in Seminole and just opened recently.
Burleson now has her sights
on Orlando for some more locations, including one in Winter Garden, which she
specifically chose because of its strong family presence and the strong growth
of the market in its suburbs.
The company reviews
franchise applications and inquiries from its office based in Waco, Texas. The
team in Waco is comprised of chefs, certified teachers, and food scientists.
They check if the person applying for a franchise is teachable and is
passionate about teaching kids the value and joy of cooking to children.
Each location requires only
a few staff - just the full-time owner/ manager and three to four part time
hourly teachers.
Although many teachers are
certified chefs to who work part time in the Young Chefs Academy, employees in
local locations are not required to be certified chefs but they have to be at
least knowledgeable about cooking.
The curriculum and recipes
used in the locations, however, were written by certified chefs.
Young Chefs Academy also
hosts birthday parties where kids are taught to make recipes such as homemade
pizza. THey also have summer camps and preschool and homeschool classes during
school days.
If you are interested in
franchising a Young Chefs Academy in West Orange, visit their website
youngchefsacademy.com and click on the “Franchise” tab.
2. Retail and office space
on Daniels Road
A new business park
consisting of 50,000 square feet of retail and office space is coming soon in
Winter Garden which will be located on Daniels Road, on the plat right between
West Orange Church of Christ and Burger King.
This project has been
considered by Dan Roberts, Great Southern Realty certified property manager,
for more than a decade now but was put on hold when the market crashed a few
years ago.
With the recovery of the
economy, now is the perfect time to pursue this project which has, in fact,
been approved already by the Winter Garden City Commission.
Current plans include the
construction of retail space in the front (26,000 sq. ft.) and professional
office space at the back (32,000 sq. ft.) with each space having anywhere
between 3,000-4,000 square feet of space.
Since there are more houses
and a greater interest in retail, plus the opening of the Florida Hospital
Winter Garden nearby, medical professionals have particularly shown interest in
getting office space in this area.
If all will go according to
plan, the tentative opening date for this business park project will be late
spring or early summer of 2017.
3. Paws & Play - the new
pet resort in West Orange
Paws & Play is another business
born out of necessity. Its owner, Mike Cavinder, used to travel frequently for
work and finding places to board his dog became difficult. This is when he
thought of implementing his idea of a special dog-boarding business.
Paws & Play provides
more than 10,000 square feet of space dedicated not just for boarding and
grooming pets, but for dogs to run around actively in the outdoor play area.
This new dog boarding
facility will be located on State Road 50 just east of State Road 429.
What sets apart Paws &
Play from other dog boarding businesses is their focus on giving dogs their
most favorite activity: play. THe facility and staff makes sure that your pet
has ample play time to enjoy the outdoors in a safe environment and get plenty
of opportunity for socialization, Their goal is to make sure your pet is clean,
well-groomed, and tired by the time you pick it up.
These new businesses in Florida’s West Orange means more jobs and a better local economy. Looks like
2016 will be a great year for West Orange!
