Hosting a surprise wedding ceremony, a couple renewing their wedding vows, and throwing a Cinco de Mayo block party.
These were the memories Winter Park Tex-Mex restaurant Cocina 214 helped create before closing its doors on Friday, May 29, after 15 years of service.
Cocina 214 announced in a statement that its landlord has sold the building to new owners and will begin processing their concept once the lease ends on Monday, June 1. The Cocina 214 owners scouted sites to relocate, though they have not found a place, the statement says.
Cocina 214 was a contemporary Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurant in Winter Park, led by business manager, partner, and co-founder Lambrine Macejewski and general manager Heather Cox.
A restaurant name with the combination of the Spanish word “kitchen” and the Dallas area code “214,” the duo brought the cuisine they longed for from their upbringing to Central Florida. The Tex-Mex restaurant announced its closure at the end of its current lease term on Monday, May 18.
“What started as a dream in 2011 became something far greater than we ever imagined because of our great customers, employees, vendors, neighbors, and overall community,” Cocina 214 said in the announcement. “From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for allowing us to be part of your lives and this amazing community for the past 15 years.”
Cocina 214 may have said its goodbyes, but it will always remain in the hearts and minds of those it served, even beyond the Winter Park community.
The Memories Made
Eustis resident Villma Obispo Rodriguez said she and her now husband, David Rodriguez, had their first unofficial date at the restaurant during its Cinco de Mayo celebration in May 2019. Despite the weather cancelling the outdoor activities at the time, Villma Obispo Rodriguez recalled the atmosphere inside being festive and packed with people ready to have a good time.
“It’s where we went every weekend, met up with friends for lunch, dinner, and drinks, and where we had long conversations about our blossoming relationship and what our future would hold,” Villma Obispo Rodriguez said. “In 2022, David’s company moved us out west to Arizona, and while there, we looked for something that reminded us of Cocina [214], but nothing compared to our Cocina [214] Family.”
The Tex-Mex restaurant acted as another special place where Villma Obispo Rodriguez and David Rodriguez held one of the biggest moments of their lives. What their family and friends believed was an engagement and graduation dinner turned out to be a surprise wedding in Dec. 2021.
“We had an engagement and [David Rodriguez’s] college graduation to celebrate and couldn’t think of a better place than to gather with friends and family,” Villma Obispo Rodriguez said. “We had dinner and drinks in their event room, our good friend officiated a quick ceremony for all to see, then we walked down to Fiddler’s Green to carry on the festivities.”
Kissimmee resident Willie Lugo of Lugo Entertainment shared a similar special experience as he and his wife renewed their vows at Cocina 214 around the time the restaurant opened a decade and a half ago.
“All this time later, some of the guests and my family members still remember the party and the reception,” Lugo said. “Every year we look at those pictures, I just remember it was just a really cool place, one of those places where it spoke to us. We liked everything about how it looked and how it felt.”
Before the vow renewal, Lugo said his first encounter with Cocina 214 was as a DJ, booked for a bar mitzvah at the restaurant. Lugo also added that Cocina 214 later asked him to DJ at their first Cinco de Mayo celebration.
Lugo described the event as a block party filled with activities, music, and the “racing of the Chihuahuas,” where guests would bring their dogs to compete in a little race.
“Whenever it’s the first one, you don’t know what to expect, but it was fun,” Lugo said. “I brought my crew out there, and we had all kinds of music playing and dancing in the streets. It was just a really fun vibe.”
Cocina 214 created similar moments for more guests throughout its 15-year run, from birthday celebrations to family gatherings. Villma Obispo Rodriguez shared what she will miss most about the Tex-Mex restaurant.
“In a word, everything,” Villma Obispo Rodriguez said. “We started our little family story there, and it will be a fond memory we take with us for the rest of our lives.”
Cocina 214 will not only be remembered for what they served, but rather the people they have impacted for almost two decades.
