Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival 2018

DISNEY CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL 2018 is finally here (March 2nd – April 12th)! I was invited to a delicious day of learning all about the annual Food & Wine Festival and of course sampling too. Let me start by saying the entire Festival is California-inspired with small plates of fresh California-grown ingredients like avocado, strawberries, fragrant citrus, peppers and artisanal cheese. As a native Californian this is such a beautiful tribute to my home state and to my surprise there are PLENTY of vegetarian and vegan options! What? YES!!!! Usually as a vegetarian I’ve had to really seek out where I can eat and what they serve. Disney took the time to make it really convenient with a Food and Wine Tasting Passport.

My heart skipped many beats as Chef John State started to describe all the meatless options and delectable desserts.

He went into great detail about the ‘Spiced Oumph’ which is a plant-based food that looks and acts like a protein and was created by an English chef. In this case Spiced Oumph resembles chicken and at the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival 2018 they are treating the soy protein like ‘shawerma’ by serving it on a pita with Avocado hummus and a garlic sauce. It’s a vegan option, beyond heavenly, and could be found in the marketplace at AVOCADO TIME! This is a must eat. 🙂

I also got the opportunity to sample the yummy for your tummy Grilled & Chilled Artichoke Hearts with Romesco. The thought of eating a whole artichoke at DCA tickled me pink or should I say green!?! This dish could be found in the marketplace at I <3 ARTICHOKES!

Let’s talk about the Grilled Asparagus Caesar Salad. This salad may sound simple but I have never heard of anyone dressing a asparagus in Caesar. This dish falls under the vegetarian section, and shouldn’t be skipped. It can be found in the marketplace at EAT YOUR GREENS!

If you have a sweet tooth like I do then Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival 2018 has got you covered. You must stop in the marketplace at STRAWBERRY PATCH for the Watsonville Strawberry Pie, and Strawberry & Coconut Rice ‘Frushi.’

Here are some added perks to the Festival…. Family friendly seminars are being offered at the Backlot Stage (right across from the Monsters Inc ride) in Hollywood Land. These seminars will feature a variety of topics. Everything from cooking demos to growing your own vegetables to learning how to prepare some of the marketplace favorites at home. For the aspiring young chefs there will be the complimentary Junior Chef Experience, with hands on fun lead by Goofy, for children ages 3 to 11. The kids will follow a recipe and mix a variety of ingredients to create a tasty treat!