food IS a theme park
Did you know there are plenty of things to do in Disney World outside of the regular snacks, rides, and entertainment offerings?
Disney Springs
One of our favorite things to do is check out limited-time events in Disney Springs. Often, this area of the property will be home to special entertainment or dining experiences that are only available for a limited time. Recently, I made a trip to Disney Springs for a NEW event where I got to eat some delicious food and meet a celebrity chef!
Disney World’s 50th anniversary has brought new decorations, merchandise, food, and more!
Happy 50th, Walt Disney World!
But the celebration isn’t over yet — and it’s coming home with us…right to our living rooms! So find a comfy spot on the couch, turn on the TV, and get ready to tune in to a week-long celebration for Disney World’s 50th anniversary!
Celebrating the grand reopening of Disney’s Star Tours attraction that debuted in May, The Food Network will showcase a new episode of Food Network Challenge – “Star Wars Cakes”!
Using The Force to shield the Dark Side, four cake artists will face off in this galactic battle to re-create Star Wars cakes. Beware of Jedi mind tricks! Will a sensory distraction such as the smell of WDW caramel corn be unleashed?
Darth Vader Cupcake
The challenger that presents an epic cake wins $10,000 and a trip to the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. (Lucky ducks.)
Set your coordinates for one of these showings (Eastern Time Zone):
July 3 at 8:00 PM
July 4, 2011 3:00 AM
July 4, 2011 11:00 PM
See the Star Wars items that were on sale during Star Wars weekends this year.
The amazing Ms. Sarah Holodick is back to share some insights and pics of her recent encounters with two of TV’s most famous foodies — Robert Irvine, from Food Network’s Dinner: Impossible, and Andrew Zimmern, from Travel Channel’s Bizarre Foods! Don’tcha just wish you coulda been there? You can find the review of Andrew Zimmern’s demo here. Below is Sarah’s review of Robert Irvine’s demo!
On Sunday, October 24th, Matt and I headed back over to the Festival Center to see Robert Irvine’s Culinary Demonstration. Let’s just say it’s not quite what I anticipated!
It started out much like Andrew Zimmern’s demo on the previous day, with a representative from Purple Wine Co. telling us about the Avalon Cabernet that had been paired with the dish we would be served.
Talking Wine
Robert then came in and took a look at everything around him.
Robert's Intro
And told us that he stole the hat from Gale Gand, who shortly after [Read more…]
24 Hour Restaurant Battle, Food Network’s successful competition reality series, is currently casting for its second season and is holding an open casting call in Orlando on Sunday November 14, 2010.
We are looking for charismatic and outgoing two person teams with pre-existing relationships, who have always dreamed of running their own restaurant. Applicants may have lots of restaurant experience, no restaurant experience, or some combination of both. One member of the team will run the “back of the house” and one member will run the “front of the house”. As a team they must have the skills to open and run their own restaurant!
Specs
Sunday, November 14, 2010
10am-1pm
Holiday Inn Orlando
5905 Kirkman Rd, Orlando, FL 32819
Please click on the following flyer for [Read more…]
Dinner:Impossible Production Sign
After walking out of the Disney “Give A Day, Get A Disney Day” announcement event on Thursday, I saw none other than Chef Robert Irvine running through World Showcase with a team of volunteers behind him! I quickly realized that he was taping Dinner:Impossible! for the Food Network…and that I was going to be attending that dinner!
Scroll to the bottom of the page to read more about the “Give A Day” program and how you can be a part of it; in the meantime, let’s get on to the food…
Chef Irvine Plots With His Volunteers
Dinner Prep
Chef Irvine and his volunteers were preceded around the the World Showcase by an advance team who were tasked with finding the next individual the Chef would be speaking with, and setting up the shot. For instance, in Epcot’s Germany pavilion, the advance team set up a shot where Chef Irvine learned from Snow White what one of his main ingredients would be!
From there, the Chef and his volunteers took off running again — after all, he only had a few hours to cook dinner for hundreds.
