Food & Wine Festival Weekend Guide for March 10-16

Food & Wine Festival Weekend Guide for March 10–16

The 2017 Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival runs March 10 through April 16, and features a variety of tasting opportunities, beverage seminars, cooking demonstrations, celebrity chef appearances, and performances by featured artists.

To help you plan your visits and navigate the event, we've created this guide with menus, prices and schedules for the first week of the Festival. Bookmark this page for quick reference during your visit, and check back next Friday for another weekend guide—bon appétit!

Festival Marketplace Menus

Special dishes created for the Food & Wine Festival, and available at the 12 standalone Marketplace booths located throughout Disney California Adventure park, as well as at the new Beer Garden at the Paradise Garden Grill. Items with a § (double-S) symbol are included in the AP Sip and Savor Pass, described below.

Nuts About Cheese

§ Brie toast with fig and mint and roasted California almond crumble ($5.00)
§ Baked ham and Swiss cheese croque monsieur roll with smoked pistachios ($7.00)
§ Chèvre fromage blanc tartine infused with rosemary and honey, topped with toasted hazelnuts ($4.50)
Hazelnut Cherry Port Clusters ($7.50)
§ Almond milk tea with pudding ($4.50)

Uncork California

White wine flight ($16.00)
Red wine flight ($20.00)
Mimosa flight ($16.00)

I Heart Artichokes

§ Artichoke carbonara with garlic aioli and smoked bacon ($6.00)
§ Grilled and chilled artichoke hearts with romesco sauce ($5.75)
§ Creamy artichoke and dark chocolate cake pop ($4.25)
§ Orange iced tea with orange pearls ($4.00)

Garlic Kissed

§ Grilled beef tenderloin slider with chimichurri sauce ($7.75)
§ Black garlic soy-braised pork belly bao with pickled vegetables ($7.00)
§ Garlic-rosemary and avocado oil ice cream pop ($4.50)

California Craft Brews

Southern California flight ($13.25)
Northern California flight ($13.25)

Olive Us

§ Chilled cioppino soup with shrimp, crab claw and grilled olive bread ($7.75)
§ Warm olive focaccia with olive oil and sea salt ($4.50)
§ Vanilla bean crème fraîche panna cotta with Amarena cherry jus and EVOO madeleine ($4.25)

Bacon Twist

§ Baby iceberg and heirloom tomato wedge with peppered bacon and blue cheese dressing ($5.50)
§ Smoked bacon mac and cheese with barbecue-seasoned crispy onions ($7.50)
§ Maple-bacon whoopie pie ($4.25)

Lemon Grove

§ Roasted cauliflower and Meyer lemon-infused Dannon Oikos Greek nonfat yogurt cauliflower puree with sundried tomatoes and fried capers ($6.00)
§ Duck confit on potato smash with Meyer lemon preserves ($7.00)
§ Meyer lemon macaron with blueberry marmalade, Meyer lemon cream, and blueberry dust ($4.75)
§ Cherry lemonade with cherry pearls ($4.25)

Seafood… Sustained

§ Verlasso sustainable salmon tataki with avocado-wasabi puree and furikake dust ($7.50)
§ Cage-free cream cheese deviled eggs with farm-raised smoked trout and chives ($4.00)
§ Passion fruit posset and coconut chia with mango compote and jelly ($4.25)
§ Mango agua fresca ($4.25)

The Onion Lair

§ French onion mac and cheese topped with parmesan crumble and chives ($7.75)
§ Braised wagyu beef on creamy polenta with haricot vert and red onion salad and roasted cipollini onion ($7.75)
§ Chocolate-hazelnut and raspberry feuillete tart ($4.75)
§ Passion fruit lemonade ($4.00)

Off the Cob

§ Sweet corn nuggets with beef chili, spring onions, and sour cream ($6.75)
§ Jackfruit carnitas banh mi nachos with cilantro crèma and “pickled” de gallo ($6.00)
§ Roasted sweet corn custard tart with honey tuille and smoked chili-infused chocolate sauce ($4.50)

LA Style

§ Chicken teriyaki slider with spicy Dole pineapple jam ($6.50)
§ Korean barbecue beef short rib tacos with kimchi slaw ($7.00)
§ Fresh strawberry compote, lemon verbena and vanilla bean shortcake parfait ($4.50)
§ Dole pineapple-strawberry float with vanilla ice cream and strawberry pearls ($7.00)

Sweet & Sourdough

§ Bay Shrimp Louie Salad served in a Mini Boudin Sourdough Boule ($6.75)
§ White Cheddar Lager Soup served in a Mini Boudin Sourdough Boule ($6.00)
§ Milk Chocolate Sourdough Bread Pudding with vanilla bean sauce ($4.50)

