Epcot Flower & Garden Festival 2017 Photopost
Disney knows how to capitalize on a good thing. Their Epcot International Food & Wine Festival that occurs in the fall has garnered quite the following and with that taking place only once a year, they’ve started to build out some of their other seasonal events. Epcot’s Flower & Garden Festival is now a bona fide culinary event in its own right.
With 15 outdoor kitchens, they’ve incorporated the whole gardening and fresh produce aspect into the event by focusing on the concepts of sustainability, local sourcing and urban agriculture.
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Here are some highlights from one of our most recent trips…
Crabless Cake with Pickled Vegetable Slaw paired with a Forbidden Root Wildflower Pale Ale from the Urban Farm Eats Kitchen.
Unibroue Maudite Amber Ale from the Northern Bloom Kitchen.
Fresh Swiss Chard and Kale. Literally growing right underneath the monorail tracks.
Braised Chicken and Crawfish w/Rice Pilaf paired with a Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc from the Fleur de Lys Kitchen.
Maui Brewing Company’s Pineapple Mana Ale from the Pineapple Promenade Kitchen.
Vertical urban orchards and gardens – Tomatoes and Amaranth.
Tuna Poke from the Hanami Japanese Kitchen.
Tampa Bay Brewing Company’s “Quat” Kumquat Ale from the Florida Fresh Kitchen.
Warm Wild Berry Buckle Cake with Pepper Berry Sorbet paired with a Founders Rubaeus Pure Raspberry Ale from the Berry Basket Kitchen.
Potato Pancakes w/House-made Applesauce from the Bauernmarkt Kitchen.
German Beer Flight – Kostrizer’s Schwartzbier Black Lager, Schofferhofer’s Hefeweizen and Paulaner’s Munich Lager from the Bauernmarkt Kitchen.
Caribbean Conch Salad w/Avocado, Mango and Onions (with a very backlit Three Caballeros in the background) from the Isla de Fresca Kitchen.
Sugar Cane Shrimp Skewer and Rice w/Coconut Lime Sauce from the Isla de Fresca Kitchen.
And while not related to Flower & Garden in any way, no trip to Epcot is complete without Limoncello cordials in Italy.
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I’ve found that the chefs are able to experiment a little more since they aren’t necessarily confined to a specific region’s cuisine so the dishes are a little more unique than what you find a Food & Wine. The beer pairings which included some really unique brews and you have a recipe for some amazing experimental dishes that make it completely worth the trip.
Have you been to Epcot’s International Flower & Garden Festival? Leave a message in the comments section below!
And remember… beer is freedom… and the food abides…
Tampa Food Dude 