By  Carmen Cruz
November 30, 2022

Urban Brick has been added to this year’s list of America’s Best Restaurants. To celebrate, owner Rose Morelli invited VIP patrons to enjoy hors d’oeuvres and beverages.

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By Noah Hertz
October 18, 2022

A long-vacant building on North Woodland Boulevard several blocks north of Plymouth Avenue in DeLand will soon host Parva Colombian Bakery, a quick-service bakery and sit-down restaurant.

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By  Chase Berger
September 28, 2022

Amid the bars and shops clustered in Downtown DeLand is Urban Brick, a locally owned restaurant that provides patrons with a slice of Italy. This is where I found myself with my parents after a productive weekend of hanging dormitory decorations.

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By Carmen Cruz
September 14, 2022

Every so often, you come across the kind of meal that can completely transform your mood. In the span of an hour and change, a meal such as this can somehow turn a bad day into a great one.

It can stop an unpleasant day in its tracks and force you into a state of pure bliss.

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By  Barb Shepherd
September 7, 2022

When we talked with Heidi and Jessee Quinn, they were aware that Florida has a lot more insects than their previous hometown, but had not yet seen their first palmetto bug. They had only recently stopped setting their air conditioner to 62 degrees at night.

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By Carmen Cruz
August 17, 2022

I first became aware of the existence of johnnycakes during a trip to the Bahamas earlier this year. On my search for food more representative of Bahamian culture than the Dunkin’ Donuts most tourists flocked to, I stumbled upon a local spot that showed promise.

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By Beacon Staff
August 10, 2022

Downtown DeLand’s restaurant lineup got a new Vietnamese restaurant when Saigon Bistro opened at 111 E. Rich Ave.

The building was home to Hunter’s Restaurant, most recently, and to Bellini’s Deli for many years before that.

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By  Special to the Beacon
July 26, 2022

Cress Restaurant has been honored for its outstanding wine program in Wine Spectator’s 2022 Restaurant Awards, which celebrate the world’s best restaurants for wine.

“I want to congratulate all 3,169 restaurants that earned one of Wine Spectator’s three awards for their devotion to all things wine,” said Marvin R. Shanken, editor and publisher of Wine Spectator.

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By Carmen Cruz
June 15, 2022

Sitting in one of LaSpada’s three locations brings a certain joy that only a family-owned restaurant could. The smell of savory steak on the grill overwhelms your senses, and the friendly staff make the establishment warm and inviting.

LaSpada’s is best known for its legendary cheesesteaks, which are made using fresh rib-eye steak and whatever toppings suit your fancy.

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By Erica Opisso Carter
June 2, 2021

It’s a fine day when you’re elbow-deep in melted Cajun lemon butter, seafood bib around your neck as you coax every bit of spicy shrimp from the shell.

... “If you’ve never been to New Orleans, you still know about the cuisine,” owner Jason Ackerman said. “The cuisine itself is such an embraced culture.”

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By Noah Hertz
May 19, 2021

Hunter’s Restaurant first opened its doors in DeLand in 1949, but on May 29, 2022, it will close them for good. Owner Michael Marlow’s retirement will see a new restaurant, tentatively named Saigon Bistro, opening in Hunter’s place.

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By Biz Briefs
March 25, 2022

Hold Thyssen Inc., a full-service commercial property firm based in Winter Park, closed on a 10-year lease agreement with MWGHW III LLC, d/b/a WingStop, at Enterprise Plaza, 2497 Enterprise Road in Orange City.

WingStop, which began in 1994 as a small Buffalo-style chicken-wing restaurant in Garland, Texas, now has more than 1,500 stores worldwide. The new 1,360-square-foot Orange City location expects to open during the second quarter of this year.

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By Amanda Grace Johnson
March 23, 2022

There’s a new place to stop for seafood on DeLand’s north side, since MoonDancers Oyster Bar & Grill opened five months ago at 2620 N. Woodland Blvd.

The restaurant is a TARDIS. You cannot tell from the outside how expansive and attractive it is on the inside. It looks like a dive bar, but is a family-oriented restaurant with a beautiful garden seating area.

