Suvir Saran Culinary Demonstration -- 2014 Food & Wine Festival

Suvir Saran and Sarah Food and Wine Festival

Suvir Saran recipe Food And Wine Festival

Suvir Saran demo Food and Wine Festival

Chicken and salad Suvir Saran culinary demo

*This culinary dining experience at the Food & Wine Festival took place October 3, 2014.When it comes to attending culinary demonstrations and special meal events at Epcot Food & Wine Festival, it can be a challenge to eat as a special diets guest. Culinary demos are a nice low-cost way to participate in the Food & Wine Festival events without stressing out too much about spending a lot of money and getting stuck with nothing to eat. (also, check out those Back to Basics sessions this year! They are free and fantastic!)One of my biggest strategies is to take a look at the schedule and look for demos that seem like they might be particularly special diets friendly. For instance, last year I attended Erin McKenna from Babycakes NYC's demo (already gluten free and dairy free naturally) and Chef Kevin Dundon's (where I was able to connect with the Raglan Road team ahead of time) from Raglan Road Irish Pub. At each of these, I was able to get offerings.In previous year's I've had hit or miss luck with culinary demonstrations. One of my favorite's was Suvir Saran's demo (of Top Chef Masters and the famous restaurant Devi) in 2011. Cooking primarily Indian dishes, I knew that I had a pretty good chance of getting something gluten free and dairy free. At that demo, there was some alterations that needed to be made, but I was able to enjoy part of the demo components.So when I saw that he was presenting again this year, I decided to sign up guessing I'd have rather good luck again when attending the event. And I was definitely right. I scored a dish that was completely gluten free and dairy free straight off the menu.Before the demo started, I arrived at the Festival Center 1 hour early. There, I picked up my event passes and then checked in with cast members setting up at the culinary demo stage area. I let them know that I had special dietary needs and wanted to check in to see if the sample was safe for me.The team got Chef Suvir (who I admittedly tweeted the week before the demo!) who came out to chat with me. He brought over the recipe and had a lengthy discussion with me about the dish. We also chatted at length about special diets and some of the current "fads" out there. He's really knowledgeable and was fun to chat with.Once the demo was ready to start, we scored seats up front. This gave us a great view of the stage and all of the culinary excitement.Food & Wine Festival veteran Pam Smith led the demo, introducing both Chef Suvir and the culinary wine expert from the San Sebastian Winery here in Florida. For the first portion of the demo, we learned about the winery, their products and general wine information. I always find these portions of demos really fascinating!Then it was onto Chef Suvir's demo. He made an Indian inspired chicken drumstick and a slaw. The chicken was really delicious with honey, garam masala, and tamarind chutney all bringing out sweet and savory flavors.The slaw was my hands down favorite part of the demo dish. With fresh mint, cilantro, and peanuts, this was not your ordinary mayo-based slaw. I liked it so much that I actually made it at home that weekend!I had such a fun time at this culinary demo. I was so thrilled that the dish was safe for me to eat without any modifications. It was one of those lucky picks for a demo, and I'm so glad I got a chance to see Chef Suvir in action again. He's also a very lovely chef to chat with, and I love his culinary viewpoint on eating real food and getting into the kitchen, making the food yourself.Here is a video clip from the demo (you can find more on my YouTube channel):  [embedplusvideo height="500" width="700" editlink="http://bit.ly/1voLO53" standard="http://www.youtube.com/v/0ZFW4_aT_FE?fs=1" vars="ytid=0ZFW4_aT_FE&width=700&height=500&start=&stop=&rs=w&hd=0&autoplay=0&react=1&chapters=¬es=" id="ep8044" /]