Dinner:Impossible Advance Team
Chef Irvine and Team Run to the Next Shot
For the hours of cooking Chef Irvine and his trusted sous chefs were about to endure, Disney had set up a show kitchen in front of World Showcase. Guests to the Epcot theme park were welcomed to watch as the show taping started heating up! I hung around for a good chunk of the day, snapping photos and trying to figure out what my meal was going to include. All I could figure out was that we were going to be eating a lot of apples…
One interesting thing I noticed is that the proceedings in the kitchen were pretty quiet. Lots of chopping, and seasoning, and sauteing in a giant wok being heated over a…garbage can, but no yelling. No angry Chef Irvine shouting in frustration that there are only 3 dishes done with only 20 minutes left. Maybe there was another kitchen somewhere where those things were happening. It’s not a Dinner:Impossible! show without them! My fingers are crossed that somebody got angry somewhere, or it might not be worth watching. 😉
Dinner Impossible Waiver
Chef Irvine Instructs a Sous Chef in the Show Kitchen
The Dinner
After much running around by Chef Irvine and his sous chefs, it was finally time for those at the event to start digging in! Now, here’s the saddest part of my story — I’m pretty sure I didn’t get to eat Chef Irvine’s cooking. Word is that his handiwork was served only to the Give a Day Get a Day volunteers, who’d won trips to Disney World to celebrate their donations.
Alas, I’m still going to tell you all about the dinner WE, as members of the media, were served, because it was still delicious — thanks, Disney!
The event was held outside — on the bridge between the Fountain of Nations in Future World and the World Showcase Lagoon, and there were several stations set up where guests could collect appetizer-sized portions of the dishes.
Servers were also circulating with many of the dishes — primarily desserts — in case you couldn’t break away from a conversation to get over to the main serving areas. There were quite a few tables set up within the event space, along with cocktail tables bearing [Read more…]
Chef Robert Irvine from Food Network’s Dinner:Impossible is running around the World Showcase today with a team of Disney volunteers. What are they doing? Looking for food! Chef Irvine, it’s been reported, will be cooking our Give a Day, Get a Disney Day media event dinner tonight! (Update: to see the full meal and photos from the event, check out our Dinner:Impossible post here!)
Stay tuned for photos of the food. For now, here’s a few pics of Chef Irvine headed around Epcot and getting to work in his kitchen.
Chef Irvine and Team Run to Find Food
The Chef and His Team Pause to Deliberate
Chef Irvine's Advance Team Prepped Each Upcoming Location for Filming
Chef Irvine's Kitchen in World Showcase
A few good notices that couldn’t wait until the round-up tomorrow:
Discounts on Disney Stuff When You Eat Counter Service
Hooray! I knew eating burgers and fries would come in handy someday! If you’re headed to Disney World in the next two weeks, your counter service dining receipt might include a coupon for 20% off purchases at stores in the theme parks and Downtown Disney between the hours of 9AM and 12PM! Check out specs on the offer over at DIS.
Guy Fieri and the Food Network Talk Holiday Food at Disneyland
We mentioned it in our Disneyland Candy Canes post, because Guy has a segment on the candy canes in his Disneyland Holiday Foods Special. There’s a lot more to see, however! Set your DVR for Saturday at 9PM. If you miss it, you can catch the special again on Dec. 11th, at 8PM.
Tables In Wonderland Holiday Harvest Dinner
If you’re a Tables in Wonderland member, you can take part in a private Holiday Dinner, followed by the Candlelight Processional and Illuminations. Join other members at the Norway Lounge for a delicious menu of spicy seared tilapia, a medly of winter greens with cranberry vinaigrette, prosciutto and sage wrapped pork tenderloin, and olive oil bruised yukon gold potatoes followed by chocolate ganache brulee or asian apple crumble. Yum!
The event is limited to 80 guests and costs $98 per person. If you’re interested and a Tables in Wonderland Member, email [email protected] with your daytime phone number, home address, and the people in your party — you’ll be notified on a first come, first served basis.
Stay tuned tomorrow for our regularly scheduled round-up of Disney Food links from around the web! Also, be sure to vote in our “Best Steakhouse” poll in the right-hand sidebar 😀
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