Paradise Garden Grill Beer Garden

Beer-battered cod served with steak fries, sweet slaw, and spiced remoulade ($12.99)
Potato and cheese pierogis with vegetarian sausage served with grilled Anaheim chilies, caramelized onions, and sour cream ($11.99)
Beer-braised pork tacos served with pickled apple slaw, black beans, and queso ($10.99)
Sausage platter trio served with braised red cabbage and warm potato salad ($13.99)
Large soft pretzel served with beer-mustard dipping sauce ($5.29)
Salted caramel budino with vanilla bean Chantilly cream ($3.99)
Bienenstich cake with honey-glazed almonds, filled with vanilla bean custard ($3.99)

Annual Passholder Sip and Savor Pass and AP Corner

None of the Marketplaces offer a discount to annual passholders, but APs can again purchase the renamed “Sip and Savor Pass” for $45. The passport provides eight tasting portions of selected food and beverage items from eleven participating Festival Marketplaces. The passport itself is a plastic credential with eight snap-off tabs, strung on a lanyard printed with an AP logo.

We deemed the 2016 version of this offer to be a waste of money, even after Disney dropped the price to $39 after the first week. The 2017 offer is a slightly better value. The 2017 pass is valid for eight dishes, two more than last year. The average price of the items you can purchase with this pass is $5.63, which conveniently works out to $45 for eight items. However, sales tax is not applied to the price of the lanyard, but is to the food items, so you also get an 8 percent advantage when you use the pass because you aren't paying sales tax.

If you use all eight tabs to purchase one each of the eight most expensive items at the Festival, at best you save $15 (plus tax) compared to paying cash. However, every $4.50 dessert or beverage you buy with a tab eats into that savings.

To sweeten the deal, Disney has designed a series of one-inch buttons with the “AP” logo in varying color combinations. You receive one of the buttons each time you redeem a tab, and so can collect a series of eight when you redeem the whole pass.

Once again, our advice is to decide what dishes you're interested in trying, and then crunch the numbers to decide if this is a good deal for you. To get the most value from the pass, you need to be prepared to pay for less-expensive items separately, which will raise your overall spending.

If you really, really want the lanyard and pin series, but don't think you can eat enough grilled beef tenderloin sliders to make financial sense, consider buying one lanyard for your family or friends group, and use the tabs only for the big-ticket dishes. The Sip and Savor Pass is valid for the entire festival, so you can return each weekend to try new dishes and use up the tabs.

The AP Corner, located near Paradise Garden Grill, close to Paradise Garden bandstand, offers special PhotoPass backdrop, a Festival handout, and another annual passholder button series. A new design is released each Friday.

In the Kitchen With…

Celebrity Kitchen events are 60-minute seminars presented in a “network-quality demonstration kitchen” inside Stage 17. These hard-ticket events are $99 per person, and include an autograph session after the presentation.

Seminars are held inside Stage 17 on Saturdays at 6:00 p.m., unless otherwise noted. Make reservations via the Disneyland website.

March 11 – G. Garvin (Road Trip with G. GarvinTurn Up the Heat with G. Garvin)
March 18 – [Sold out as of press time] Robert Irvine (Restaurant: Impossible)
March 25 – Graham Elliot (MasterChef)
April 1 – [Sold out as of press time] Guy Fieri (Diners, Drive-Ins and DivesGuy's Grocery Games)
April 8 (6:00–7:00) – Cat Cora (Cat Cora's Kitchen)
April 15 – Jet Tila (ChoppedCutthroat Kitchen)

Sweet Sundays

Sweet Sundays are back for 2017, offering visitors a chance to start the day with a 90-minute cooking demonstration by popular bakers and pastry masters. These hard-ticket events are $79 per person, and include a light breakfast and sparkling wine toast.

Seminars are held inside Stage 17 on Sundays at 10:30 a.m., unless otherwise noted. Make reservations via the Disneyland website.

March 19 – [Sold out as of press time] Duff Goldman (Cake MastersAce of CakesKids Baking Championship)
April 2 – Emily Ellyn (Food Network StarCutthroat Kitchen)
April 16 – Keegan Gerhard (Food Network Challenge)

Wine, Beer and Spirit seminars

Seminars are held inside Stage 17. The price is $15.00 per person Monday through Thursday, or $20 per person Friday through Sunday, plus tax. Make reservations via the Disneyland website. All participants must be age 21 or older to enter the venue; neither children nor strollers are allowed in the seminars.

