food and Wine Festival

[surgefest]

How is the food and wine festival in DL??? Any experiences or details would be great.. We've been to the one in WDW a few times and are familiar with that. But they sound like they are very different. For those who dont know in WDW they have "stands" set up around world showcase representing a bunch of different countries around the world and they have food samples costing between 3-5 dollars each at each stand.... Is it similar at all??? Any tips on what to do??? Thanks for any info!! oh and does it usually draw more crowds to Disneyland???? Thanks!

 

[Buttercup]

Hi,
I would love to hear some opinions/reviews/tips regarding the Food and Wine Festival also. We too have been to WDW's and really enjoyed it. Now we're looking forward to trying DL's.
Thanks

 

[GirlfromTN]

I'd like to know too...I will be at DL during the festival this year. Probably won't be doing any of the events you have to buy a ticket for but I'm interested in the free events and demonstrations, and would like to know if any special foods are offered for sale.

 

[Disney Princess]

Us too! We love the F&W Festival at WDW, but have not heard much about DLR's. We didn't realize we would be there during the festival until this week, so maybe someone can tell us about it.

 

[mystic_path]

This is kind of a bumber yeah that you do have to buy tickets to go see some of the visiting chefs and shows but hopefully there will be some free demonstrations and samples. That would be nice. You pay enough to buy a park hopper ticket to get in. Seems kind of silly to me to have to pay an extra $100 or more to taste some wine and eat some goods and learn how to cook or what not. But Its also understandable. I guess the demonstrators have to remake the money they are using on their show.

 

[cruise cruise cruise]

I have not been to the festival at WDW or DCA, so I certainly can not compair the two for you. However, here is some info I found on allears. The links on the bottom have good pictures/menu prices from last year.

2009 Dates: Daily April 24 - June 7

Disney's California Food and Wine Festival returns in 2009 for a six-week run. Events will be held daily from April 24-June 7, 2009 at Disney's California Adventure park. Sponsored by Vanity Fair Premium Napkins & Plates, this year's theme is World Celebration.

Festival events include cooking schools, winemaker dinners, and over 600 complimentary cooking demonstrations and wine, beer, and spirit seminars. These events take place all over Disney's California Adventure Park, with venues at the Pacific Wharf and Golden Vine Winery areas, Hollywood Pictures Backlot, and the Bountiful Valley Farm. Festival-inspired menu items will be available at a number of restaurants throughout the park. The Festival Welcome Center will be located in Sunshine Plaza where daily event schedules are available and guests may make same day reservations for Festival events, pending availability. New this year are the Festival Wine Walks, offering up to four wine tastings from around the world or a single region.

Some of the events are "ticketed" - e.g. there is a charge and reservations are required in advance - such as the winemaker dinners and wine tasting classes, but most of the cooking demonstrations and seminars take place in the park and are included with park admission.

Starting February 24, register on-line for any of the ticketed events at: http://www.disneyland.com/foodandwine


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2009 Schedule of Events

Complimentary Events

Event Schedule - TBD.

Seminars

There are multiple complimentary wine, beer, or spirit seminars each day which are conducted by a noted winemaker, Master Brewer, distiller, or Disneyland Resort Sommelier. Seminars will be held at the Pacific Wharf and Golden Vine Winery areas.

Culinary Demonstrations

These 30-minute presentations feature demonstrations by chefs from all over the Disneyland Resort, as well as visiting guest and celebrity chefs. Chefs will demonstrate cooking techniques while preparing dishes associated with the session's theme, and at the end of the presentation guests receive their own samples to taste. Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Jr. Chef Program

Designed for younger guests, these 30-minute sessions take place on most Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.


Festival Dining

Special Festival menu items will be available at restaurants around the park, such as Wine Country Trattoria, Award Wieners, Pizza Oom Mow Mow, Cocina Cucamonga, Pacific Wharf Cafe, Taste Pilot's Grill, and Farmer's Market.


Festival Wine Walks

Purchase a tasting passport, and then select up to four tastes of the wines and beers of your choice from around the world or from a single region.

The Lounge at the Golden Vine Winery

Located on the Upper Terrace of the Golden Vine Winery, the Lounge offers wines from California and around the world by the glass, as well as a selection of wine country tapas.


