By Allergy Mom Diva
Get ready to sample some delicious food and beverages at the “Happiest Place on Earth!” The Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival returns to the Disneyland Resort on February 28, 2020, where an entire day can quickly pass by while eating (and drinking) to your heart’s content!
With fourteen Festival Marketplaces, the Festival highlights memorable cuisine and beverages from regions across California. Guests can also partake in family-friendly seminars, interact with celebrity chefs (including Disney chefs!), and sample unique dishes across Disney California Adventure Park. The Festival runs through April 21, 2020, so make sure to check it out soon!
Allergy Mom Diva attended the 2019 Festival has everything you need to know about the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival!
Sip and Savor Pass
The Sip and Savor Pass is a great way to sample selections throughout the Festival. While previously limited to annual passholders, it is now available to all guests! This charming keepsake pass includes 8 coupons that can be used on food or non-alcoholic beverage items from any participating Marketplaces, Paradise Garden Grill and select Festival Food & Beverage Carts.
Sip and Savor Passes can be purchased at various locations throughout the park, including Trolley Treats, Elias & Co., Seaside Souvenirs, the Sip, and Savor Cart, the Festival Marketplaces, Festival Gift and Artist Corner and Studio Store in Hollywood Land.
Diva Tip: To get the most bang for your buck, use the Sip and Savor Pass for higher-priced items. There are plenty of items that cost $7 or more, so this is an easy method to save a few dollars.
My Favorites
With fourteen Festival Marketplaces, plus specialty items located across the Park, there are plenty of choices! I enjoyed most of the items I sampled, but here are my favorites:
- Meyer Lemon Blue Diamond® Almond Macaron (vegetarian) – Citrus Grove (this is a must-try!)
- Citrus-brined Pork Roast – Citrus Grove
- Pepperoni Pizza Egg Rolls – California Craft Brews (so good dipped in pesto!)
- Verlasso™ Sustainable Salmon Peruvian Poke – Peppers Cali-Ente (a nice, lighter dish in between the pounds of mac & cheese that I devoured)
- Ghost Pepper Mac and Cheese (vegetarian) – Peppers Cali-Ente (This one made me nervous, as I usually like things at a medium spice level. It was actually perfect, with just a hint of spice…definitely not fire breathing dragon levels!)
- Cauliflower Ceviche (vegan) – Veggie, Veggie, Fruit, Fruit
- Petite Impossible™ Burger (vegetarian) – Avocado Time
- Artichoke Toast (vegetarian) – I Heart Artichokes (one of my favorites!)
- Salt and Vinegar Parmesan Chicken Wings – Cluck-a-Doodle-Moo
- Esquites Sweet Corn Nuggets (vegetarian without the bacon) – Off the Cob
- Deconstructed Teriyaki Chicken Musubi – Golden Dreams
- Anaheim Chile Relleno Bites – Golden Dreams
- Impossible No “Meat” Submarine with Marinara Sauce (vegan) – Paradise Garden Grill (even meat-lovers will enjoy this one!)
I ran out of time to sample most of the beverages, but I do know the kids seemed to love the Yippee! Mickey’s Cotton Candy Soda from Golden Dreams. It is a non-alcoholic drink made with Sprite and Cotton Candy Syrup, and topped with a Pineapple Cotton Candy Garnish…yes, I said COTTON CANDY GARNISH! You can see why the kids love it!
Diva Tip: Use the Tasting Passport to figure out which Festival items you want to try, and then find the Marketplace kiosk with the shortest line. You can order food and beverages from all the kiosks at one time! Some of the lines can be fairly long, so this will allow you to skip the wait and walk right up to each kiosks’ window. Just make sure to save your receipt, as you will need to present it at each kiosk!
Allergies
Those with allergies should be cautious when sampling foods from the kiosks. I was not successful in getting ingredient lists for any of the items that I tried. Most of the food is prepped in the same area and brought out to the kiosks, so there is a chance of cross-contamination. A couple of booths were serving dishes with peanuts and/or tree nuts, such as Nuts About Cheese’s Ham and Vella Jack Cheese Pinwheel, which was served with smoked pistachios. However, certain items were obviously free of some common allergens (i.e. the cauliflower ceviche was vegan, so there are no eggs or dairy).
Other Fun Activities
Besides all the Festival Marketplaces, there are several other fun activities that guests can check out. Here are a few of them:
- Culinary Demonstrations: During each weekend, stop by Hollywood Land’s Backlot Stage to watch the local chefs share their recipes and tips for preparing different courses.
- Jr. Chef: Under the supervision of Chef Goofy, kids ages 3 to 11 can make “their own” treats. After mushing and mashing everything together into a wonderful concoction, the finished goodie goes into a magical oven… that somehow transforms their creation into a tasty (and pre-packaged) baked treat.
- Wine and Beer Seminars: Learn and taste your way through a variety of beer, wine, and even mixology seminars.
- In the Kitchen With… and Sweet Sundays: Every Sunday, a guest chef creates a signature dish live on the Palisades Stage. Guests can enjoy a light buffet breakfast, including a sample of the chef’s dish, by purchasing a ticket for $110 (plus taxes and gratuities). Ticketed Guests are also able to take a photo with the visiting chef.
For more information on the Disney California Adventure Food and Wine Festival 2019, check out Disneyland’s website.
Dying to try some of these new foods? Contact our recommended travel agent, Patricia at All Dreams for Travel. She can help you plan a magical trip, and best of all, her services are FREE. Click here to request a quote!
