2015 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Photos, Menus and First Impressions
The 2015 Epcot Food & Wine Festival is now officially open to guests! Yesterday, we had the opportunity to attend the Cast Member preview. The preview was basically a soft opening, so all the marketplace kiosks were open and serving their delectable food and beverage offerings.
This year is the 20th iteration of the annual festival and it’s shaping up to be the best one yet! Everything was looking terrific from the colorful new artwork to the plentiful new tables and seating/eating areas!
The Cast Members seemed poised an ready for a big 20th anniversary festival. I was happy to see they have registers on both sides of each kiosk this year to help keep the lines down too. (Only one side was open during the preview).
Here’s a virtual tour of the merchandise, marketplace kiosks and food/beverage items we checked out during the preview:
Highlights After First Visit
The standout favorites so far are the new marketplaces from ABC’s “The Chew.” Both Sustainable Chew and Chew Lab feature unique dishes, most of which are gluten free, which is exciting for people like me with food allergies! The Chew Lab made me a custom dish safe for my many food allergies and sensitivities and it was heavenly (details and photo below).
It’s also worth noting that The Chew marketplaces focus not only on imaginative cooking methods (e.g. sous vide cooking and freezing with liquid nitrogen), but also on sustainable crops and farming — a perfect tie in to both Future World and the Imagination Pavilion where both marketplaces are located.
Plus, there is a spacious area with lots of tables set up between these two marketplaces. You’ll find The Chew near the Imagination Pavilion (in the area that typically houses the butterfly garden during Epcot’s Flower & Garden Festival).
Remy’s Hide & Squeak
New this year is Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak activity for kids and adults alike. For $7.95 + tax, you can purchase a map and help Remy as he ventures around World Showcase at Epcot collecting ingredients for his signature dish, Ratatouille. Maps are available at Disney Traders, Festival Center, Pin Central, Port of Entry and World Traveler (International Gateway). Make your way around the world, and record your discoveries as you help Remy find each ingredient by placing the corresponding sticker on the specially themed map to represent that location. This activity is similar to the Easter Egg hunt around World Showcase, but this Remy is a little tougher to find than the eggs. Once you complete your quest, return your map to the redemption location at Port of Entry you will have the opportunity to receive one of the pins featured here.
We’re both looking forward to coming back for culinary demos, meet and greets with celebrity chefs, Remy’s activity and much more! Thankfully, we have 53 more days to experience the 2015 Epcot Food and Wine Festival, which runs now through November 16, 2015.
Note: Thanks to DisneyFoodBlog.com for noting all the pricing and dining plan eligible items. DisneyFoodBlog.com’s 2015 Epcot Food and Wine Festival online guide was used a reference.