Back to Basics Lecture Series -- 2014 Food & Wine Festival

New to the 2014 Food & Wine Festival is a new culinary lecture series called, Back to Basics. Billed as, turning "ho-hum into 'yum yum!'" this is a complimentary experience for guests attending Epcot's Food & Wine Festival. From culinary tips and tricks, you'll learn from the pros...the Disney chefs!The festival features these sessions at the Festival Welcome Center (aka the Wonders of Life Pavilion) on the Spotlight Stage which is across from the Intermission Cafe/food court area. It's a small little theatre but great for a lecture series. The sessions are held on Fridays through Sundays throughout Food & Wine Festival and are scheduled for 12:15 p.m., 2:15 p.m., 4:15 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. with a variety of different topics (each one throughout the day is different, though if you go multiple times in a weekend you might notice the same sessions held on different days).For one of the first weekends, I joined Alexis from Gluten Free in Orlando in attending two Back to Basics sessions led by Chef Tony Marotta from Port Orleans Riverside & French Quarter. You'll recognize Chef Tony from my reviews of the famous gluten free and allergy friendly beignets and Boatwright's Dining Hall.He had two sessions on the day we attended that included two talks titled, "Kitchen Shortcuts, Tips, Tricks and Hacks" and "Taking the Dinner Party to the Next Level; Professional Tips for Impressing your Guests." As a guest, we learned first hand some great tips and tricks from Chef Tony. The sessions lasted about an hour and included a Q&A. If you ever wanted to ask a culinary expert about tips and tricks, these sessions are your chance!I had a great time attending these free sessions (I especially love the free aspect), and they are a great way to get tips and a unique Food & Wine Festival experience. Since there is no food sampled, it's also a great way for those of us with special diets to participate in special events without the worry of getting sick or not having anything to eat. (Of course, the sessions made me hungry but that's a different kind of problem!)I can highly recommend these sessions and hope that Disney keeps these next year as a part of the Food & Wine Festival. They were great additions!Here's a brief video I took of Chef Tony being introduced at one of his Back to Basics Sessions![embedplusvideo height="500" width="700" editlink="http://bit.ly/1vBXork" standard="http://www.youtube.com/v/mzkFW4--_JY?fs=1" vars="ytid=mzkFW4--_JY&width=700&height=500&start=&stop=&rs=w&hd=0&autoplay=0&react=1&chapters=&notes=" id="ep8041" /]As with any Food & Wine Festival events, admission to Epcot is required and not included in event price. Events are subject to change or cancellation without notice.

Erin McKenna Babycakes NYC Culinary Demonstration -- 2013 Food & Wine Festival

*This culinary demonstration took place on October 21, 2013. This does not reflect a typical culinary demo experience at Food & Wine as Babycakes NYC is a special diets bakery and all items were made to be gluten free, dairy free, soy free, egg free, refined sugar free, and vegan. Guests attending culinary demonstrations with a special diet should contact WDW's Special Diets Department in advance.

Babycakes NYC & Thin Mints!!

I was very excited to attend Erin McKenna's Babycakes NYC culinary demonstration this year. In fact, when the demonstration tickets went on pre-sale, I made sure to call that day to grab my ticket. This was the demonstration that I was looking forward to, primarily because Babycakes NYC is free of so many allergens and I knew I could eat safely without having to call in advance.This was definitely a great session to attend. In addition, I knew it would be dessert, and I liked the idea of going to a dessert demonstration which I normally don't attend due to the gluten & dairy issues. You can imagine my great excitement when I saw what the featured dish was....THIN MINTS! (Yes, I needed to type this all in caps because I was REALLY excited). This was going to be amazing! And I was thrilled to snag the recipe too!

You can find a PDF of this document HERE

For this demonstration, I grabbed a seat up front and also made some new friends, as I attended the demo by myself. It was a great view of the demo.First up were introductions by the master of ceremonies for this demo, I feel badly that I didn't get her name and couldn't find her name online. She mentioned that she was also a nutritionist and she seemed very knowledgeable as she talked with Erin about the ingredients during the demo. Not only were we introduced to Erin McKenna, owner and founder of Babycakes NYC, but also a representative from Chateau St. Michelle. The featured wine was a riesling and very much a dessert wine. Here's a brief clip from the welcome & introductions:Erin began her demo by talking about what she was making and why she chose to make thin mints. I agree with her--a sleeve of thin mints is the way to go!The other great part about the demo is that Erin really talked about the ingredients and why she uses them. In addition, she actually made the thin mints right there and baked them. As she talked and answered questions, the delicious thin mints were baking so she could fully demonstrate making these from start to finish. Love that! Here is a lengthy video from the demo as she explains the ingredients.And then it was time for tasting. The BEST PART! As you can imagine, I was dying to try out these thin mints, as they don't carry them at the Babycakes NYC location at Downtown Disney...yet! (I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Emily & the team at WDW will put them on the menu at least for the holidays!).

Thin Mint deliciousness!

Omigoodness! These were amazing. They were a much larger version than you would normally get from a Girl Scout Thin Mint cookie which is nice. Filled with mint and chocolatey goodness, these were definitely a hit. Now everyone close to me at the table did not have a special diet and it was really fun to hear their comments and joy in eating these.

