Experiencing the International Food and Wine Festival at EPCOT was a dream come true. It combined my favorite park with the amazing world-sourced decadent foods that the Disney parks are known to serve. (Though getting the above picture proved to be a challenge with all of the visitors.)
First, upon our return to EPCOT, Justin and I took advantage of the rides we had as of yet gotten to do: Test Track, Ellen's Energy Adventure (super dated!), Journey into Imagination with Figment (a regret), Living With the Land, and The Sea with Nemo and Friends (another regret). Clearly, it was time for us to move on beyond the rides…
Before venturing any further, we took some time to walk through the Innovations Pavilions where a Ghiradelli exhibit awaited us called From Bean to Bar.
The exhibit itself was a bit boring, but we did love seeing the amazing chocolate sculptures on display.
Isn't that detail amazing?
We ultimately decided against purchasing any Ghirardelli treats to take on the run, but we did enjoy some chocolate bars they were giving out for free!
… Then it was on to lunch. We decided to hit up all of the pavilions/countries we had missed during our last visit to EPCOT.
Just to give you an idea of what we sampled during the 2016 food and wine fest–
China:
+ Chicken Pot Stickers
Chocolate Studio:
+ Liquid Nitro Chocolate Almond Truffle with Warm Whiskey Caramel
Germany:
+ Apple Strudel with Vanilla Sauce
Ireland:
+ Irish Cheese Selection Plate: Irish Cheddar, Dubliner and Irish Porter
Italy:
+ Pennette alla Parmigiana: Baked Ziti and Chicken Parmigiana, Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella and Parmesan Cheese
Morocco:
+ Kefta Pocket: Seasoned Ground Beef in a Pita Pocket
It was so much fun exploring and tasting the different countries! Plus, EPCOT offers "extra" specialty foods and countries during the International Food and Wine Fest that they don't showcase during the rest of the year (like the Chocolate Studio).
Of course the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival is more than just pavilions though! They also offer classes taught by world-renowned chefs that include culinary demonstrations (how to make certain foods), beverage seminars and tastings, history of food classes, and much more! Then, if you still haven't reached your fill, consider participating in a specialty dining event like a Parisian breakfast or a multi-course meal. During the EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival, it is far easier to run out of money than it is to run out of things to do. Prepare and save if you intend on going.
A few more tips:
+ Arrive HUNGRY.
+ Not just kind-of sort-of hungry, but STARVING. 😉
+ Use gift cards to control your spending and make the purchase of foods/drinks quick and easy!
+ Pick up an EPCOT passport to mark the foods you try at each location.
+ Get your hands on a list of foods available during the Food and Wine Fest, so that you can mark what you want to try and have room in your stomach to try them! 😀
What types of foods would you expect or hope to find at an international festival like this? Are there certain classes you would anticipate seeing? Or specific celebrity or chef appearances that would make the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival a must-do for you? … What do you think of those very intricately designed chocolate sculptures by Ghirardelli?
See more of my #4Parks2Days series here:
• Part one: Animal Kingdom
• Part two: EPCOT
• Part three: Rental Car + Disney Springs
• Part four: Magic Kingdom
