APCM market has all kinds of goods and services!

Often I find serendipity plays a large part in the picture of our everyday lives and once a new opportunity is presented, it is our responsibility to recognize it and act on these chance meetings and happenings.  It just so happens serendipity recently just bumped into me at one of favorite coffee spots, Stardust Coffee & Video. Stardust for short for now on, is that cool? A few weeks back I was meeting my friend, a local photographer and Full Sail instructor, for a ‘let’s-catch-up-drink’ at Stardust on a Wednesday evening. Upon arriving I was perplexed by the mini-tent city blanketing the parking lot sheltering a flurry of happy activity inside. Could it be a market? Was there a farmer’s market peddling yummy foods and other hand-made, and homemade goods in Orlando I was not aware of? Impossible!

BWP's impressive menu at APCM.

Yet it was entirely true. Before my eyes was the Audubon Park Community Market where local reigns supreme. Every Wednesday night from 6-10PM a bevy of local vendors turn out their wares to the tune of a local, live band surrounded by dogs, children, bicycle parts, art and artists, soaps, massage, and of course, delicious local foods. APCM is an event by Ourlando, Locally Made Group born from members of PLACE, or Progressive Local Alliance for Community Enrichment. To them local equals beautiful and more importantly, sustainable. That’s a term being used a lot today in the discourse of all things food and its not surprising given the tumultuous ecomonic turmoil currently befalling a lot of Americans. A hard lesson learned from the lean economic times is that of how to sustain, or to maintain basic needs of living without it costing more than absolutely necessary from the bank account and the planet at large.  In addition to the social and environmental benefits of the local lifestyle, practicing sustainability as well as eating local is about getting to know your community. Orlando has a lot to offer besides the tour-tastic side of town, so through efforts like the APCM and other Ourlando events Orlando-ites have a means to start and nourish connections with neighbors they didn’t know they had for goods and services we all need.

A good and service I am always in need of is the savory, sweet nectar of food.  While scanning the mini-tent city with eyes wide I spied a very large stand-up chalkboard displaying a menu covering the board corner-to-corner with dishes I had not yet seen in these parts (see picture above).  I had so many questions, like “How do you make your own bacon?” "How do you pronounce 'Muhummara'?" And, “Where did you come from?” Lucky for me Chef Tony Adams of Big Wheel Provisions is majorly excited about his company and his food so he addresses me almost immediately; probably because I was gawking in his booth. We start talking and I tell him that I am intrigued by his jams, butters, cured meats, granola, and crostinis and if he wouldn't mind, I’d like to chat at a later date since my girlfriend has been patiently sipping her wine waiting for me to spot food ogling. He happily agreed and sent me on my way with a sample of herb crostinis and local pumpkin butter. All the next week I was savoring the local pumpkin butter first on the crostinis, then on sweet breads, crackers, and even waffles.  It was heavenly light, spiced, and sweet. I could not get enough, and even more than loving the taste I was beyond elated I found this product in my community. That’s why I was jazzed to meet with Tony again to find out about Big Wheel Provisions and taste some more of his lusciously local prepared foods. 

Chef Tony Adams and I intensely discussing food.

It’s another Wednesday night and Tony and I agree to meet at APCM, but I arrived about 7:15PM and the BWP booth was  buzzing with busy activity. I told Tony I’d wait for him inside Stardust after roaming the market, and he can come in and chat when we was free. A short while later Tony and I sat and talked about his early life, his career, and his food but mostly about food.

Tony Adams grew up in Maine in a Norman Rockwell-esque New England family. Dad worked in oil and mom was a ‘down-home American’ cook preparing American chop suey and corned beef as well as baking sweets like her infamous whoopie pies. Her whoopie pies are still Tony’s favorite, and to this day his dad will pack some when they come for a sunny visit. In high school Tony job-shadowed in a kitchen and the work of preparing food as well as the sheer abundance of it truly inspired him. Later on Tony excelled in his culinary vocational classes. When he re-tells of these times his sweet smile conveys his fondness and nostalgia for those days gone by jokingly remarking, “It was very easy for me to remember what’s in a hollandaise as opposed to my friends who know what a carburetor is. I still don’t know what a carburetor is.”

