This is the time of year when South Florida starts filling up with visitors from colder climates in search of a warm getaway to golf, go boating, swim, fish or simply walk on the beach.
Staying active is an important part of a healthy break, but so is finding fresh, nutritious foods to eat. Florida has long been known for seafood places and citrus stands, but there’s a lot more to discover to please "foodies" on vacation today.
Organic options
During a recent trip to Naples in southwest Florida I made it my quest to learn what enlightened locals were serving. I found the bustling, independently owned Food & Thought Organic Farm Market & Cafe.
Owner Frank Oakes told me that everything his market sells -- from soups and sandwiches in the cafe to shampoos on the shelf -- is 100 percent organic.
“We don’t fill in with stuff that’s called natural. That doesn’t mean anything," Oakes said. "Right now, I’d like to stock lemons, but the only organic ones I can find are from California at $90 a bushel. Can you believe in this citrus state no one is growing organic lemons?”
Oakes runs a small farm to supply his market with organic produce, including strawberries, tomatoes and sprouts; but the aisles are filled with foods from other organic producers, too.
“People come to the organic table for the absence of toxins,” Oakes said of his customers. “But the real reason is to buy for the taste and nutrition that’s in organic foods.”
I chose a midmorning fresh juice smoothie made with apples, beets, carrots, ginger and parsley. How did it taste? Uh, healthy.
Feel like a stroll after dinner and a scoop of ice cream? You can still go organic. Over on Naples’ fashionable Fifth Avenue South, Marion and Jen Schupperhauer (originally from Heidelberg, Germany) have recently opened Adelheidi’s Organic Sweets. The bright little shop features freshly made sweet and savory crepes and baked goods made with organic ingredients, as well as house-made gelatos with fabulous flavors such as strawberry basil, avocado honey and lime black pepper. How did they taste? Really good!
Organically grown ingredients are even showing up at area attractions. The cafe at the Naples Botanical Garden features farm-to-table lunch and snack creations prepared by chef Greg Shapiro’s Taste Buds catering team. “It’s a beautiful place," he said, "and now visitors can relax and enjoy a wrap sandwich or salad just as fresh as the flowers.”
Florida fresh
Seafood is still center stage in southwest Florida. I was fishing for healthy seafood preparations and found two favorites.
At Sea Salt Restaurant on Third Street South chef Fabrizio Aielli uses just the right touch of salt from his collection of more than 100 sea salts from around the world. The grouper cooked with tomatoes and capers was delicious and a much lighter choice than the usual fried seafood platters served elsewhere.
But you don’t have to eat upscale to find healthier fish dishes. On busy Tamiami Trail in a strip of stores, I found chef Matt Ferreira’s chilled crab gazpacho and grilled grouper sandwich with a nonmayo cabbage slaw at Swan River Seafood and Fish Market. “I cook with the fish and shellfish sold in our market," he said. "I know it’s fresh.”
This is my kind of Florida sightseeing.
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