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Coral Springs Restaurant Honored with Fine Dining Award

by Sharon Aron Baron April 3, 2017

by Sharon Aron Baron April 3, 2017 22 views

Cook & The Cork in Coral Springs

By: Sharon Aron Baron

The Cook & the Cork Restaurant in Coral Springs has been honored with a Distinguished Restaurant of North America (DiRONA) Award – one of the most prestigious awards for fine dining.

“We are thrilled to have added The Cook & the Cork to our awarded list of restaurants,” said Scott Breard, DiRONA Executive Director. “Only 642 restaurants in North America have received the DiRONA Achievement of Distinction.”

Breard said that owners Keith and Dena Blauschild have put their passion into The Cook & the Cork and are very deserving of this award.

“This eclectic restaurant offers an exciting menu that you would expect from a Culinary Institute of America trained chef who also provides a wine list that will please the palate of any connoisseur.”

According to Breard, The Cook & the Cork serves an eclectic mix of food with interesting wines and craft beers and sake to match. Every item on the menu, from gelato to bacon to sauces to pasta, is made fresh from scratch with hand-picked ingredients. He describes it as an intriguing mash-up of global cuisine meeting American southern food.

“It’s such an honor to be in the class of restaurants that have received this award, said Keith Blauschild. “There’s less than 30 restaurants in Florida that have won this, and as a chef, you want to be in this class.”

Blauschild, 49, started his restaurant career washing dishes at the age of 13. When he was 17, he attended the Culinary Institute of America in New York. For over 10 years, Keith and his wife Dena ran Florida’s premier catering company and then opened The Cook & the Cork in 2014 after so many of their guests asked where they could find more of Chef Keith’s food. In both 2015 and 2016, The Cook & the Cork were awarded the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence and are the only restaurant in Coral Springs to hold this distinction.

Founded in 1990, DiR?NA was established to promote the fine dining industry and offer recognition to award winners across North America. Restaurants aren’t just handed this award, DiR?NA field inspectors have a list of criteria which includes: quality of physical property and décor, quality of cuisine and menu, quality of beverages, quality of service and other special qualities the restaurant holds.

Other local restaurants that have been honored in the past are: The Forge in Miami Beach, Smith & Wollensky in Miami Beach and Cafe Maxx in Pompano Beach.

Location

9890 West Sample Road
Coral Springs, Florida 33065
(954) 227-2665
Reservations

Hours

Monday & Tuesday: Chef’s days off
Wednesday & Thursday: Dinner from 5:00
Friday & Saturday: Dinner from 5:00
Sunday: Brunch – Contact Restaurant

Author Profile

Sharon Aron Baron

Editor of Talk Media and writer for Coral Springs Talk. CST was created in 2012 to provide News, Views, and Entertainment for the residents of Coral Springs and the rest of South Florida.