2012 Epcot Food and Wine Festival presented by Chase

The 17th Annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival Presented by Chase takes place this September 28 to November 12 2012.

The Epcot Food and Wine Festival turns the World Showcase into an International Marketplace, where visitors can travel around the world to almost 30 different booths with cuisines and drinks from around the world. New this year are the “Terra” (a Vegan themed booth) and the “Florida Local” booth showcasing some great local fare.

Start off at the Festival Center, the hub for all Festival activities, including seminars, book signings, wine shop, festival merchandise and more, to pick up your Marketplace Discovery Passport and Festival Guide and plan your day. As you visit you can get “stamped” on your passport from various booths, each with their own unique stamps.

At the Festival Center, guests can also check out the Chocolate Experience: From the Bean to the Bar Hosted by Ghirardelli® Chocolate Company, filled with sweet sculptures created by Disney pastry chefs and also learn about the food’s fascinating origins while sipping some chocolate from the “chocolate bar”.

There are also Home Entertaining Seminars Hosted by HGTV at Festival Center: In these 30-minute seminars, HGTV and DIY celebrity designers teach tips on holiday table setting, herb and vegetable gardening, and kitchen or dining room changes. Friday through Sunday at 12:00 noon, with meet-&-greets at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.

Before entering the World Showcase, visit the Cranberry Bog Display hosted by Ocean Spray® Craisins® Brand Dried Cranberries, made with 1,500 pounds of fresh, floating cranberries. Learn about the history, harvesting process and health benefits as you sample this unique fruit.

I had the chance to visit recently for a media event and met Peter Beaton, a 5th Generation farmer with Ocean Spray from Wareham, MA, who, working with his brother Doug and sister Christine, helps manage more than 400 acres of bogs and farmland in the heart of New England’s cranberry country. Ocean Spray is an agricultural cooperative owned by more than 700 cranberry growers in Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and other parts of Canada as well as 35 Florida grapefruit growers.

The cranberry gets its name from Dutch and German settlers, who nicknamed it the “crane berry.” When cranberry vines bloom in the late spring, the pale flowers resemble the head and bill of a crane. Cranberries have one of the highest levels of antioxidant activity of many commonly consumed fruits.

Some other fun facts about Cranberries

– Cranberries are one of only three native fruits cultivated in North America.
– Inside the cranberry are four secret chambers. These tiny air chambers help the cranberries stay afloat when the bogs are flooded for harvest.

Festival highlights include:

Nearly 30 international food and beverage Marketplaces
Signature dining experiences with celebrated chefs
Party for the Senses—a spectacular tribute to the sensory arts
Culinary demonstrations and wine seminars
The Eat to the Beat concert series, with nightly musical performances from popular hit-makers
With all this—and so much more—you can look forward to tasting your way around the world!

International Food and Beverage Marketplaces this year include two new booths (Terra and Florida Local):

1. Terra – NEW! – featuring vegetarian dishes
2. Caribbean
3. Argentina
4. Australia
5. Mexico
6. Scandinavia
7. China
8. South Korea
9. South Africa
10. Cheese
11 Brewer’s Collection
12. Germany
13. Poland
14. Italy
15. Fife & Drum
16. Hops & Barley
17. Florida Local – NEW!
18. Japan
19. Singapore
20. Morocco
21. New Zealand
22. Belgium
23. France
24. Ireland
25. Canada
26. Greece
27. Desserts & Champagne
28. Hawai’i
29. Craft Beer

For more information, visit:

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/epcot/special-events/epcot-international-food-and-wine-festival/

Epcot Food and Wine festival Swag

Chef’s Showcase at the Festival Center

At the Festival Center, the HGTV showcase

Great chocolate art from Disney’s resort hotels pastry chefs

Club Cool – Coke products from around the world!

Ocean Spray’s Festival Cranberry Bog

Craft Beers at Epcot’s International Marketplace

TERRA – NEW!

Culinary Offerings:
Trick’n Chick’n Curry with Basmati Rice featuring Gardein Chick’n Breast – $3.75
Chili Colorado with House Made Chips & Cashew Cheese, featuring Gardein Beefless Tips – $3.75
Chocolate Cake with Passion Fruit Sorbet and Coconut Foam – $2.75
Beverage Selections:
Paul Dolan Sauvignon Blanc – $4.25 (3 oz.)
Paul Dolan Pinot Noir – $4.25 (3 oz.)
Silk® Berry Smoothie – $3.75 (7 oz.)

Terra (Vegetarian)’s  Trick’n Chick’n Curry with Basmati Rice featuring Gardein Chick’n Breast – $3.75

For the first time in the history of the festival, Guests can enjoy an array of vegan offerings at the Terra Marketplace, featuring the Gardein® line of vegetable proteins. The sauce for this dish was developed with the help of Phillip Mathen, a vegan cook in the United Kingdom Pavilion who is originally from India.

Hawaii’s Tuna Poke with Seaweed Salad and Lotus Root Chips – $3.75

Argentina’s Grilled Beef Skewer with Chimichurri Sauce and Boniato Purée – $5.00

Scandinavia’s Taste of Scandinavia: Cured Salmon, Herring and Shrimp Salad – $4.00

China’s Mongolian Beef with Chinese Steamed Bun – $4.50

South Africa’s Seared Filet of Beef with Smashed Sweet Potatoes and Braai Sauce – $5.00

The brand new Florida Local stand at the International Marketplace!

FLORIDA LOCAL – NEW!

Culinary Offerings:
White Corn Arepa with Mangalitsa Pork Rillette and Zellwood Sweet Corn Salad – $4.00
Florida Shrimp Ceviche with Fire Roasted Vegetables, Fried Plantains and Cilantro – $4.25
Beverage Selections:
Florida Beer Company Florida Lager – $3.00 (6 oz.), $5.50 (12 oz.), $12.00 (22 oz. souvenir)
Florida Beer Company Key West Southernmost Wheat – $3.00 (6 oz.), $5.50 (12 oz.), $12.00 (22 oz. souvenir)
Florida Orange Grove Key Limen – $2.75 (3 oz.)
Florida Orange Grove Hurricane Class 5, Florida White Sangria – $3.25 (3 oz.)

Florida Local’s White Corn Arepa with Mangalitsa Pork Rillette and Zellwood Sweet Corn Salad – $4.00

White Corn Arepa with Mangalitsa Pork Rillette and Zellwood Sweet Corn Salad: At the Florida Local Marketplace, enjoy some of the best ingredients Central Florida has to offer. Originally from Hungary in Eastern Europe, the Mangalitsa pig is a heritage hog breed known for its beautiful white fat and dark meat. These pigs are raised near Ocala, Florida at Pasture Prime Family Farms.

Epcot’s Japan Pavilion’s Matsuriza Japanese Drum team

Belgium’s Guylian Belgian Chocolate Seashell Truffles – $1.75

France’s Escargots Persillade en Brioche – $5.25 – Garlic and Parsley Snails in Brioche Bread

A look at France Pavilion’s Boulangerie Patisserrie, the bakery will be expanding soon…