4rivers test kitchen
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4Rivers Test Kitchen
Alexander Bissell
Xenecia Farrell
Tiffany Trilli
Arianna Zabala
Mr. Bill Dotson
Director of Content & Operations
WUCF
12461 Research Parkway
Suite 550, Orlando, FL 32826
Dear Mr. Dotson:
The most recent fad in Central Florida is new restaurants sprouting up all over the community. But if you haven’t tried the BBQ cuisine from 4
Rivers Smokehouse, then you’re missing out. Orlando has been renowned for its handful of theme parks inviting families from all across the
globe to visit. But Orlando is exploring other avenues and becoming a hot target on the map for food lovers. The 4 Rivers Test Kitchen is
located in Winter Park and is sure to be a massive hit with the locals.
The 4 Rivers Test Kitchen is located on the scenic Park Avenue in Winter Park. The test kitchen also serves as the headquarters for the
delectable BBQ chain housing the marketing, finance and human resources department that are at the core of the company. But not only does
the test kitchen serve as the main office, but also a place to host events for the local community. Recently, the third Table Talk discussion,
Raising the Bar: Farm, Food and Spirits, was hosted there and brought together the culinary talent of the community. The chefs held a
discussion about making Orlando a target on the map for food junkies. This also included talks with local farmers and ranchers to meet the
demands of the growing food community. Just recently John Rivers opened up The Coop (a restaurant similar to the 4 Rivers Smokehouse, but
including fried chicken) and is in talks about expanding locations in the future.
ONE is known for its series of videos that boast about the local community in Central Florida. 4 Rivers Smokehouse is known as the tasty
destination for family and friends to have some delicious BBQ meals. John Rivers has successfully made his food a hit with the locals. The 4
Rivers Test Kitchen is the headquarters where all of the busy work gets done, but it also is a place that can bring together families for a bonding
session over culinary dining.
Families won’t have to worry about planning tedious day trips to the beach or a day at Disney since the 4 Rivers Test Kitchen is located right in
central Florida’s backyard. Winter Park is a family friendly area perfect for a family stroll on a nice day. With the test kitchen families are able to
plan a convenient day in the local community. The newly opened COOP restaurant is also a great place to try out for a meal choice.
One of the philanthropic events that the test kitchen hosted was “Books & Cooks”. This event teamed up with the Winter Park Public Library
to host a panel discussion and was open to everyone with all proceeds going back to the library. If your viewers and readers want to give back
to the community they can attend an event at the test kitchen. Your followers will be educated on how to refine their culinary skills all while
sharing memories with family members and friends. This story will affect a large audience and give them a day to look forward to. In the future,
the 4 Rivers Test Kitchen plans to host more events as a step toward Orlando’s culinary future.
We are also able to offer you the opportunity to meet with the 4 Rivers staff at the test kitchen as well as gaining access to interview them and
shoot video footage to entice viewers. Everybody loves food, and members of the Central Florida community will flock to this destination if a
series is covered by ONE. Below are some articles to provide you with background information on the 4 Rivers company and the test kitchen.
This story is a tasty treat you don’t want to pass up.
I look forward to hearing from you in the near future.
Sincerely,
Arianna Zabala: [email protected]
Tiffany Trilli: [email protected]
Alex Bissell: [email protected]
Xenecia Farrell: [email protected]
4 Rivers Test Kitchen
http://www.hypeorlando.com/taste-cook-sip/tag/4-rivers-test-kitchen/
http://4rsmokehouse.com/
http://tastychomps.com/2014/04/table-talk-event-at-4-rivers-test-kitchen-what-you-need-to-know-about-orlandos-food-scene.html
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2014-02-26/news/os-heather-mcpherson-books-and-cooks-20140226_1_carte-hollis-wilder-table-matters
4 Rivers Test Kitchen
210 N. Park Ave.
Winter Park, Florida 32789
Growing up in Jacksonville, River’s roots play a large part in his cooking. Combining his wife’s Texan smoking
techniques and his passion for southern food gave him the inspiration for the 4 Rivers atmosphere. Other than
his family, River’s main motivation is his passion to impact the lives of his customers through charity work. He
believes, “It’s a blessing to give and serve great food.”
