7 Reasons Why We’re Excited for the California Adventure Food & Wine Festival

February 15, 2018

For those looking to plan a visit to Disneyland Resort in 2018 we strongly recommend visiting during the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival. Running from March 2 – April 12, 2018, the festival pays tribute to California cooking and the amazing wines and beers found in the state through seminars, live demonstrations, incredible food booths and VIP tastings. We here at Disney Addicts think that there’s so much to love about this annual festival. To give you just a taste here are 7 reasons why we think it should be top of your “must-do” list.

1. Food & Wine Festival Marketplaces – This year’s festival will feature 13 incredible marketplace kitchens that will be serving up an amazing array of savory and sweet small plates as well as wines and Craft Beers. The focus of each marketplace is on California cuisine and freshly grown ingredients including avocados, citrus and strawberries. Cheese lovers will also be impressed with the vast array of artisanal cheeses on offer. Menus for each of the 13 booths should be released later this month! Keep following along with Disney Addicts and we’ll share them with you as soon as we can.

2. Seminars – Who says a visit to a theme park can’t be educational? Guests to Disney California Adventure Park during the Food & Wine Festival can participate in a wide range of culinary-themed seminars. Families will definitely want to look into the Feed Your Passion Seminars. During these 20-30 minute presentations, guests will learn about growing your own vegetables, preparing some Festival Marketplace dishes and will also learn a few culinary tricks of the trade. There are also wine tastings led by Disney’s expert team of Sommeliers, beer tasting seminars as well as spirits seminars that teach guests how to make a mean cocktail. The family seminars are FREE to those with valid theme park admission. The wine, beer and spirit seminars will set visitors back $20.00 per person.

3. Jr. Chefs – Do you have a budding Chef in the family between the ages of 3-11? Then the Jr Chef workshops during the Food & Wine Festival are an absolute must-do. Aspiring chefs can get into the “kitchen” and mix up a variety of kid-friendly ingredients to create a magical treat! The sessions are supervised by Chef Goofy who gives all of the budding chefs an opportunity to get messy. The Jr. Chef kitchen can be found at the Hollywood Backlot and will be open several times throughout the day. Guests should stop by the location for exact times.

4. Sweet Sundays – If you’ve got a sweet tooth then Sunday’s are definitely the days to join in the Food & Wine fun at Disneyland Resort. On Sundays, Disney will hold 10 am seminars featuring celebrity chefs that will show you how they make a few of their signature desserts. You may even get to sample the completed creations. This year’s offerings are as follows:

Keegan Gerhard – Food Network Challenge- Sunday, March 4, 2018 – 10:00 AM to noon.
Emily Ellyn –Food Network Star and Cutthroat Kitchen –Sunday, March 11, 2018 – 10:00 AM to noon.
Duff Goldman – Cake Masters and Ace of Cakes – Sunday, April 8, 2018 – 10:00 AM to noon

These special Sunday offerings are held at the Napa Rose in Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa. The cost to attend is $99 per person plus tax and gratuities.

5. Winemaker and Brewmaster Food & Wine Dinners – For those that like a good wine or appreciate a good brew, these special dinners are just the ticket. Each dinner event highlights different California wines or craft beers and is accompanied by tasty dishes that serve as the perfect compliment. Here’s a quick look at some of the dinners available this season:

Karl Strauss Brewing Company – Thursday, March 8, 2018 – 6:00 pm – During this event held at Steakhouse 55 at the Disneyland Hotel, hand-selected beers will be paired and served with a speciality menu. Brewmaster Matt Johnson will present each beer as well as its paired dish. The cost to attend is $150.00
Flora Springs Dinner – Thursday, March 15, 2018 – 6:00 pm- This event held at Disneyland Hotel’s Steakhouse 55 is hosted by Flora Springs vintner Nat Comes and features a 4-course meal prepared by Steakhouse 55 Chef Marcel St Pierre. The cost to attend is $175.00 per person.
Disney Family of Wines Dinner -Thursday, March 29, 2018 – 6:30 pm – 4 “Disney Family of Wines” makers will be featured during this event: Fess Parker Winery, Kurt Russell’s GoGi Wines, Silverado Vineyards and Skywalker Vineyards. Each course of the menu by Executive Chef Andrew Sutton will be paired with a hand selected wine from these wineries. The event will be held at Napa Rose in Disney’s Grand California Resort & Spa and the cost is $250.00 per person.
David Arthur Vineyards – Thursday, April 5, 2018 -6:30 PM – This 1930’s Hollywood-themed evening at Carthay Circle at Disney California Adventure Park is limited to 24 lucky guests. Its hosted by vintner David Long and includes a 4-course dinner created by Executive Chef Andrew Sutton on the North Pation. Guests are encouraged to come dressed in 1930’s attire and the cost to attend is $300.00.

6. Celebrity Chefs Live at the Hyperion – Get a chance to see some of your favorite celebrity chef’s in action during these special evenings. The chefs will share the secrets of their success, personal stories and a few of their favorite recipes. Watch as they make their signature creations live on stage in the Hyperion Theater. This year’s celebrity chefs include:

Guy Fieri LIVE! at the Hyperion
Friday, March 9, 2018
8:00 PM
Robert Irvine LIVE! at the Hyperion
Friday, March 30, 2018
8:00 PM

The events are held at the Hyperion Theater in Hollywood Land at Disney’s California Adventure Park. The cost to attend is $99 per person plus tax and gratuities for the servers.

7. Taste of the Fest – Be among the first to try out the amazing dishes and drinks on offer at the Festival Marketplaces with the special evening at Disney California Adventure Park. For $125.00 per person, you are invited to the park the night before the Food & Wine Festival officially kicks off to get a jump-start on all of the deliciousness. Entertainment will also be provided on the Palisades Stage.

These are just a few of the many amazing reasons why California Adventure Park is the place to be this Spring! But don’t take our word for it. Read below to find out how you can get your FREE quote and try out these tasty offerings for yourself!

Click here for your FREE no obligation quote!

Find articles like this helpful? Then why not consider booking with an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner? As an agent with MickeyTravels, I’ll be on hand to help you with everything from booking your perfect package to nabbing those hard-to-get Dining and Fastpass reservations. Best of all my services are absolutely FREE. Get in touch at 1.800.801.4025, via email atmroden@mickeytravels.com or follow along on Facebook.

Images copyright Disney.

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