Quick Bites: New Owners Bring Restaurant Up To Par

Sometimes it takes a new owner to bring a restaurant back up to par. That’s just what Peter and Jacquie Tokas did along with help from their son, Jim, and his wife, Tatiane.


Tierra Del Sol Golf and Country Club in The Villages has been under new ownership since early December. The restaurant features indoor/outdoor dining and overlooks a championship golf course that has been the site of several televised LPGA tournaments featuring some of the top women golfers in the world.


No strangers to the hospitality business, Peter and Jacquie owned a restaurant/bakery for over 22 years in Connecticut and Peter has been baking for 42 years.


During some recent cyber surfing, I found a website, talkofthevillages.com, where diners posted their dining experiences. “I swore I’d never frequent this facility again. Oh well. Had dinner at TDS last night. New owner. New menu. Great service. The food was very good, too. Some things do change for the better,” was one posting. Others went on to say, “Went there for breakfast the day the new owner took over in December and have returned twice since, for dinner. Just keeps getting better and better,” and “Ate there last night—brought our fussy neighbors—all had a great meal. Homemade bread was great—éclairs for dessert were wonderful.”


In an effort to improve the establishment even more, the Tokas are working on a new dinner menu that will include Italian and Greek dishes.


The restaurant is open seven days a week between 6:30am and 8:00pm, and offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Sunday brunch ($10.99) includes coffee or tea, a carving and omelet station, waffles, French toast, and much more. Brunch is served between 9am-2pm. And don’t forget to try Peter’s fresh-baked pastries while you’re there! Call (352) 753-8005 for directions and a menu.


Do you have a sweet tooth? Then the place to visit is Cupcake Delights in Mount Dora. Located on 5th Avenue across from Donnelly Park, Cupcakes Delight is owned by Judy Owens who picked up her passion for baking from her dad. Judy bakes and decorates the most original cupcakes you’ve ever seen or tasted. Nothing says it more than seeing her display cases or visiting her website at mountdoracupcakes.com. The selection varies daily and includes flavors such as Carrot Cake, Banana Split, Coconut Dream, Kahlua and Cream, Mocha Temptation, Mount Dora Mint, Red Velvet, Cappuccino Delight, and more.


Asked if she bakes other items, Owens replies, “We pretty much stick to cupcakes and sell out almost daily.” Her newest creation this month is a Chocolate Caramel Chunk made with chocolate cake and stuffed with caramel. The cupcake is topped with chocolate butter cream and rolled in pecan pieces. Another is the Maple Nut Crunch with maple butter cream rolled in chunky walnut pieces topped with a maple sauce.


“We’re also working on a butterscotch cupcake,” Owens adds. “We pretty much make a new cupcake every other week.”

Cupcake Delights is open Monday through Saturday and can be reached at (352) 383-2200.

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