By Savannah Tradd | Photos Provided by Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin
This year, the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic is serving up something guests have never experienced before. For the first time, the property’s acclaimed celebrity chefs Michael Mina and Todd English will come together to lead an exclusive tasting experience during the annual culinary celebration, held this year Friday, Nov. 20 and Saturday, Nov. 21. The two celebrated chefs will share the spotlight on Saturday from 3:30-5 p.m. working side by side to take guests on a culinary journey through the flavors, influences and experiences that have shaped their distinguished careers.
The tasting experience is a rare opportunity to see two of the culinary world’s most recognizable names in one intimate, interactive setting and discover the stories behind the dishes that helped define them. Restaurants from both chefs, Bourbon Steak by Michael Mina and Todd English’s bluezoo, can be found at the Walt Disney World Dolphin.
A Culinary Journey Through Two Remarkable Careers
Each chef has built a celebrated career by drawing inspiration from personal heritage, global travels and the people and places encountered along the way. During this one-of-a-kind tasting, those influences will take center stage.
Throughout the event, the chefs will work alongside one another, sharing stories, discussing their culinary philosophies and interacting with guests as they present their creations. The result is part tasting, part storytelling experience and part behind-the-scenes look into the experiences that shaped the chefs’ culinary identities and how those inspirations continue to influence their approach to food today.
Mina, a James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur, is known for combining refined technique with bold flavors and influences drawn from his Middle Eastern heritage and decades spent developing acclaimed restaurant concepts around the country. The newest addition to the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin, Bourbon Steak by Michael Mina, brings his modern interpretation of the classic American steakhouse to the resort. Mina’s tasting menu for the evening will feature a combination of surf and turf:
Marinated big-eye tuna with crispy falafel, whipped tahina and urfa-spiced cucumbers
Chilled lobster and mango salad with saffron mango sauce, blistered pepper and avocado
Aleppo grilled poussin with creamy chickpea and orzo koshary
Triple-seared Wagyu striploin with matbucha and olive oil smashed sweet potatoes
Basbousa & passionfruit cheesecake with labne, pomegranate and ashta
English, also a James Beard Award-winning chef, restaurateur and cookbook author, has spent his career exploring flavors from around the world. At the Swan and Dolphin, his AAA Four Diamond restaurant, Todd English’s bluezoo, showcases his creative approach to seafood in a vibrant, contemporary setting. English’s tasting menu will pay homage to coastal fare, a nod to the Boston area he calls home:
Brown butter miso poached lobster with truffled dashi glaze and whipped corn chawanmushi
Pan-seared Nantucket scallops with fresh pressed apple cider, spiced acorn squash and toasted hazelnut butter
House-made pastene cacio pepe with duckling confit au poivre and pecorino espuma
Roasted Chilean sea bass with blood orange glaze, 8-hour roasted fennel, shaved porcini mushroom and shaved fennel slaw
Roasted red beet chocolate gateau with chocolate beet chips and white chocolate golden beet glace
Tickets to this intimate tasting experience are $295 per person and can be purchased at FoodAndWineClassic.com. Space is limited.
Only At The Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic
The collaborative tasting adds another dimension to the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic, an annual celebration that transforms the resort into a destination for culinary discovery.
The Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic is a street party celebration hosted by the property located in the heart of Walt Disney World Resort. The outdoor event features culinary creations from the hotel’s 23 restaurants and lounges including Bourbon Steak by Michael Mina, Todd English’s bluezoo, Il Mulino and Rosa Mexicano. Guests can enjoy unlimited wine, beer and other beverage samplings from around the world, along with various live musical entertainment and appearances by Celebrity Chefs Todd English and Michael Mina.
Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic | FoodAndWineClassic.com