So what’s next for the local foodie celebrity? Rivers’ goal is to have 24 stores open across the country. Though
he wants to expand his brand, he still wants the personal feel in all of the restaurants incorporating the fun and
excitement from the business. His favorite part of running 4 Rivers is Saturdays. That day he can put on his
chef hat and cook in the stores all day. He says, “I have retired once in my career and I went to this because it’s
truly my passion, as long as it stays like this Ill keep going.”
When Rivers isn’t eating his own 18 hour cooked famous brisket, he enjoys Mexican and Greek food. He also
serves on the boards for many community charity organizations in the Orlando area. Residing currently in
Winter Park, he wants to get as much involved in the community as he can, as long as he makes time on
Sundays for family and church. His wife Monica and two children Jared and Cameron keep him inspired to
keep on cookin’.
John Rivers Chef & CEO
John Rivers is on top of his game with the recent opening in April
of his new restaurant, The Coop, in Winter Park. His famous
restaurant, 4 Rivers Smokehouse, has locations in Winter Park,
Winter Garden, Longwood, Jacksonville, Gainesville and now by
the University of Central Florida. Rivers has expanded his brand
to something that has “gone beyond his imagination.” His Texas-
inspired dishes have a special something that has taken over the
hearts and stomachs of southeast Florida residents.
Although River’s first passion is cooking, his diverse career
experience has given him the abilities to manage a successful
company. The 20-year experiences he has had in the health care
industry led him to serve as the president of a $1.4 billion
pharmaceutical corporation. His passion for food had him
throwing huge barbeque event fundraisers for his community and
firing up the smoker in his garage during his spare time. Through
word-of-mouth in the small community of Winter Park, Rivers
started with selling his 4R Signature BBQ Sauce to locals and
finally took his leap of faith to open the first 4 Rivers
Smokehouse restaurant.
A few fun facts about Amy include having a love for travel, she spent two consecutive summers in Sierra Leone
on a mission trip with an orphanage and she can play one song on the Ukulele. Amy is constantly meeting
members of the Central Florida community and enjoys being part of a successful company that delivers quality
customer service and delicious food. In the future she sees the company expanding outside of Florida and
opening locations all across America.
No day is normal for Amy as she describes her days as spontaneous every time she steps foot in the 4 Rivers
headquarters. The perks of her job include getting to try new recipes and foods John experiments with. Who
wouldn’t want free food on the job? As for now, you know that if you want to get in contact with the famous
John Rivers, you have to go through Amy first.
Amy Scott Executive Assistant
A native from Annapolis, Maryland, Amy calls herself a navy brat
and is the newest employee at the 4 Rivers Test Kitchen having
only been there two and half months. Amy is a proud University
of Central Florida knight where she got her degree in Event
Management and bleeds black and gold. She has lived all over
America all the way from California to Jacksonville, Florida.
Although she loves the Florida sunshine, she has future plans to
settle on the West Coast.
Her role at the 4 Rivers Test Kitchen is the executive assistant to
John Rivers. What exactly does that mean you might ask? Amy
gave a brief oversight of her duties, “I make sure John is set up
for success. I take care of his schedule and make sure he shows
up to events. I also take care of any interviews or questions that
need to be set up with John.” She has been in charge of setting up
the events held in the test kitchen including the most recent Table
Talk that was hosted there. Having only been there for a short
time, Amy loves the atmosphere of working there describing it as,
“Fun, hard-working and relaxing.”
4 Rivers Smokehouse
Locations
• Winter Park (Flagship Location): 1600 Fairbanks Avenue, Winter Park, FL 32789
• Winter Garden: 1047 South Dillard Street, Winter Garden, FL 32787
• Longwood: 1869 West State Road 424 Ste. 230, Longwood, FL 32750
• Jacksonville: 9220 Baymeadows Road, Jacksonville, FL 32256
• Gainesville: 3262 Southwest Archer Road, Gainesville, FL 32608
• East Orlando: 11850 University Boulevard, Orlando, FL 32817
• Orange Park: 220 Park Avenue, Orange Park, FL 32073
Chef and Owner
John Rivers
Signature Food
Texas inspired smokehouse that offers signature dishes like the Smoked Angus Brisket and the St.
