With $6 million of their own money, George Chen and his family are building an 11-acre winery and event space, with a heart-shaped garden, theatre and training facilities to educate and uplift Orlando and Osceola County's underpaid hotel workers.
Wha?
The winery's conference rooms will serve as makeshift classrooms, teaching work skills aimed to make hotel employees more valuable to their employers.
Three more notable facts about George Chen and his winery*:
- Chen sees the property as a tool to create large-scale events he feels belong in Kissimmee and that will bring tourists back year after year.
- Chen is raising 10,000 earthworms in his home's garage for use on the property.
- A hydroponics greenhouse will eventually be placed on the property.
*It's really not his winery. He's the developer and is partnering with an 8 year old winery called Island Grove Wine Company (Website).