[Eda_Pimentel]

people crack me up...eat what you wish, best place to live? prolly now out of FL, it's getting ruined

[drive carephilly]

Originally Posted by sinatras

Wait wait wait.

Are you actually saying that the veg scene in Orlando is "as good or better" than the veg scene in San Francisco, birthplace of veganism in the US? And NY? Birthplace of the Moosewood restaurant? And Philly? Birthplace of vegetarianism in the USA?

LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I'm not even gonna comment on the Tampa food scene, because it doesn't even deserve a comment

LOL. Yes, you might be a quick study at the Vegan University of Google but you didn't read my answer and you have no idea what you're talking about.

Moosewood isn't in NYC - it's in Ithaca which is 4 hours from the City. Also, that place is relevant to my dad's generation. The food is good but for at least the last 30 years you've been able to get a better version of everything on their menu at different restaurants in NYC.

San Francisco isn't the birthplace of veganism in the US. Not even the Bay Area. And speaking of the Bay Area, because I lived there, if there ever was a vegan scene, it's dead. The entire restaurant industry in the Bay Area, vegan or not, is completely hollowed out. You get fast/casual places where you order at the counter or fine dining. The middle of the market has been on the ropes for over a decade and you can see it in the monthly reports of how many more restaurants close than open. The cracks in the facade of fine dining have been apparent for a while now and Covid exposed whatever was hiding. The entire Bay Area of almost 8 million people has fewer vegan restaurants than Orlando. The only thing in the vegan/veg world the Bay has that Orlando doesn't is Millennium which I would rank somewhere between Vedge and what Proper & Wild was. What makes the food scene in the Bay Area better overall is the access to relatively cheap, almost year-round, fresh produce from the Salinas Valley. We're not there yet but the Florida market for fresh produce is growing quickly. But that's a separate argument from quality, quantity, and skill level of Orlando's vegan purveyors.

Philadelphia, where I worked in the restaurant industry for a decade (to include the now closed Gianna's Grille and Horizons), has plenty of casual offerings on the vegan side and yes it boasts Vedge (the owners of Horizons closed that restaurant to open Vedge) but metro Philly is around 2.5x the size of metro Orlando. Vedge has a really fine craft honed over 25 years. A place like Proper & Wild couldn't compete with that but it was still damn good food. Philly should have way more to offer on the casual vegan front than Orlando . . . but it doesn't. And on top of that the quality of food you're getting at HipCityVeg in Philly isn't better than Plantees in Orlando. And yeah, it's cool that Govinda's has been around for a long time but they're still serving the same stuff they were in the 80s and it's not very good. I'd much rather be eating at Hungry Pants or Ethos. If this was an argument about bakeries or patisseries then yes, Philly would crush Orlando. Alas, we're talking about vegan joints.

So yeah, I said what I said because I know.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by FL_Expert

It always surprises me how you sound like a local but you’re in Orlando.

Anyway, the schools are improving but still bad. I can’t recommend it for that reason alone.

Originally Posted by gypsychic

This ^^

Because when I moved back to FL and while figuring out "where next" have researched the hell out of Jacksonville versus going off of stereotypes or 25 year old information.

In terms of school quality whether "improving" or not, the fact remains on a Florida scale the Jacksonville metro area schools are the best in the state overall when factoring geography....so as such on topic and relevant for the Florida forum.

[FL_Expert]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

Because when I moved back to FL and while figuring out "where next" have researched the hell out of Jacksonville versus going off of stereotypes or 25 year old information.

In terms of school quality whether "improving" or not, the fact remains on a Florida scale the Jacksonville metro area schools are the best in the state overall when factoring geography....so as such on topic and relevant for the Florida forum.

We were talking about St. Pete’s schools.

[Wilitos Young]

I understand that you are a single mom and planning to relocate to Florida this summer, and I would like to offer you some recommendations to make your transition easier.

Firstly, I recommend that you research the different cities in Florida to determine which one will suit your family's needs the best. For example, if you are looking for good schools for your children, cities like Orlando, Tampa, and Miami may be good options to consider. On the other hand, if you are looking for a quieter, more family-oriented community, cities like Sarasota or St. Augustine may be better choices.

If you are too much concerned about the safety then The Villages, Palm Coast, Riverview, North Port, and Brandon can be the best option for you.

I wish you all the best in your relocation to Florida. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.

[FL_Expert]

Originally Posted by Wilitos Young

I understand that you are a single mom and planning to relocate to Florida this summer, and I would like to offer you some recommendations to make your transition easier.

Firstly, I recommend that you research the different cities in Florida to determine which one will suit your family's needs the best. For example, if you are looking for good schools for your children, cities like Orlando, Tampa, and Miami may be good options to consider. On the other hand, if you are looking for a quieter, more family-oriented community, cities like Sarasota or St. Augustine may be better choices.

If you are too much concerned about the safety then The Villages, Palm Coast, Riverview, North Port, and Brandon can be the best option for you.

I wish you all the best in your relocation to Florida. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.

