Florida Estos

The Estonian Society of Central Florida/Kesk Florida Eesti Selts highly popular luncheon returned again to kick off the 2018 New Year. Thirty-three members came together to enjoy our Estonian Soup and Sandwich Potluck Luncheon/Eesti supp ja võileiv lõunasöök.

Anneliis Kuusik and Kaie Põhi Latterner provided warming frikadelli supp and tomato soup. Our members contributed traditional Estonian-recipe sandwiches, salads and desserts to round out our smorgasbord lunch. This has become one of our favorite and most delicious events of the year!

Our location was the beautiful community room in Anneliis Kuusik’s condominium complex called Seminole Isles, 7253 Key Haven Road, Seminole, FL. We will be gathering here again for our picnic in April.

Please visit our Calendar of Events so you can make plans to join us at future events in February, March and April. We hope especially you will want to join us for our Estonian Society of Central Florida/Kesk Florida Eesti Selts gala celebration of Estonia’s 100th Anniversary of Independence on March 10, 2018! Details are included in the Calendar of Events.

BY THE WAY, IN PREPARATION FOR OUR GALA KFES EV100 CELEBRATION:

The Estonian Society of Central Florida/Kesk Florida Eesti Selts is trying something new with our loterii at the EV100 Celebration on March 10, 2018. This year, we will be making baskets as loterii prizes.

We invite your donations along the following themes:
1. Eesti/Estonian goods
2. All things and anything Florida
3. Entertainment, i.e., wine, cheese, chocolates, nuts, pretzels, cocktail napkins, bottle stoppers, etc.
4. For Children
5. $$ so the Society/Selts may supplement donations

We invite you to think creatively and personally: What kinds of foods and beverages, entertaining accoutrements, books, calendars, dvds, cds, puzzles, games, towels, etc., etc., etc., would you or your family members and friends like to win?

Please bring your donations to our next event in February or make your financial contribution to Anneliis Kuusik by February 28, 2018.

Also we kindly remind you to pay the $20 annual membership fee per person by mail or when you join us next. Thank you!

Read Full Post »

Santa Claus/Jõuluvana joined 45 holiday spirited members and friends of the Estonian Society of Central Florida (Kesk Florida Eesti Selts) for a traditional Estonian holiday dinner at 2:00 pm on Saturday afternoon, December 9, 2017, at the beautiful home of Kaie Põhi Latterner in North Redington Beach, Florida. Friends came from as far away as The Villages, Kissimmee and Naples in Central and South Florida, North Carolina, and Annapolis, Maryland. Snowbirds have returned from Estonia, Texas and Washington DC. We were especially delighted to welcome new members Jüri and Barbara Pill, Birgit and Vincent Delaidatti and Monika Mägi who joined the Estonian Society of Central Florida (Kesk Florida Eesti Selts) this year.

To make sure Santa Claus/Jõuluvana could find us, we enlivened the party by singing some holiday songs in Estonian and English. Santa Claus/Jõuluvana, of course, each year looks forward to being entertained by our members who come prepared with poems, songs, and dance. Our seven children–Brook and Chloe Cabrera, Isabella and Mateo Lorenzo and their cousin Leila Eelma, and Kevin and Oliver (who also celebrated his 6th birthday today!)–absolutely delighted Santa Claus/Jõuluvana again this year!

Three co-hosts made this fabulous party possible: Kaie Põhi Latterner, Anneliis Kuusik and Virve-Kai Bulla, who together make catering for large parties go seamlessly. Like last year, we served traditional Christmas food–roast pork, mashed potatoes and gravy, sausages, potato salad, red cabbage and rye bread by our wonderful German caterers, plus Anneliis’s traditional Estonian cranberry sauce and special Estonian-style sauerkraut, plus homemade Christmas sausages (verivorst) by our own KFES elves, and desserts that included a cake and kringel and traditional piparkokid prepared by Virve-Kai Bulla and Anneliis Kuusik. This sums it all up in one word: Yum! Special thanks to Eric Cabrera, who also served as our parking director, and Dallas Dishmey for doing the heavy lifting cleaning up post-party.

Guests arrived at 2:00 and normally our luncheon events conclude by 4:00 pm. Well, not today! Everyone had such a joyous time gathered together, our members finally made their ways home by 7:00 pm. Now that’s testimony to how our members feel about spending good times together! We take this opportunity this time of year to wish you and yours blessings of the season. Rõõmsaid jõulu pühi!

Read Full Post »