Eat It Florida

Jesse Blanco
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Eat It Florida explores the food, drink, and culture of the Sunshine State — starting with the small towns most people drive past on the way to somewhere else. Road Trip Diary follows a real 4.5-day, 14-town journey across Central Florida, one stop per episode, from Orange City to Cedar Key and Crystal River. Conversations sits down with the restaurant owners, chefs, and food-scene locals who make Florida worth exploring. Built on decades of firsthand Florida knowledge, not a drive-through outsider's take.

Episodes

  1. Oct 21

    Diary of a Road Trip Episode 3: Daytona Beach

    Daytona Beach on the Fourth of July weekend: Boot Hill Saloon, a biker-bar crawl, and the smash burger every local swears by. Jesse spends his first-ever night in a town he covered for years. Part 3 of the Eat It Florida road trip diary.

    Diary of a Road Trip Episode 3: Daytona Beach

  2. Oct 12

    Jacksonville's Chancho King: The $7 Pork Sandwich that has become the Talk of the Town

    From $5 days at pop-ups to a James Beard Award finalist nod, Chason Spencer and Maria La Motta of Chancho King in Jacksonville’s Murray Hill built a following one slow-roasted pork sandwich at a time. Jesse talks Ecuadorian roots, Friday night fried chicken, and why Jacksonville’s food scene is still flying under Florida’s radar.

    Jacksonville's Chancho King: The $7 Pork Sandwich that has become the Talk of the Town

  3. Oct 9

    Diary of a Road Trip, Ep. 2: DeLand, the “Athens of Florida”

    Everybody sees the DeLand signs on I-4. Very few by comparison actually exit. Jesse Blanco does, meeting a friend for a pint at Persimmon Brewing, then finding a tiny taproom hidden inside a converted church in the “Athens of Florida.” Episode 2 of Diary of a Road Trip. Real Florida. Great Eats.

    Diary of a Road Trip, Ep. 2: DeLand, the “Athens of Florida”

  4. Sep 30

    New Smyrna Beach: Coastal Catch and "Orlando's Beach"

    October is one of the few months you can have New Smyrna Beach almost to yourself. That’s also the month the city’s chefs picked to show off. Jesse talks with Debbie Meihls of the New Smyrna Beach CVB about Coastal Catch, the city’s month-long dining program. It’s back for its third year with a smaller, hand-picked lineup of restaurants. And despite the name, the catch isn’t all seafood. They also get into why people in Orlando call this stretch of coast their beach, and what someone once compared it to that you might not expect. Then Jesse puts Debbie on the […]

    New Smyrna Beach: Coastal Catch and "Orlando's Beach"

  5. Sep 9

    Eat It Florida Ep. 1: Old Florida in Orange City & DeLand

    Episode 1 of the Eat It Florida Road Trip Diary. The plan was Kissimmee — the trip became a surprise stop at Lelo’s Barbecue, a Puerto Rican spot in Orange City that smelled like grandma’s kitchen, and a happy accident at Dale’s Ales, an unbelievably pleasant biker bar off Highway 17 in DeLand.

    Eat It Florida Ep. 1: Old Florida in Orange City & DeLand

  6. Sep 5

    Eat It Florida: Vilano Beach — A Beautiful Slice of Old Florida

    A visit to Vilano Beach, one of the quiet stretches of Old Florida still holding onto its character — long before the road trip diary series even had a name. This episode set the tone for what Eat It Florida is all about: real places, real food, and the parts of the state most people drive right past.

    Eat It Florida: Vilano Beach — A Beautiful Slice of Old Florida
  • 6 Episodes

About

Eat It Florida explores the food, drink, and culture of the Sunshine State — starting with the small towns most people drive past on the way to somewhere else. Road Trip Diary follows a real 4.5-day, 14-town journey across Central Florida, one stop per episode, from Orange City to Cedar Key and Crystal River. Conversations sits down with the restaurant owners, chefs, and food-scene locals who make Florida worth exploring. Built on decades of firsthand Florida knowledge, not a drive-through outsider's take.

Information

  • Creator
    Jesse Blanco
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    6
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026
  • Show Website
    Eat It Florida