The following are all ticketed events

Winemaker Dinners

The Winemaker dinners feature a multi-course meal with specially selected menu and wine pairings. They are held on select Friday evenings Steakhouse 55 at the Disneyland Hotel fom 6:30-9:00 p.m. Tickets are $135 including gratuity. Guests must be at least 21 years of age.

Friday, April 24, Arrowood Vineyards, Richard Arrowood
Friday, May 1, MacMurray Ranch, Kate MacMurray
Friday, May 8, Flora Springs Winery, Nat Komes
Friday, May 15, Rudd Family Wines, Kenny Koda
Friday, May 22, Williams-Selyem, Robert Cabral
Friday, May 29, Kenwood Vineyards, Pat Henderson

World Celebration Dinners

Each World Celebration dinner will feature a menu and wines from a single country or region. They will be held on select Wednesday evenings at The Vineyard Room restaurant inside Disney's California Adventure park from 6:30-9:00 p.m. Tickets are $135 per person including gratuity. Guests must be 21 years of age to attend. Theme park admission is not required for this event.

Wednesday, April 29, World Celebration Kickoff, Lafite Around the World
Wednesday, May 6, Celebrate Spain
Wednesday, May 13, Celebrate Japan
Wednesday, May 20, Celebrate France
Wednesday, May 27, Celebrate Italy
Wednesday, June 3, Celebrate Korea

Behind the Scenes With...

Held in the Animation Courtyard in Disney's California Adventure park, these events feature Chef Jamie Gwen in a Q&A session with other celebrity chefs and winemakers. Enjoy appetizers that have been specially paired with wines. Reception will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Theme park admission is not required. Tickets are $185 per person, gratuity included. It is recommended that guests be at least 21 years of age.

Thursday, April 30: John Lasseter
Thursday, May 21: Tommy Lasorda
Sunday, May 31: Guy Fieri
Thursday, June 4: Keegan Gerhard

Napa Rose Cooking School

Interactive hands-on cooking school taught by Napa Rose Executive Chef Andrew Sutton. During the class attendees will participate in creating a meal and then partake of it, including appropriate wine pairings. Students receive a Napa Rose Cooking School chef's coat to take home. Classes will be held on Saturdays, April 25, and May 2, 9, 16, and 30, from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. in the show kitchen of the Napa Rose restaurant at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel. Tickets are $450 including gratuity. Participants must be at least 18 years old. Long pants and closed-toed shoes required for safety reasons. Register early - this one sells out quickly!

Introduction to Wine Tasting

Introductory wine tasting class taught by Napa Rose's Master Sommelier Michael Jordan. Classes will be held on Saturdays at the Grand Californian Convention Center from 2:00-4:00 p.m. and will include basic training on the different grape varietals and a blind tasting of four different wines. Tickets are $50 including gratuity. Attendees must be at least 21 years of age.

Advanced Wine Course

This new class is also taught by Michael Jordan, and is aimed at those who wish to take their wine education to the next level. The intense six-hour class is taught in a series of three two-hour sessions, held on consecutive days. Participants must attend the three consecutive days of their session. Classes will be held at the Convention Center at the Grand Californian Hotel. Guests must be 21 years of age. Tickets are $100 including gratuity.

Session 1
Tuesday, May 5 - 2:00-4:00 p.m.
Wednesday, May 6 - 2:00-4:00 p.m.
Thursday, May 7 - 2:00-4:00 p.m.

Session 2
Tuesday, May 12 - 2:00-4:00 p.m.
Wednesday, May 13 - 2:00-4:00 p.m.
Thursday, May 14 - 2:00-4:00 p.m.

Taste - Food, Wine, Life

The Taste event will be held on two evenings this year: Friday, June 5 and Saturday, June 6. Chefs from all over the Disneyland Resort will offer samples of creatively prepared and elegantly presented foods. Specially selected beer, wine, and spirits will also be offered by a variety of vintners and brewers. The evening will feature live entertainment and all attendees will receive a memento of the evening. The event will be held at Stage 17 in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Tickets are $150 including gratuity. Theme park admission is not required for this event.

