LOCAL FOODIE HIGHLIGHT

By Leon Konieczny What the heck is a “culinary collective,” and what is one doing inside of an old railroad depot in historic, downtown Sanford? The first railroad depot in Sanford was built in the 1800’s by Henry Plant. In 1940, Henry Plant’s original depot was demolished and a new one built on that site. Rail traffic declined and eventually ...

By LEON KONIECZNY Sanford is back and booming, looking a lot like pre-pandemic times. How do I know? Recently, I was out for a Sunday morning walk through downtown, normally a sleepy time downtown. But what did I see? Why, there was a line of people across Magnolia Square, waiting for something. Glancing at my watch, I realized that it ...

OWNER OF SANFORD’S OLDEST RESTAURANT By Michael Hernandez Sometimes the most important people in a community are those you do not hear about. These are the people who show up every day to connect with their community and make a quiet yet powerful difference in the world around them. Michelle Simoneaux is one of these people. Michelle is the owner ...

BY LEON KONIECZNY Have you ever eaten dinner while in jail? Hopefully not, but now you can make that experience a reality—without being arrested—at Central Florida’s most unique dining experience—The Old Jailhouse restaurant and bar in Sanford. Built in 1893 and serving as the county jail from 1914-1959, this historic building in beautiful, historic, downtown Sanford suffered decades of neglect, ...

Photo credit for beer logos: Greg Bryla & Kristen Koehnemann By Julie Capps The building was located in a neighborhood that had seen better days, as Robyn Esser recalls of her first visit to 400 Sanford Avenue in the Georgetown neighborhood of Sanford. Robyn and her husband Chris, along with their two partners Bo Hallowes and Allan Jackson, had been ...