Recently my daughters had the chance to participate in an activity that is new for this year’s Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, the Candy Sushi Culinary Workshop. Presented by Skittles and Adventures by Disney, this free activity teaches those who attend how to make maki- or nigiri-style rolls, replacing traditional sushi ingredients with items like gummies, fruit roll ups, and Twix bars.
The workshop is located in the Land Pavilion, in a roped off seating area normally used for the Sunshine Seasons quick service restaurant. This area is located directly next to the Living with the Land attraction, and there’s a huge sign, so you can’t miss it. Currently there are two sessions of sushi-making each day, one at 3:30 pm and one at 5:30 pm. Children under age 7 must have an adult present to participate. But you can make a reservation just for your kids while you stand by and watch. Any age can participate, but space is really quite limited: there were only about 16 participants in the workshop we attended.
I believe that if there is availability, you could sign up for this online, just like any other dining reservation, but for our dates, the online option wouldn’t work, so I had to call and reserve by dialing (407) 939-3378. The workshop is free, but you must put down a credit card to secure the reservation, and will be charged if you don’t cancel ahead of time.
Tip: Even if there is no room for the date you are interested in, it’s worth heading over to the Land and seeing if there are any no-shows. There was at least one stand-by family that was able to participate in our session.
A chef demonstrates how to make the Dynamite Twix Roll
The session began with a representative from Adventures by Disney explaining that they sponsor this workshop because it is similar to activities that families can participate in on an Adventures by Disney tour. We were told that Japan will be a new destination for the company next year.
The activity was led by Disney chefs, who explained and demonstrated each step. Most of the participants were children or teens, but there were a few adults in the group as well.
Each setting featured a basket of candies, a bamboo sushi rolling mat, a chef’s hat, three recipes, and an Adventures by Disney sticker. The only thing that had to be returned was the mat.
For our session, my daughters made two of the three recipes: the Dynamite Twix Roll and the Candy ForYa Roll. Ironically, since the candy brand is a sponsor, the day we attended, they did not make the Skittles-forward Taste the Rainbow Roll.
Note: If you have food allergies or other special dietary needs, I would definitely call and find out if there are safe alternatives available before booking this activity.
My daughters are young teens, and they thought this activity was fun, but not as fun as younger kids might. They were definitely psyched to be eating candy, though!
A place setting from the workshop. Participants can keep everything except the mat.
One other thing to be aware of: my younger daughter is a vegetarian, and the house made rice krispy treats used in the candy sushi are not vegetarian because they contain marshmallows. This was fine with her – she just ate the rest of the candy, which was vegetarian.
This activity lasted a little over a half an hour, and was a welcome air-conditioned break on a hot day. I think it’s awesome that Disney is seeking to get kids involved in the Food & Wine festivities, and I’m so glad they’re offering experiences like Candy Sushi, the Junior Chef Kitchen, and Remy’s Hide ‘n’ Squeak Scavenger Hunt.
If you would like assistance planning your own trip to the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival, or any other Disney resort, please contact Patricia at All for Dreams Travel for a FREE quote and FREE help planning your Disney vacation!
Thank you for sharing this review! You are the only blogger thus far who has shared the amount of time this took and I was considering cancelling our spot next week. Half an hour is awesome, thank you again.
You’re very welcome! The session could probably run a little over if participants were having difficulties or asking questions, but ours was just around half an hour. You could always leave a few minutes early if you had a dining reservation or a Fastpass+ to get to!