- April+Holly strives to have a positive impact on humans and animals of all stripes through wholesome, nontoxic living.
- How a few discarded tomato seeds gave Winter Garden its name.
- Locally sourced and 100% natural, Pet Wants is dishing up quality food for your furry friends.
- There is always good news in the garden.
Nature+You
April+Holly strives to have a positive impact on humans and animals of all stripes through wholesome, nontoxic living.
While some people may be toxic, this duo sure isn’t. April Mynhier and Holly Myers are church-buddies-turned-best-friends-turned-business-partners who have spent their time leaning into healthier living. Now they’re using their knowledge to better the lives of animals and people alike.
Whether they’re tending to their numerous plants, managing a butterfly conservation (yes, you read that correctly), or spending time with their families—two-legged and four—April and Holly naturally have a positive impact on everyone around them.
It isn’t difficult to notice their empathy and passion either, and their bright demeanors reflect this. Dynamic and vivacious, Holly and April exemplify what nontoxic living entails, from clean eating and green living to natural candles.
April lights up when she talks about it: “I don’t treat my plants and garden beds with pesticides so as not to harm the birds and pollinators. And my backyard is butterfly heaven—I even have a greenhouse I brought into my dining room to save their eggs from other insects.”
Holly adds, “April and I both use natural cleaning products, organic foods, essential oils, and natural remedies for health issues, for both our pups and us.”
This way of living might seem challenging to maintain, but April and Holly don’t just make it look easy, but aim to make it feel easy for the community. Their commitment has inspired neighbors and friends to explore nontoxic living, inside and out. “We just want to do what we can for everyone around us,” says April. “It’s important to revel in the natural side of things sometimes.”
For the past year, April and Holly have been investing their time and expansive knowledge into their newly founded nontoxic candle business, called April + Holly. “We used to burn regular candles, but they were causing allergies and other issues,” April says, “I said to Holly, ‘Let’s make candles so we can burn something we know won’t irritate us, and is all-natural and sustainably sourced.’”
The result is a coconut oil blend candle with 100% cotton wicks and essential oils. They even crafted what may be the first Canine Candle line.“We knew that lavender, vanilla, and sage do have calming effects on dogs when used as oils applied to their skin, so we took those ingredients and put them in our nontoxic candle blend,” says April.
How do you know it works? Just ask Moochie, April’s Dachshund and the company’s spokespup… as soon as he wakes up from his nap.
Local History
Planting the Seeds
How a few discarded tomato seeds gave Winter Garden its name.
Simply hearing the name “Winter Garden” is enough to bring to mind of its fragrant citrus groves and extending views of the horizon. However, our 80-degree January days don’t exactly scream “Winter,” so it’s easy to assume that the name doesn’t come from the weather. But the truth is, in a way, it does.
The exact details of the name have been lost to history, but one speculative tale says that it started in the city’s early industrial days, when the newly built railroad brought farmers and workers to the area from all over the southeast. As the story goes, seasonal sawmill workers from the railroad would eat their lunches alongside the tracks, spitting their leftover tomato seeds into the dirt. While they were gone, these seeds sprouted, during the area’s mild winter. Returning to their lunch spot weeks later, the workers were surprised to find a bountiful crop of vibrant tomato plants growing there.
People began sharing stories with families and friends, sending postcards back home, telling everyone of the marvelous weather and fertile land. “It’s so beautiful here. It never gets cold—you can even have a garden in the winter!”
Thus, Winter Garden was named, established in 1903 and officially incorporated as a city in 1908
Market Watch
Welcome Waggin’
Locally sourced and 100% natural, Pet Wants is dishing up quality food for your furry friends.
When Michele Hobbs and Amanda Broughton first noticed the serious skin and coat issues plaguing their cherished family members, they began to ask questions. As it turns out, the common culprit was pet food and the falsely advertised “premium” quality of it. Most mass-produced pet food is created with less-than-
adequate protein sources and cooking temperatures, leading to many common health issues in pets.
Rather than settling, Michele and Amanda set out to create something better—highly nutritional pet food from quality ingredients, slow-cooked in small batches. Starting with fresh salmon, duck, whitefish, and chicken, Pet Wants’ premium protein sources are essential for carnivorous cats and dogs. And without any of the harmful ingredients, their pets’ sensitive skin, fur, and tummies are happier than ever.
Today, Pet Wants is sold across the country. First in Lake Nona and now in Winter Garden, it’s the Suarez family—Esther, Javier Sr., Javier Jr., and Bianca—you will meet on Saturdays at the Farmer’s Market. Bianca says, “As we learned about the company, we saw how much our own pets would benefit from the nutrition, but we also realized that we could be a bigger part of our community. And what better place than the farmer’s market, where you get to interact with people face to face?”
February 2023
News & Notes
Several delicious spots to sink our forks opened last month. Let’s dig right in! Fresh quality Japanese BBQ that you can grill at your own table? That’s the vibe at Gyu-Kaku Japanese Yakiniku (@GyuKakuFlamingoCrossingsFL) over in Flamingo Crossings, and we are here for it. Just like we were first in line when Beneficial Breads (@beneficialbreads) fired up the ovens at 103. S Main Street. That delicious aroma is to-die-for, scratch made, wholesome German baked goods, like croissants, cruffins, Berliner (filled donuts), cheesecakes, Sahnetorten, and their famous sourdough bread. Go early, they sell out often! Across the street, the folks at Main House Market welcomed The Kind Cleaver (@thekindcleaver) to the family. The vegan delicatessen is already making a meatless mark with delicious riffs on Cuban and reuben sandwiches six days a week. And, over in Winter Garden Village, The Dolly Llama (@thedollyllama_us ) celebrated its grand opening with lines of guests wrapping around the plaza for waffles and ice cream. In non-food related news, The West Orange Foundation has opened its annual Danniel J. Petro Foundation Scholarship application. Administered by the West Orange Chamber, the scholarships are open to high school seniors in West Orange County who plan to attend Valencia, UCF or Orange Technical College. Visit bit.ly/3WgcrrN And last, but not least, we are so excited to see the stage lights back on at The Garden Theatre (@gardentheatre) thanks to a collaboration with Florida-based Victory Productions. If you love local theatre, show your support by buying tickets for Rock of Ages, now playing!
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