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By Noah Hertz
March 15, 2022

DeLand chef Hari Pulapaka and five other master chefs and restaurateurs will cook a Ukrainian-inspired feast to raise money for humanitarian aid to the country currently enduring an invasion.

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By Al Everson
January 24, 2022

Food truck owner says he only wants to do business

For Shannon McRoy, serving food to hungry customers is a passion, a calling that is causing trouble he believes he does not deserve.

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By Joe Crews
December 2, 2021

A new Hispanic supermarket, Fresco y Más, has opened at 1229 A Providence Blvd. in Deltona to provide the community with a specialized shopping experience that focuses on celebrating the local growing Hispanic culture in Deltona and Volusia County.


The new Fresco y Más, whose name translates to “fresh and more,” is a subsidiary of Southeastern Grocers, which also owns Winn-Dixie and two other grocery brands.

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By Barb Shepherd
September 24, 2021

          There’s good news for sushi-loving West Volusia foodies. Twisted Chopstick, closed since July, has found a new home and plans to reopen in DeLand within about two months.
          There is some sad news for foodies: Jeoffrey Curtis’ restaurant is moving into what we’ve known for 18 years as Old House Café, at 412 S. Woodland Blvd.

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By Joe Crews
September 20, 2021 

          Hari Pulapaka is moving on to the next course in his banquet of a life. The winner of multiple culinary awards and his wife, Jenneffer Pulapaka, are no longer owners of Cress in Downtown DeLand, a restaurant at 103 W. Indiana Ave. they had opened in 2008.
         The Pulapakas, who in 2019 sold majority ownership of the restaurant, were bought out in August by that couple, Tom and Suran Brandt.

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By Al Everson
September 16, 2021 

          An anticipated opening date has been announced for the Panda Express being built on South Woodland Boulevard in DeLand.

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By Giansy Paul 
September 15, 2021 

          The Black-owned business Taste of Soul is a family establishment created by Corey and Yvette Williams.

          In this restaurant at 2723 S. Woodland Blvd. in DeLand, you can find amazing options of Black cuisine. The Taste of Soul business venture was a long time in the making for Corey and Yvette.


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By Al Everson
September 9, 2021 

          It is fare — pun intended— to say that food trucks are becoming a hot topic in Deltona. Food-truck operators were expected to attend tonight’s (Sept. 9) meeting of the Deltona City Commission to plea for places to offer their wares.
        City officials had their hands full over the Labor Day weekend, as a gathering of some of the mobile kitchens took place without permission. Acting City Manager John Peters said the unsanctioned event caused some problems.

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Beacon Photos by Marsha Mclaughlin
September 8, 2021 

VIEW PHOTO GALLERY

By Erica Opisso Carter
July 7, 2021 

         I had no idea of the science inside my glass as I sipped craft beer inside Riverwalk Pizzeria & Brew Pub. No idea that someone’s been checking yeast cells under a microscope, tending temperature controls and calculating equations for a perfect pour.

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By Calista Headrick
August 25, 2021 

         Doug Rand is no stranger to running a restaurant. In fact, he has been in business in DeLand for approximately 40 years.

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By Calista Headrick
August 11, 2021 

         When William Torres, owner of Tropi Shack, relocated to Florida from New Jersey in 2004, he knew he wanted to start his own business, but had no plans of breaking into the food industry.

          “I came down and said we’re going to make something work.

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Beacon Photos By Marsha Mclaughlin
August 4, 2021 

         The West Volusia Association of Realtors Young Professionals Network hosted a gathering for a good cause July 15 at City Limits Taproom in DeLand. They invited those attending to bring school supplies for distribution to children in need.

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BY DAVID SWANBERG
August 12, 2019

"There are four or five jerky manufacturers in the state, and we’re the only one in Central Florida,” Mr. P said.

Mr. P is Mark Pescatore of Mr. P’s Beef Jerky, which manufactures beef jerky in the DeLand Municipal Airport Industrial Park.

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