Louis- Style Ribs.
Founded
2009
Company Motto
4 Rivers Smokehouse strives to provide great customer service, top-quality ingredients and a
business model that gives back to its respective communities and faith-based organizations.
Contact Information
Phone Number: 407-4RIVERS
Website: www.4RSmokehouse.com
Hours of Operation
Monday – Thursday: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Friday- Saturday: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sunday: Closed
Fact sheet
4 Rivers Test Kitchen: Table Talk
Event
Chefs will be presenting food and offering insight on their award- winning kitchens. Each chef will
create a specific item and present it to the public for them to taste. With central Florida becoming
more of a foodie community, Table Talk is the perfect event to showcase what diversity the Central
Florida restaurant industry has to offer.
Participating Chefs
• John Rivers of 4 Rivers Smokehouse and The Coop
• Brandon McGlamery of Luma and Prato
• Hari Pulapaka of Cress
• Kathleen Blake of The Rusty Spoon
• Scott Hunnel of Victoria & Albert’s
When
Tuesday, April 1, 2014 from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.
Location
4 Rivers Test Kitchen
210 N. Park Ave
Winter Garden, FL 32789
United States
Cost
Free to the public. RSVP is required.
RSVP
RSVP required at [email protected] | 407.236.6566 ext. 103
Contact Information
Phone Number: 407-4RIVERS
Website: www.4RSmokehouse.com
Fact sheet
Central Florida chefs see Orlando becoming a new culinary epicenter and John
Rivers agrees. With his 4 Rivers Test Kitchen as a hub for culinary creativity, he sees
Orlando’s reputation for food surpass that of theme parks and attractions. Here’s a
look at efforts that plan to make foodies flock to Orlando.
Teaser
Visuals
Here is the actual test kitchen that has been
home to many of John River’s delicious
experiments. Events are also held in here
such as the recent Table Talk. John loves to
cook and spends his time in here figuring out
new recipes for his loyal customers.
Located beyond the test kitchen this wide
open space is home to the marketing
department. This wide open space allows for
the flow of creativity and excitement to flow
through the office. Located in the back
corner is the finance and human resources
department.
Visuals
This isn’t just any chalk board, this chalk
board is where the infamous menus for the 4
Rivers Smokehouse and the newly opened
COOP are created.
This chair is home to Amy’s desk where she
handles all of John’s scheduling and calls.
Just behind her office is John’s two room
office. He has a meeting room (pictured all
the way in the back) and to the right is his
main office that overlooks the scenic Park
Avenue.
4 Rivers Test Kitchen
Address: 4 Rivers Test Kitchen
210 N. Park Ave
Winter Garden, FL 32789
United States
Phone Number: 407-4RIVERS
4 Rivers Smokehouse
Website: www.4Rsmokehouse.com
Phone Number: 407-4RIVERS
Locations:
• Winter Park (Flagship Location): 1600 Fairbanks Avenue, Winter Park, FL 32789
• Winter Garden: 1047 South Dillard Street, Winter Garden, FL 32787
• Longwood: 1869 West State Road 424 Ste. 230, Longwood, FL 32750
• Jacksonville: 9220 Baymeadows Road, Jacksonville, FL 32256
• Gainesville: 3262 Southwest Archer Road, Gainesville, FL 32608
• East Orlando: 11850 University Boulevard, Orlando, FL 32817
• Orange Park: 220 Park Avenue, Orange Park, FL 32073
John Rivers
• 407-4RIVERS
Amy Scott
• 407-4RIVERS
Group Members:
Arianna Zabala: [email protected] / 239-289-0048
Tiffany Trilli: [email protected] / 305-299-2581
Alex Bissell: [email protected] / 757-777-7105
Xenecia Farrell: [email protected] /340-998-0067
Contact sheet