Top Chefs Will Open 13th Annual Epcot International Food & Wine Fest

The top “foodie” cities of the world will be highlighted at this year’s Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, and the top chefs will be starting Epcot’s Food & Wine Festival with an international cuisine competition that is making its debut at the Disney theme park in September.

Some of the world’s best chefs will be cooking against each other in the Bocuse d’Or USA, a prestigious cooking competition during the opening weekend of the Epcot Food & Wine Festival on Sept. 26 and 27. The culinary stars that are participating include the likes of Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller and Jerome Bocuse, the man in charge at the Chefs de France restaurant located in Epcot’s France Pavilion.

Each chef will have one assistant, and is tasked with preparing sophisticated fish and meat dishes that will be judged by a panel of their peers. Each platter will be evaluated based upon the following specific criteria: creativity, presentation, taste and technical precision. This elaborate cooking contest will take place before a live audience of Epcot guests, and attendance is included with a Disney ticket. The winning chef moves on to compete in the international Bocuse d’Or cuisine contest in Lyon, France in January.

A few other highlights of the 13th Annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival are:

The Festival Welcome Center, which is the hub of all the Epcot Food & Wine Fest action. Here you will find a Champagne and Wine Bar along with a host of free wine seminars, book signings with your favorite chefs and festival merchandise like pins and the official cookbook.

Celebrity chefs and Disney chefs will be on hand for cooking demonstrations, hosting tasty tasting events and much more. So far, this year’s celeb chef list is shaping up nicely with the following already scheduled to appear:

• Tory McPhail of Commander’s Palace
• Rock Harper of Hell’s Kitchen
• Tre Wilcox from Top Chef Season 3
• Cat Cora
• Jamie Deen
• Allen Suuer
• Jeff Henderson
• Gale Grand
• Robert Irvine
• Todd English
• Warren Brown

And of course there is the ever-popular Eat to the Beat! concert series, with live music to enhance the delicious treats that await Epcot guests throughout the Food & Wine Festival. All you need to treat your taste buds is a Disney ticket, so get yours today!

Disney Vacation News – August and September, 2008

The Inside Disney Ticket on What’s Going Down at Disney World this Fall

Any time of year is a great time for a Disney vacation. Even though the summer season is quickly coming to a close, there is still tons of Disney fun coming up in the next few months. In fact, the last half of the year is one of the most event-packed times at the Walt Disney World Resort.

Here’s a list to give you the inside Disney ticket on the Disney vacation happenings this fall down at Disney:

Disney Vacation News – 13th Annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival
Epcot’s most popular annual event starts in less than a month and you need a Disney ticket to get in. This year’s Epcot International Food & Wine Festival begins on Friday, Sept. 26 and runs through Sunday, Nov. 9. The theme for the 13th annual Epcot Food & Wine Fest is “Great Foodie Cities of the World.” Disney tickets required for admission.

Disney Vacation News – Night of Joy at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
This popular Christian music event has been a part of Disney vacations since 1983. The dates for 2008 are Friday, Sept. 5 and Saturday, Sept. 6. This year’s lineup features 16 of your favorite Christian artists, including tobyMac, Chris Tomlin, Casting Crowns, Brandon Heath, MercyMe, Rebecca St. James and more.

Night of Joy is switching venues this year, and the Christian music gala will be held at Disney’s Hollywood Studios for the first time ever. Night of Joy 2008 promises to be an exciting and inspirational weekend, and it is a separate ticket event that is not included with your regular Disney tickets.

Disney Vacation News – Disney Step Classic
This inaugural event, where high school and college step teams will compete, takes place at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex on the weekend of Aug. 29 and 30. This is the first time the step competition will be held at Walt Disney World, and it is open to the public. Tickets are available for purchase, and the Disney Step Classic is not included with a regular Disney ticket.

Disney Vacation News – Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
A little further off is Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, scheduled for select dates throughout September and October. Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is a separate ticket event held at Disney’s Magic Kingdom theme park, and admission is not included with a regular Disney ticket.