Friday, March 10

3:00 Beer – Backstreet Brewery (Anaheim, CA)
5:00 Tequila – Alma de Agave (Jalisco, Mexico)

Saturday, March 11

3:00 Beer – Backstreet Brewery (Anaheim, CA)
5:00 Tequila – Alma de Agave (Jalisco, Mexico)

Sunday, March 12

3:00 Beer – Backstreet Brewery (Anaheim, CA)
5:00 Tequila – Alma de Agave (Jalisco, Mexico)

Monday, March 13

5:00 Tequila – Alma de Agave (Jalisco, Mexico)

Tuesday, March 14

5:00 Cider – Ace Cider (Sebastopol, CA)

Wednesday, March 15

5:00 Cider – Ace Cider (Sebastopol, CA)

Thursday, March 16

3:00 Beer – Stone Brewing Co. (San Diego, CA)
5:00 Cider – Ace Cider (Sebastopol, CA)

Friday, March 17

3:00 Beer – Modern Times Beer (San Diego, CA)
5:00 Cider – Ace Cider (Sebastopol, CA)

Culinary Demonstrations

These seminars (all in the afternoon) moved inside to the Festival Showpace in Stage 17, and now have a $10 or $15 registration fee depending on day. Make reservations via the Disneyland website.

Friday, March 10

Noon – Temecula Olive Oil Co. Thom Curry (Temecula, CA)
2:00 – David Kuo, Little Fatty (Los Angeles, CA)
4:00 – Cooking With Dole Chefs)
6:00 – Felix Aguilar, Robert Renzoni Winery (Temecula, CA)

Saturday, March 11

Noon – Jon Rollo, Greenleaf Gourmet Chop Shop (Los Angeles, CA)
2:00 – Cooking With Dole Chefs
4:00 – Beau MacMillan, Sanctuary Camelback Resort (Phoenix, AZ)

Sunday, March 12

Noon – Cooking with Jackfruit, The Jackfruit Company
2:00 – Evan Stanley, Santa Monica Seafood (Rancho Dominguez, CA)
4:00 – Jamie Gwen, Entertaining in Style
6:00 – Daniella Malfitano, Everyday Gourmet-Savory Flavors

Monday, March 13

2:00 – Evan Stanley, Santa Monica Seafood (Rancho Dominguez, CA)
4:00 – Brian Huskey, Top Chef, TackleBox (Corona Del Mar, CA)

Tuesday, March 14

2:00 – Temecula Olive Oil Co., Thom Curry (Temecula, CA)
4:00 – Barks & Clusters, Disneyland Resort Candy Makers

Wednesday, March 15

2:00 – Josh Diamond, Sizzlin' Seafood, Meritage at Callaway (Temecula, CA)
4:00 – Meet the Disneyland Resort Chefs

Thursday, March 16

2:00 – Kevin Bobby, Pig Pen Delicacy (Santa Ana, CA)
4:00 – Scott Hunnel, The Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Walt Disney World (Orlando, FL)
6:00 – Meet the Disneyland Resort Chefs

Friday, March 17

Noon – Meet the Disneyland Resort Chefs
2:00 – Andrew Gruel, Slapfish (Orange County, CA)
4:00 – Kevin Bobby, Pig Pen Delicacy (Santa Ana, CA)
6:00 – Scott Hunnel, The Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Walt Disney World Resort (Orlando, FL)

Junior Chef

The 2017 event will also feature a daily Junior Chef offering in Paradise Park, near the Golden Zephyr. The Junior Chef program gives children ages 3 to 11 the opportunity to help “bake” a sweet treat, with help from Goofy and some Disney chefs. Long-time Disney fans may remember a similar program offered at Disneyland, and Disney tours the program around for community events.

The free offering is scheduled three times per day, so check the event schedule for the day you want to visit. Every participant receives a packaged baked treat to enjoy after the activity.

Lifestyle Seminars

These seminars take place at the Backlot Stage in Hollywood Land each Friday through Sunday. Disney has not made public the schedule online, but will post the current week's schedule every Friday morning. The schedule for March 10–12 is:

Friday, March 10

1:00 – Learn to Make Festival Favorites: Chimichurri, from Garlic Kissed
3:00 – Terrific Tomatoers, Kris Bonner (UCCE Master Gardener)
5:00 – Backyard Orchards, Teena Spindler (UCCE Master Gardener)

Saturday, March 11

1:00 – Learn to Make Festival Favorites: Jackfruit Carnitas Banh Mi Nachos, from Off the Cob
3:00 – The Disney Food Blog, Heather Sievers & AJ Wolfe
5:00 – Growing a Salsa Garden, Kay Havens (CCE Master Gardener)

Sunday, March 12

1:00 – Learn to Make Festival Favorites: Romesco Sauce, from I Heart Artichokes
3:00 – The Disney Food Blog , Heather Sievers & AJ Wolfe
5:00 – Backyard Veggies, Mary Duffy (UCCE Master Gardener)

Festival Artists schedule

Disney will again feature popular artists during the Food & Wine Festival, with several debuting new product commissioned just for this event. You can meet the artists and purchase their creations during scheduled events each weekend of the Festival.

Unfortunately for the participating artists and their fans, Disney has not yet released a schedule of presentations in advance for 2017. We will fill in the details if and when possible.

Author

Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix

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