After high school Tony attended the prestigious Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI. While studying there over four years Tony received the very rare Bachelor of Culinary Arts Degree. Following college Tony did was is called ‘staging’ (the middle ‘g’ is silent), or working for free in restaurants around the country. From England, to New York City, to Chicago, and back to Providence Tony sharpened his skills and opened his palette to the possibilities of food. His next career move was to the classroom leaving the hectic hustle of the restaurant scene behind for the Le Cordon Bleu in Orlando to teach the next generation of chefs for the following five years. It was during this time Tony fully actualized his passion for changing attitudes about foods through brave encounters. Convincing young students of the prospects of pates as well as hearing their success stories from his instruction were highs of teaching. Teaching also re-ignited another culinary passion, "The preparation of clean food done simply through the dedication of old school techniques like preservation with updated flavor and local ingredients.”

And that is the precise description of the foods and services Tony and his partner Leah Mojer’s Big Wheel Provisions currently provide to the Central Florida area.  Once Tony received his catering license after requests for more events from clients such as various Orlando Magic players, Tony left Le Cordon Bleu in 2008 to pursue the passions of ‘his food’. Big Wheel Provisions was originally Big Wheel Cheese & Provisions, but the cheese shop is a near-term future goal. There patrons will not only be able to purchase wares and artisan foods and food products, but will also be able to take classes in cheese making and butchery. I see his vision and I want to go to there. For now, you can buy their provisions at APCM, sign up for in-home cooking classes, have an event catered customized entirely to spec, or order food for delivery just because. Fortunately for me, Tony supplied some local goodies for a tasting right then and there. We had Curried Pickled Carrots, more Local Pumpkin Butter, Raw Milk Bleu Cheese Crostini, Chermoula, and Muhummara. 

The tasting course.

I have already gushed about the Pumpkin Butter, but how local is it? Tony told me he was able to get some pumpkins from the UCF Arboretum Garden around Thanksgiving, so that’s pretty local but can it get more local? You bet. The eggs BWP sells and uses are never more than eighteen hours old. Impressed yet? No? How about Big Wheel Provisions is the only retailer of locally raised, free-range pork from Palmetto Creek Farms located in Avalon Park. Does that deserve a tip of the hat? It sure does.  Where do you think something like homemade sausage and bacon comes from? My only regret after getting to know Tony and BWP is not having sampled the homemade bacon with the local pumpkin butter sloppily slathered on top.   Yet I can’t complain because the pumpkin butter is just as ravishing on BWP’s Raw Milk Bleu Cheese Crostini as a piece of cured bacon. Tony acquires the raw milk bleu cheese from Florida’s first raw milk cheese producer, Winter Park Dairy, and the bread is baked fresh every day at Casselberry’s Olde Hearth Bread Company.  To sum up, Tony's BWP is the poster child of keeping it local and sustainable.

The infamous pumpkin butter.

Returning to the tasting Tony provided, the crostini paired with a snappy julienne of curried pickled carrot elevates the possibilities of crunch and flavor derived from so few ingredients. Six ounces of those spiced and sour carrots didn’t last two days in my humble abode. In addition to all these lovely provisions Tony had me try two dips I’ve never been privy to tasting until now: Muhummara and Chermoula. Muhummara is a hot pepper dish originating in Syria, and some of Leah's secret ingredients include toasted walnut, local honey, and molasses. The punch of the paprika and other spices hits the nose immediately and it should be eaten is small doses for maximum enjoyment. The Chermoula was the unexpected yummy morsel of the meeting. Tony told me of its Moroccan/North African roots and when I researched on what I thought to be a dip, I found chermoula was most commonly used as a marinade for fish and other foods. Tony’s Chermoula version has everything I love about this regional cuisine; there may be many ingredients but you can taste every single one. A revelation like this can be likened to when one is looking at painting and understands the motivation behind the artist’s every brush stroke. It’s enlightening.

Snap into a curried pickled carrot!

Even more impressive to the tastes and the use of as many local ingredients as possible is the price for such handcrafted provisions. Expect to pay $3.50 for any 6oz. container of the food.  Local. Delicious. Affordable. Now that you know Big Wheel Provisions exists and that the average person can actually afford it, why not keep them in mind for your up-and-coming holiday meals and gifts? Here is an exclusive preview of their gift basket offerings to close out this profile on a lovable, tasteable, local company meant for big things called Big Wheel Provisions.

