Vegan eatery Proper & Wild coming to Winter Park

It’s been two-and-a-half years since owners Chelsie and Jamie Savage opened The Sanctum off Colonial Drive in Orlando – and now they’re ready to bring their fresh flavors to Winter Park.

The Savages are opening up a new healthy, vegan eatery concept at 155 E. Morse Blvd. called Proper & Wild, which the couple said will hopefully be open by this fall.

The new restaurant allows chef Chelsie Savage to showcase her sense of fresh, healthy cuisine to a city that’s known for its unique eateries.

The Savages’ first concept features salads and grain bowls, where as Proper & Wild will have an expanded menu thanks to a more complete kitchen that includes a pizza oven, a flat top grill and gas cooking. Guests can now expect everything from flatbreads to burgers – along with several brunch items on Saturday and Sunday.

“We were talking about wanting to do another concept with the same integrity of ingredients, and this space just happened to fall into our lap,” Chelsie said. “We decided it would be a really good opportunity to come to Winter Park.”

From the coffee to the poke crostini – its version of avocado toast – just about everything The Sanctum offers features organic ingredients, and Proper & Wild plans to take the same careful approach. The restaurant avoids using processed items, so no hydrogenated oils or food dyes.

Everything is made from scratch. 

“I think that what we’re doing is something that Winter Park’s really going to embrace,” Jamie said. “I feel like they’re really ready for what we’re doing, which is bringing really incredibly-flavored, fresh food. We’re excited.”

Though most of the menu would be considered vegan, a portion of the menu is vegetarian as well with an assortment of dairy and egg options.

Chelsie said she tries to stay away from slapping the label “vegan” on her restaurants, as she gets many customers who simply want fresh, organic ingredients.

“We really focus on what it is that we do serve versus what we don’t serve,” Chelsie said. “I feel like sometimes when you hear the word ‘vegetarian,’ you think ‘This is what they don’t serve,’ but it should really be a plant-centric restaurant celebrating local farmers.”

The Savages said the new restaurant will certainly have the same “essence” of The Sanctum, but hungry patrons can expect something unique and special at Proper & Wild.

“We’re just looking to open up a really fun and elevated space in Winter Park,” Chelsie said.

“The type of cooking that we do really speaks to people’s intellect. I know there’s just a real health-conscious community in Winter Park, who also want a fun place to go out to eat that they can make choices that they feel good about – but also a great place to make friends or go on a date that has more of a refined experience. The intention of Proper & Wild is to create that space. … Winter Park just doesn’t have anything like this.”