I disagree with a lot of your post. I’m particular, the communities you mentioned aren’t exceptionally safe. I’m not saying they’re dangerous, but just bad examples really.

[sinatras]

Originally Posted by drive carephilly

LOL. Yes, you might be a quick study at the Vegan University of Google but you didn't read my answer and you have no idea what you're talking about.

Moosewood isn't in NYC - it's in Ithaca which is 4 hours from the City. Also, that place is relevant to my dad's generation. The food is good but for at least the last 30 years you've been able to get a better version of everything on their menu at different restaurants in NYC.

San Francisco isn't the birthplace of veganism in the US. Not even the Bay Area. And speaking of the Bay Area, because I lived there, if there ever was a vegan scene, it's dead. The entire restaurant industry in the Bay Area, vegan or not, is completely hollowed out. You get fast/casual places where you order at the counter or fine dining. The middle of the market has been on the ropes for over a decade and you can see it in the monthly reports of how many more restaurants close than open. The cracks in the facade of fine dining have been apparent for a while now and Covid exposed whatever was hiding. The entire Bay Area of almost 8 million people has fewer vegan restaurants than Orlando. The only thing in the vegan/veg world the Bay has that Orlando doesn't is Millennium which I would rank somewhere between Vedge and what Proper & Wild was. What makes the food scene in the Bay Area better overall is the access to relatively cheap, almost year-round, fresh produce from the Salinas Valley. We're not there yet but the Florida market for fresh produce is growing quickly. But that's a separate argument from quality, quantity, and skill level of Orlando's vegan purveyors.

Philadelphia, where I worked in the restaurant industry for a decade (to include the now closed Gianna's Grille and Horizons), has plenty of casual offerings on the vegan side and yes it boasts Vedge (the owners of Horizons closed that restaurant to open Vedge) but metro Philly is around 2.5x the size of metro Orlando. Vedge has a really fine craft honed over 25 years. A place like Proper & Wild couldn't compete with that but it was still damn good food. Philly should have way more to offer on the casual vegan front than Orlando . . . but it doesn't. And on top of that the quality of food you're getting at HipCityVeg in Philly isn't better than Plantees in Orlando. And yeah, it's cool that Govinda's has been around for a long time but they're still serving the same stuff they were in the 80s and it's not very good. I'd much rather be eating at Hungry Pants or Ethos. If this was an argument about bakeries or patisseries then yes, Philly would crush Orlando. Alas, we're talking about vegan joints.

So yeah, I said what I said because I know.

The ONLY person "talking about vegan joints" is YOU.

Let's go back to the OP, shall we? The OP said:

"we are vegetarian so it would be awesome to be able to live near farms and buy fresh organic veggies".

She/he/they/whatever did NOT say:

"we are vegetarian so it would be awesome to be able to live near vegan joints".

So actually you are talking (rambling on and on) about something else entirely.

There's more local produce in ONE RALPHS grocery store in Anaheim than there is "local Florida produce" in 100 stores (Publix, Aldi, Sprouts, Winn Dixie etc.) in Florida. The availability of farms growing fresh local and preferably ORGANIC produce is what makes a city truly vegan/veg-leading. Without fresh local produce, you can't have a great vegan/veg scene. The fact is that Florida is an ABYSMAL place to grow fruits and vegetables for a variety of reasons (oppressive humid heat, insects, rain, disease, hurricanes, etc.); that's why the vast majority of US produce is grown in California. And why California has so many AMAZING farms/farm markets.

Also, I never said Moosewood is in NYC. I mentioned Moosewood because beyond being a restaurant, it is a trailblazer and institution for vegetarianism, no matter how old it is, something Florida does not have.

How many cookbooks have your Florida vegan joints published, pray tell?????

[floridarebel]

Perhaps Sarasota or Bradenton, in the the rural eastern areas.
Vero Beach
St. Augustine
Jupiter
Stuart

[jinxer]

The governer is dictating how teachers teach and basically
whitewashing history. I would never send my child
to school there. Teachers are leaving in droves.
Way worse than what is portrayed. You should join
Moving to Florida and also the group Moving out of
Florida. Good insight on both….

[Grace512]

Deland Florida might work for you. Beach is 30 minutes away. I live in Lake County 30 minutes from Deland. I grow my own vegetables. Oct-May you can grow traditional crops. In the summer, I grow tropical vegetables which thrive in the heat and humidity. I grow sweet potatoes, longevity spinach, sunset mallow, pigeon peas and you can get tomatoes to grow in most months.
You can eat sweet potato leaves as a substitute for lettuce. I grow all my veges pest free. There are quite a few small organic farms in Lake and Volusia county. Despite some of the bashing, it is quite possible to get true organic foods in Florida. I am not a vegetarian myself, but I love to make vegetarian meals like quinoa and lentils. Also, there are a lot of areas for hiking and camping. Even horseback riding. Florida has a lot of natural areas set aside for outdoor recreation. Check out county, state, townships and the water district managements to find the natural areas where you can hike, bike, camp and fish. I hope this helps.