Big Wheel Holiday Bring Along Basket - $40 plus Tax

(Plastic Containers, Overnight Shipping Required)

- Big Wheel Hand Stamped Kraft Gift Box

- Big Wheel Logo Cutting Board

- Local Pumpkin Butter 1/2 pint

- Local Herb Salt 1/2 pint

- Herbed Crostini

- Curried Carrot Pickles 1/2 pint

- Smoked Dansk Farms Honey Gift Jar

- Big Wheel Bacon 1/2 lb. Slab 

- Tea Towel

Big Wheel Gift Basket - $80 plus Tax

(Overnight Shipping Required for Perishable Option)

- Hand Selected Open Top Basket 

- Big Wheel Logo Cutting Board

- Local Pumpkin Butter 1/2 pint Gift Jar

- Local Herb Salt 1/2 pint Gift Jar

- Herbed Crostini

- Curried Carrot Pickles 1/2 pint Gift Jar

- Smoked Dansk Farms Honey Gift Jar

Big Wheel Tahitian Vanilla Meringue Cookies 

- Big Wheel Bacon 1/2 lb. Slab (Perishable Option)

- Big Wheel Brown Sugar Pecan Granola Pint Gift Jar (Non-Perishable Option)

- Hand Selected Antique Estate Linen Tea Towel

Big Wheel Heritage Gift Basket - $140 plus Tax

(Overnight Shipping Required for Perishable Option)

- Hand Selected Open Top Basket 

- Big Wheel Upgraded Large Bamboo Logo Cutting Board

- Local Pumpkin Butter 1/2 pint Gift Jar

- Local Herb Salt 1/2 pint Gift Jar

- Herbed Crostini

- Onion Jam 1/2 pint Gift Jar

- Curried Carrot Pickles 1/2 pint Gift Jar

- Smoked Dansk Farms Honey Gift Jar

Big Wheel Tahitian Vanilla Meringue Cookies 

- Big Wheel Bacon 1/2 lb. Slab (Perishable Option)

- Big Wheel Brown Sugar Pecan Granola Pint Gift Jar (Non-Perishable Bacon Sub Option)

- Big Wheel Country Style Pork Rilletes 1/2 pint (Perishable Option)

- Big Wheel Fennel Pollen Crackers Gift Bag (Non-Perishable Rilletes Sub Option)

- Candied Florida Citrus Peel

- Brandied Tahitian Vanilla Simple Syrup

- Candied Mixed Nuts with Florida Brown Sugar 

- Opinel Brand Folding Utility Picnic Knife

- 2 ea. Hand Selected Antique Estate Linen Tea Towels

Big Wheel Heirloom Gift Basket - $240 plus Tax

(Overnight Shipping Required for Perishable Option)

- Hand Selected Vintage Estate Closed Top Basket 

- Big Wheel Upgraded Large Bamboo Logo Cutting Board

- Local Pumpkin Butter 1/2 pint Gift Jar

- Local Herb Salt 1/2 pint Gift Jar

- Herbed Olde Hearth Fig Anise Crostini

- Onion Jam 1/2 pint Gift Jar

- Curried Carrot Pickles 1/2 pint Gift Jar

- Smoked Dansk Farms Honey Gift Jar

Big Wheel Tahitian Vanilla Meringue Cookies 

- Big Wheel Bacon 1 lb. Slab (Perishable Option)

- Big Wheel Brown Sugar Pecan Granola Pint Gift Jar (Non-Perishable Bacon Sub Option)

- Big Wheel Country Style Pork Rilletes 1/2 pint (Perishable Option)

- Big Wheel Fennel Pollen Crackers Gift Bag (Non-Perishable Rilletes Sub Option)

-Big Wheel Cured Duck Leg Confit x 1 ea. (Perishable Option)

- Big Wheel Truffle Parmesan Crackers (Non-Perishable Confit Sub Option)

- Hand Sliced Big Wheel Duck Prosciutto (Perishable Option)

- Local Florida Watermelon Syrup 1/2 pint Gift Jar (Non-Perishable Prosciutto Sub Option)

- Chocolate Dipped Candied Florida Citrus Peel

- Brandied Tahitian Vanilla Simple Syrup

- Big Wheel Fruit Mostarda 1/2 pint Gift Jar

- Candied Mixed Nuts with Florida Brown Sugar 

- Opinel Brand Folding Utility Picnic Knife

- 2 ea. Hand Selected Antique Estate Linen Tea Towels

Holiday baskets can be ordered right now in three ways. One, call them up at 407-797-0167. Two, come to the Audubon Market to sample some wares and order your baskets. And three, hopefully the http://www.bigwheelprovisions.com/ order form will be available too.