Festival Wine Receptions

Festival Wine Receptions are held on select Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on the Lower Patio of the Golden Vine Winery. Enjoy an evening out-of-doors while sampling wine and hot and cold hors d'oeuvres. Theme park admission is required but is not included in the event price. Tickets are $55, gratuity included. Attendees must be at least 21 years of age.

Sweet Sundays

These new sessions start with a light breakfast buffet and a glass of sparkling wine, followed by a cooking demonstration where a guest pastry chef will demonstrate how to make three different desserts. Throughout the session guests will be served their own sample of each dessert. Event will be held on Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on the Lower Patio of the Golden Vine Winery. Tickets are $65 including gratuity. Attendees must be at least 21 years of age. Theme park admission is required but not included in the event cost.

Sunday, May 3: Elaine Ardizzone & Donna Cellere, Sweet Cheeks Baking Company, San Diego
Sunday, May 10: Elizabeth Belkind, Cake Monkey Bakery, Los Angeles
Sunday, May 17: Bret Thompson & Dave Baker, MILK Cafe and Bakeshop, Los Angeles
Sunday, May 24: Matt Lewis & Renato Poliafito, Baked, New York
Sunday, May 31: Diana Philips, Artisan Chocolatier, Los Angeles
Sunday, June 7: Keegan Gerhard, d bar desserts, Denver, Food Network Challenge




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RELATED LINKS
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2008 Festival Menus and Prices
2008 - What's New and Touring Tips
Food and Wine Festival Photo Gallery
Food and Wine Festival Rate and Review - Let us know what you think of Disney's California Food and Wine Festival!.

 

[fairycat]

Well good news I have been to both so I hope I can answer some of your questions!!!!!

I went to WDW in Oct 07, we did not have any time since we only had one day in Epcot during our trip for the free demos and besides we saw some of the lines But we did eat at a whole lot of booths!!!!

Last year I went to DCA for the F&W festival and I hate to admit it, it was WAY more fun!!!!!!! Some things are changing (they are adding more and more!) but it seems much of the event will be like last year.

They had less food to buy last year but they are going to be selling more food options around the park. The food had short lines and was so tasty, the CM's were really good about knowing what was veggie. I did get one dish hummus and pita that was terrible, it had been plated very pretty but too early in the day, I complained and they got me a fresh one, and it seemed like they didn't plate as many of those as early the next time I went.

Because California is famous for wine, they set up the regular wine bar with more options and the patio above was open to serve wine flights, wine by the glass and some delicious appetizers. They also opened a high end wine bar after the classes on one of the partios. They had wine in many different price points and a good mix of things that you might not find other places.

The best part though was the free classes. I went Thursday and Friday before meeting up for the Disladies meet. I didn't spend that much time in the park but I got a lot of classes in. I did a food demo class that offered risotto and chicken (I couldn't eat it ), a Tequilla class that was super educational and had some tasty tequilla, two medium rated Wine Classes including a Organic Vineyard, the Boudin Bread class (OMG it was soooooooo good!!), and a high end wine class (there wines start at $80 a bottle).

I did not wait long for the classes and got into everything I wanted. I thought they were all ran really well and I was so happy that after I mentioned vegetarian issues and lack of information with their CM's the managers must have talked to people. The day before when I asked if the class was veggy, they didn't know, the next day I asked and all the CM's knew what was being offered and that it was vegetarian.

I have to say I was very pleased by the experience and I am so looking forward to going back this year. It looks like it will be bigger and even better!

 

[mystic_path]

WOAH thanks so much for that post.... I am going to look more into this for sure then.

 

[jessyj1977]

I will be there as well and we were very curious about the events. We will be there with a young child so we won't be able to do any of the classes or seminars but I am glad to know that there are options around the park too.

 

[Kennywife]

Oh yes! I'm excited too....we're heading to DL June 2 for the final days of the festival!

Anna

 

[fairycat]

I will be there as well and we were very curious about the events. We will be there with a young child so we won't be able to do any of the classes or seminars but I am glad to know that there are options around the park too.

Actually you can do the food seminars with kids! Many of the free classes had crayons and treats for kids to keep them entertained. Since they are only 30-45 minutes each maybe you can find a class or two that would entertain all of you!