I wanted my first blog post after our trip to be something unique and magical. So I decided to tell you about an unbelievable experience we had at Epcot, meeting a Disney VIP! And it was even better than we could have hoped. So sit back and relax, maybe drink one of the many copycat recipe Disney Drinks we have from our YouTube channel. And read about our spectacular adventure! And it all started here…
It’s been a little over a week since we got back from our incredible trip to Disney World. It’s been rough getting back into the swing of things. And it’s hard, because we miss Disney so much! But that’s one of the great things about all the pictures we got and the memories we made. They give us things to remember, when we can’t be at Disney.
One of the best memories, for me, was when we got to meet Dave Kesting! He is a GM at Epcot and he helps oversee the many festivals held at Epcot. He happened to see one of the videos from our YouTube channel and reached out to tell me how much he liked it! If you’d like to see the video that sparked this whole thing, you can see it here —> Kid’s Only Review of Garden Grill.
Let me say, that in and of itself was enough to put me over the moon! However, through our email correspondence, Mr. Kesting offered to meet up with us if we were ever at Disney. And that kicked my excitement into overdrive because it just so happened, that we had a trip coming up soon! So we made a plan to meet up. Fast forward to our trip and the planets aligned so we were fortunate enough to meet him.
Dave took us to the Caribbean Marketplace, which was just to the left as you enter the World Showcase. And the smells that waft through the air make your mouth water before you even catch sight of the food!
Here he introduced us to a chef who was cooking up some delicious jerk chicken. This isn’t something I would normally try if left up to my own devices, but I’m sooooo glad I did! It was seriously amazing! I’d say maybe even the most delicious thing I ate at the whole festival. It came on a roasted sweet plantain salad and was covered in a generous dollop of mango chutney yogurt that gave it just the right divine combination of flavors. This dish was the one I kept thinking about all day long!
And Dave didn’t just give us food (I’ll tell you more about what else we ate in just a moment) but he also shared a bit of the thought and planning Disney puts into the F&W festival. It really was interesting to hear, check it out.
While we chatted, he had the chef bring out more food. We also got to try the Ropa Vieja Empanda which was phenomenal. So were the stories and facts he told us while we ate. We learned so much, and the atmosphere and of course the food were all simply perfection.
Now let me tell you, I’m a sucker for a good empanada and this one did not disappoint! It came with a drizzle of tomato aïoli that is simply heavenly.
It was a little bit of savory with a little bit of sweet that was sure to please even the most harshest of food critics, aka my children. They gobbled theirs up so fast I’m surprised they didn’t lose any fingers!
And lastly, we got to try the Quesito, which is a puff pastry with sweetened cream cheese and a tasty guava sauce on top. It was scrumptious!
All in all it was an incredible experience with the food and getting the chance to talk with someone who knows the ins and outs of the Disney festivals so well. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect start to our yearly visit to the Food & Wine Festival.
And that’s a wrap!
I love to cook, but more so I love to eat. That’s one of the reasons I started doing Copycat Recipes our YouTube channel Dole Whip and Castle, so I could make the delicious Disney food at home when I couldn’t get to the parks. And that’s also why the F&W Festival is my most favorite of all the festivals. We ate so, so, so much food. At least I did, lol. Funny story, when I posted pictures of all the things I ate, my mom asked me how many days of eating all the food was from. And I had no shame when I told her it was all from one day. It was pretty impressive!
We did a lot of cool stuff this past trip, and I’ll be sharing more in the coming weeks (there’s a lot of ground to cover!) so you’ll want to stay tuned to see all the magical things. But this definitely made the top of my list for most memorable parts of our trip. And I am forever grateful to the fantastic Dave Kesting who generously agreed to meet with us. Thanks Dave! We’re big fans, now and forever!