Truffles and Trifles, the College Park cooking school and gourmet shop that has taught Orlando families to whisk, braise, and bake for 40 years, will close at the end of 2026. Founder Marci Arthur, now 84, made the announcement this week, closing the book on a business she opened in March 1986.
A specific closing date has not been announced, according to Bungalower, which first reported the news. Arthur said she opened Truffles and Trifles in March 1986, a milestone she recounted on the business's own website, and that after four decades she felt it was time for a change: “But at 84 years of age, it is time for a change,” she wrote.
The business started small, first opening at 1308 Edgewater Drive, where it offered specialty foods, gourmet gift baskets, and cooking classes, per Bungalower's reporting. It later moved farther north on Edgewater Drive before settling into its longtime home at 711 W. Smith Street, the address generations of Orlando home cooks came to know as the heart of College Park's culinary scene.
Four Decades of Classes, Celebrations, and Family Milestones
Over the years, the school hosted cooking classes, date nights, celebrations, and corporate events, welcoming what Bungalower described as generations of Orlando families through its kitchen doors. A first-person account published on sarahsekula.com described one evening class that began around 6:30 p.m. and drew 28 attendees, with one regular joking that it felt like her 4,000th class at the school and another description noting the business had been going strong for 26 years in the College Park area at the time.
The connection between Arthur's family and the school ran deeper than the recipe cards. Arthur has grandchildren who grew up around the school's kitchen, and one grandson even took his first steps there, according to the same Bungalower report. In her farewell message, Arthur also thanked longtime staff member Rachida Berji and her family for their years of dedication.
Recognition and a Next Chapter
Arthur's standing in Orlando's food community was cemented when she was inducted into the Orlando Sentinel's inaugural Culinary Hall of Fame, a list that, according to the Orlando Sentinel, has recognized local culinary figures since 2008 and identifies her as owner of the Truffles & Trifles cooking school and gourmet shop. In her farewell, Arthur said the closure was the right decision and that she was excited about her next chapter, writing a message thanking customers for the classes, gift baskets, recipes, and shared meals built over the decades.
Even as the countdown to closing begins, the ovens at 711 W. Smith Street aren't going cold just yet. Arthur said the school will continue hosting classes and holiday parties through its final weeks, giving longtime students and newcomers alike one more chance to pull up a stool before the 40-year run comes to an end.
