Reservations for 2011 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival

Well after dealing with other business for the last couple of months, I’ve finally made time to get back into Extra WDW Magic.  It was kind of forced on me.  One of our favorite events at WDW is the Food and Wine (F&W) Festival at Epcot.  Although the food is often marginal – it is fun to seek out the best items. Plus the special events can be entertaining and educational.  So when Nora told me last week that reservations opened last Friday (limited ones for pass holders) I knew I had to make time to deal with this.  So we put together a quick plan and I got on the phone.

Even though we could make some reservations before the general public we still missed getting tickets to see Robert Irvine.  Last year we managed to get tickets to see Robert and he was very entertaining.  It was obvious he was comfortable presenting to large audiences and also gifted in his ability to banter with his audience.  Also this year we scaled back on the sheer number of events we plan to cover.  Our other work does take time, especially for Nora, and last year we struggled to attend every event we planned and then get up timely posts.  So this year we will be doing less and trying to be as thorough and timely as possible with our reviews.

If you want the official scoop you can go to WDW 2011 Epcot International Food & Wine  Festival web pages.  Along the left side of the page are links to all the events: concerts, demos, special dinners, et al.  If you plan to be at WDW anytime between September 30th and November 13th you are sure to find something of interest.  However make reservations soon as many events sell out early (one even before the general public had a chance at tickets – Robert Irvine).

So what are we doing?

• Culinary Demonstrations:
• Bob Getchell, Sanaa, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge – Chicken
• Michael Toussaint Gunn, United Kingdom, Epcot – Cornish Hen
• Stephen Lawlor, Ft. Wilderness Resort & Campground, WDW – TBD
• Grady Spears, Grady’s Restaurant, Fort Worth, TX – TBD
• Jose L. Camey, Paradiso 37, Downtown Disney, WDW – TBD
• Shigemasa Obitsu, Epcot Japan Pavilion – Pork
• Bill Clark, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, WDW – Cheese
• Kevin Dundon, Raglan Road, Downtown Disney, WDW – TBD
• Russell Palmer, Brown Derby, Disney Hollywood Studios, WDW – Game Bird
• Cat Cora, Kouzzina by Cat Cora, Disney’s Boardwalk Inn & Villas – Vegetarian
• Beverage Seminars:
• Samuel Adams – Boston Beer Company (Massachusetts) – Beer
• Jim Beam (Kentucky) “The Great Whiskey Debate” – Spirit
• Mixology Seminars:
• Thatcher’s Cordials, Cruzan Rum & Sauaz Tequila
• Belvedere Vodka (Poland)
• Milagro Tequila (Mexico)
• Hendrick’s® Gin (Scotland)
• Dissaronno (Italy) & Tia Maria (Jamaica)
• Food and Wine Pairings:
• Japan Tastings – Sample 3 regional wines paired with 3 tasting-size portions of cuisine from Japan
• Culinary Adventures in Signature Dining
• Bongos Cuban Café – Chef, Armando Abreu
• Sweet Events & Experiences:
• “3D” Disney’s Dessert Discovery in the “Sweet Seats”
• Premium Mexican Events:
• Mexico Tequila Lunch
• Premium Italian Events:
• Italy Food and Beer Pairing

Additionally, we hope to see a few of the Eat To The Beat! Concert Series entertainers.  If the weather is bad or the lines too long we will not be attending but these are our hopeful concerts:

• Rodger Hodgson (Supertramp) – “Give a Little Bit”
• Billy Ocean – “Caribbean Queen”
• The Orchestra starring former members of ELO – “Don’t Bring Me Down”
• Howard Jones – “No One Is To Blame”
• The Pointer Sisters – “He’s So Shy”
•  Air Supply – “Lost in Love”
  

Ok – we have a plan.  The Festival seems a long way off but with other business obligations it will be here faster than I expect.  We need to get ahead of other work so we can do a great job covering these Extra WDW Magic events for our readers!

nick