Epcot Food & Wine Festival, are seminars & demos worth it?

[V2000]

Hey everyone. I am new to Epcot's Food & Wine Festival. There are a number of events that will be listed for 2015 festival. I know that the list isn't available yet but I wanted to know in your experience what events were the best to choose from. Are the seminars and demonstrations worth it? Maybe I would be interested in the $15 dollar demos if it was a good experience. I wish I could see a celebrity chef but I am not sure if they are offered for the $15 dollar demos.


My husband is a chef and I would like to surprise him with something at this event. Also, is there any other areas you can meet a celebrity chef without a seminar/demo? Maybe the meet and greets have them?

Thank you

 

[cyndiella]

We've been to the F&W the past 3 years..My observation is if you want to see/watch one of the celebrity chefs in the welcome center, you can for free, but outside the seating area which is for paying customers. I believe all the chefs are in the welcome center or another ticket holder only place like the Odyssey Center. For me, it was not worth it, but I'm not a chef. I did get some nice pictures of a few chefs. Most ticketed events are way more that $15. and fill up VERY quick.. so get in early the first day they open for ressies or miss out.. Usually in early August??. I go to F&W to stroll thru WS and nibble and sip! hope this helps. I'm sure others will have more info to share. Enjoy!

 

[Otter49]

You'd be hard pressed to call very many of the seminar chefs "celebrity". Robert Irvine is just about the only one who has been there fairly consistently. Over the last several years more and more of the chefs are from Disney locations and a lot of the others are from Publix supermarkets.

The good thing about culinary demos is that they've been including a nice pour of wine for everyone. The bad thing is you never know exactly what you're going to get even though they'll give a tentative description ahead of time, i.e. - veal, duck, pasta, etc.

Couple of examples: my wife is allergic to a lot of seafood so when we went to a demo expecting beef and got a seafood, I had to raise a fair amount of hell to get GR to let us reschedule. Another time we were pretty pumped going to a demo by Le Cellier and the serving turned out to be exactly two macaroons that could have come right out of a Nabisco box. Lots of vocally unhappy people at that one.

I don't think the wine seminars are worth anywhere near the cost anymore. Basically $15 for 3 ounces of wine.

The 6pm cocktail seminar is probably still a good deal. Three different cocktails and a fun party like atmosphere.

The last few years there's been a discount for APs, TIW, & DVC for Monday thru Thursday. Look for it online when you get to checkout or ask for it if you buy tickets same day.

Just my 2¢ worth.

 

[V2000]

You'd be hard pressed to call very many of the seminar chefs "celebrity". Robert Irvine is just about the only one who has been there fairly consistently. Over the last several years more and more of the chefs are from Disney locations and a lot of the others are from Publix supermarkets.

The good thing about culinary demos is that they've been including a nice pour of wine for everyone. The bad thing is you never know exactly what you're going to get even though they'll give a tentative description ahead of time, i.e. - veal, duck, pasta, etc.

Couple of examples: my wife is allergic to a lot of seafood so when we went to a demo expecting beef and got a seafood, I had to raise a fair amount of hell to get GR to let us reschedule. Another time we were pretty pumped going to a demo by Le Cellier and the serving turned out to be exactly two macaroons that could have come right out of a Nabisco box. Lots of vocally unhappy people at that one.

I don't think the wine seminars are worth anywhere near the cost anymore. Basically $15 for 3 ounces of wine.

The 6pm cocktail seminar is probably still a good deal. Three different cocktails and a fun party like atmosphere.

The last few years there's been a discount for APs, TIW, & DVC for Monday thru Thursday. Look for it online when you get to checkout or ask for it if you buy tickets same day.

Just my 2¢ worth.

The cocktail seminar does sound fun. Thanks for the tip. Do you think chef's like Robert Irvine do the $15 demos? Or probably the really pricey events? Even just being able to meet and talk to the chefs would be nice. I am still kind of foggy on what happens in the welcome center.

 

[Otter49]

The cocktail seminar does sound fun. Thanks for the tip. Do you think chef's like Robert Irvine do the $15 demos? Or probably the really pricey events? Even just being able to meet and talk to the chefs would be nice. I am still kind of foggy on what happens in the welcome center.

Yes, Irvine has done the $15 seminar for the last few years - almost certainly on the weekend so there'll be no discount. He's a bit too raucous for my tastes but he's very popular so his gig will sell out pretty quickly once it's available online. I'm pretty certain that on the weekend he's in town he would also participate in the Party for the Senses.

Festival Center has 3 wine or beer seminars per day (mostly wine) and either 3 or 4 culinary demos. And the 6pm liquor seminar which I now recall is called Mixology.

The center has a pretty extensive wine shop and believe it or not, the prices are pretty reasonable compared to what you'd find offsite. There's a merchandise store with everything from kitchen gear to cookbooks to clothing items with that year's festival logo. Also a short movie running on a loop about how the festival is put together.

Ghirardelli also has a shop where there are a number of artistic creations made out of chocolate by Disney chefs.

 

[TXHauntedMansionFan]

We have had great experiences with both the chef demonstrations and the mixology sessions. Also, when you look at the schedule to register, it will tell you the type of food that you're having (seafood, dessert, etc). So if you're avoiding a certain type of food you can always book something else. I don't think that we've ever paid more than $15 each either but we have never done one of the party for the senses type events.

In our experience, Robert Irvine and Jamie Deen always book asap. I think that Cat Cora was at one of the demos early on and she filled up. Kevin Dundon, the owner/chef, of Raglan Road was probably the best experience we've had and he sold out as well.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Once the list comes out if you want a "celebrity" chef be prepared to book the MINUTE it opens up. Within a few minutes they will book up. Party For The Senses might be an option because the chefs are there and you can chat with them, even if you don't get a celebrity it can be interesting.

(And calling most of them Publix chefs was a stretch Most of them are from restaurants, but not all of them are celebrity restaurants)

Wine tastings are mixed. I gave them up for a long time due to the RUDE cast members. But they seem to have gotten a little better.

My biggest issue with both culinary and wine demos is that both of them have one hostess that thinks we came to see 'her' and not the presenter! I want to yell at them SHUT UP! (The culinary is really bad because she just keeps slugging wine and getting so "cheerful")

Here's a link to listings of last year's seminars so you can see what type of them were offered
http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2014-...-costfree-events-seminars-and-demonstrations/

 

[supersuperwendy]

We dropped our kids off at the Sandcastle club and went to do the Bacardi Mixology class!! We really had fun and made it a date, then went out to taste stuff at the booths. Later in the week we did a Riesling Chateau St. Michelle tasting and really enjoyed it.

 

[FeralCatRogue]

When I went i saw two deminars one was great one not so much, the first with Cat Cora was great and sold out real fast from what I understand. The 2nd was not a celebrity chef and the food was inedible it was so burnt which was kinda sad cause it sounded quite tasty. For 15 bucks, its worth a shot I think regardless you get to learn to cook something new I just wish it were more the chef talking them the MC talking.

 

[V2000]

I would love to see a $15 demo from Robert Irvine but odds don't look good. He only did one date for the $15 demo last year. The date probably won't land on the day we go. His "Food for Thought" seminar is very expensive.

However, I found this culinary demo list from last year!

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/m...WineFestival/2014-culinary-demonstrations.pdf

Anyone recommend a chef I should be looking out for?

 

[V2000]

I wonder when the new schedule for demos is coming out for 2015.
I want to book my dining reservations and we may change what days we are visiting parks depending on Epcot schedule for F&W events.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

There won't be a schedule until July or August. I"m betting on August for the demos. They usually are posted only a couple of days before they will be available for booking.