Hallmark’s ‘A Taste Of Love’ Was Filmed On Location In One Of Our Favorite Florida Beach Destinations

Southern Living spoke with the cast about their experience filming in the picture perfect destination of Dunedin, Florida.

It may still be February but we are daydreaming of sandy beaches and sunshine. If a tropical trip is not in your immediate future, not to worry. Hallmark Channel’s new movie will whisk us away to one of our favorite Florida beach destinations without leaving our living rooms. A Taste of Love was filmed entirely on location in and around Dunedin, Florida, which you, our readers, voted to be one of the South’s Best Small Towns in 2023.

This flick from our favorite feel-good network stars Erin Cahill as Taylor Green, a famous TV chef who finds herself feeling stuck in a culinary rut and pigeonholed on a show called Quick, Easy, and Delicious. Taylor pitches a new idea that would give her more freedom to show off her true talent and passion for food but the network rejects it. Instead offering an extension of her contract to continue the already existing show in the exact same format. Taylor needs time to think so she heads back to her hometown, Dunedin. When she arrives, she first runs into her childhood sweetheart, Jacob, played by Jesse Kove, which brings up all kinds of tension and unresolved feelings, and maybe a few new sparks? Then she learns that her parents, played by Susan Gallagher and Martin Kove (yes, Jesse’s real life father), have put their beloved family restaurant up for sale. Taylor is determined to reignite her dad’s passion for cooking and save the restaurant.

The four stars of A Taste of Love recently reunited in Dunedin for a special screening of the film at the Dunedin International Film Festival  ahead of its premiere on Hallmark Channel. Southern Living had a chance to chat with them about their experience filming in such a beautiful Southern locale.

“Dunedin, it is one of the most beautiful places. It’s right on the water. Everywhere you look is aesthetically pleasing. So the movie is that much more beautiful for having been shot here. And the people are just fantastic. The way we were embraced by the whole town,” Cahill said.

Gallagher, who is a North Carolina native who now calls the Sunshine State home said, “living in Florida for the last 38 years, it was so special to me to come to Dunedin because it’s almost like working at home. I love working in Florida and I love working in Dunedin. It’s the first time that I had ever done that. Like Erin was saying, it’s the most charming little beachside community that I know of. It’s kinda like the best kept secret in Florida.”

Jesse Kove added, “the culture here in Dunedin is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. It’s like Pleasantville here. Just being able to shoot on the beaches like we did was just very memorable. And Dunedin itself is a character within the movie.”

That is true, and we might argue that the beauty of Dunedin really steals the spotlight. If you’ve ever been to the charming beach town, you’ll recognize many real locations throughout the film. If you haven’t yet been, allow the locations to plan your itinerary for when you do get to Dunedin. The restaurant owned by Gallagher and Martin Kove’s characters, Sea Sea Riders has been an institution in Dunedin for the last 30 years. Other notable locations featured in the movie include Wild Iris Cafe, Edgewater Park, The Fenway Hotel and it’s rooftop bar, HiFi.

While the younger of the Kove men plays Cahill’s love interest, his father Martin plays her dad. Martin Kove is most recognizable as the iconic villain John Kreese in the original Karate Kid films as well as the next iteration of that franchise in the form of Netflix’s hit series, Cobra Kai. (Gallagher also has a recurring role on Cobra Kai and Jesse appeared in a few episodes.) Martin was also in several other action films like Rambo: First Blood Part II, and he played Detective Victor Isbecki on the long running 1980’s television series, Cagney & Lacey. Fans are most accustomed to seeing him playing a tough guy, but his portrayal of Glenn is a delightful surprise. He’s equal parts warm and endearing as he is extremely funny. His comedic timing is getting its time in the sun in this role.

“I didn’t know what to make of this because it’s a soft role, it’s a softer movie. I didn’t really know what was going to happen until I dropped in to this world down here,” Martin said.

He added, “My genre is the old west so I’m like, what am I entertaining? When I got here, the chemistry just instantly cooked. And the humor played well because the script was written pretty well…The vulnerability is something I enjoy playing and the fun of acting and laughing and giggling like we did. Getting a couple of emotional scenes like we did. I mean that stuff is million dollar stuff and one values that in their career and you don’t really forget where it came from, or who you worked with or what movie you did it in. It’s what’s memorable.”

Martin and Jesse weren’t the only family act on set, as Cahhill told us. “My Aunt Marlene lives in Dunedin and she’s in the background of the scene when we’re in the cafe looking at the  newspaper article.” Aunt Marlene was in attendance along with the rest of the cast for the special screening in early February at the Dunedin International Film Festival. Many of the other people lucky enough to be in the audience that night were also in the film, or were crew members,  or work for the businesses featured on screen. It was a special night for all.

“It felt almost like coming home in a certain way because it became a home to us so it felt like seeing our cousins almost but then also meeting a whole bunch of new people. So it really was a huge gift to experience them witness it.” Cahill said.

For Gallagher it was a homecoming. “What I also loved too is of course being based in the state of Florida as an actor, seeing a lot of my friends because most of the actors in the movie besides the main cast are based in Florida and I’ve known them over 30 years.”

“It's such a special thing to be able to be there at a premiere live with the audience and share it with them and not everybody gets to be able to do that. So it’s one of the best parts of what we do is to be able to experience that with the audience members,” Jesse said.

Martin, who has spent a lifetime attending big Hollywood premieres noted that this one stood out. “This was much more personal and precious. Yeah I think that’s really the word. It’s precious. And we’d love to make another movie here.”

In fact, the father son duo plan to make a lot of movies in the state of Florida. “We’re big proponents of shooting in Florida. We’re really pushing the fact that Florida is unexplored in terms of versatility in locations in the film business.” In fact the pair just wrapped a western flick filmed in Parrish, Florida, due out later this year. Stay tuned for more on that.

Don’t miss A Taste of Love when it premieres on Hallmark Channel, Monday February 19 at 8 p.m. EST. We can almost guarantee that you’ll be planning a trip to Dunedin by the times the end credits roll.

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