Riesling from the demo

While I do understand that they like to do wine pairings for F&W, for me this dish did not need it. In fact, I wasn't a fan of the wine with this dessert. It was just really too sweet for my taste. But that's just me.

One of the fun parts of the demo was really watching Erin make these beauties! I loved that she even took the time to dip them in the chocolate ganache!

I have to say that this was a really fun demo, and I really enjoyed the thin mints. Who wouldn't really?! I also loved watching reactions to the taste and the questions people asked. It was neat to see people interested in gluten free & food allergy friendly treats!I hope Erin comes back again next year and presents, and you can bet that I will be purchasing my tickets again on pre-sale day. In the meantime, I'm going to be making these lovely thin mints very soon!! And so should you :)

Chef Kevin Dundon Culinary Demonstration -- 2013 Food & Wine Festival

*This culinary demonstration took place on October 2, 2013. This does not reflect a typical culinary demo experience at Food & Wine as I was able to connect with the Raglan Road staff ahead of time. Guests attending culinary demonstrations with a special diet should contact WDW's Special Diets Department in advance.

Epcot's Food & Wine Festival offers a variety of culinary and mixology demonstrations which provide unique food experiences at a reasonable price. Many of Epcot's signature experiences are quite costly, and I have found that these demos provide wonderful experiences at a fraction of the cost. It's nice to get just a taste of what the Food & Wine experiences are about.In the past, I've been to a few culinary demos that have provided sort of hit or miss experiences with a special diet. For the most part, I've been able to get a modified version of the featured dish, though it hasn't always proven the most tasty versions.I was particularly excited this year when I went through the demo list to see Chef Kevin Dundon from Raglan Road would be returning. I'd not been to his demos before, but I was thrilled at the idea of going because I had been working with Raglan Road for our upcoming Lunch & Learn on October 12, 2013. I had mentioned to the manager I'd been working with at Raglan Road that I would be attending the event, in addition to contacting the Special Diets Department.

Line at the demo

Upon arriving at the Welcome Center, where the festival is held, I met with cast members at the demo venue to alert them that I had a special diet and that I had been in contact with Special Diets & the chef (via RR) ahead of time. This is something I highly recommend to anyone attending a demo. It's a good idea because the CMs know who you are and can easily recognize you. Another tip is that I tend to sit in the back, so that if they have questions they can speak with me without interrupting or making any big intrusion on the demo itself.

Recipe for the trout dish

I was very excited because Chef Kevin was featuring trout as his protein, and I'm a huge fish fan. I also love that when you arrive at a demo, you have the featured recipe available. I could tell right away that I would be mostly OK with the trout minus the Champagne Lemon Butter Emulsion (which sounded amazing).

Amy Meddins (Wine Representative) and John Ekin (WDW Emcee)

First up was a brief introduction to the featured wine pairing for this demo. Amy talked about the Chalone Estate Vineyard Chardonnay, although I will say her discussion was much briefer than some of the demos I've experienced. I actually quite liked this as it gave us more time with Chef Kevin, who had not one but two dishes, and also gave us an opportunity to chat with Amy afterwards. Emcee John Ekin is always very good and quite entertaining. It's pretty obvious that they have a good rapport and that they are seasoned pros at this.

Our wine sample. I quite liked it, and it paired nicely with the trout.

Chef Kevin begins his demo

I will say that I had not seen Chef Kevin live before. He's very personable, fun, and makes the demo light-hearted and funny! And you really learn a lot. I appreciated that he really gave us his culinary viewpoint and his perspectives on fresh, sustainable ingredients. You can also tell how much he highly values simple & quality ingredients. He talked a lot about some of the problems with getting really fresh & quality fish in Florida (crazy, but true!) and that he gets his fish from the fishmonger Foley's in Boston.There's definitely a high level of attention to detail in every part of Raglan Road and the food served there. It was rather impressive to hear some of the things that they do to ensure that quality. Here's a brief video from the demo that I shot of him explaining about fish.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3jyGvQ5DW8Of course, a demo wouldn't be a demo without some shameless plugging of books and kitchen gadgets, etc. And this one was no exception. Chef Kevin has tons of great books and even some fantastic pans. I loved that he really made this funny as our emcee talked with him about them. Humor was definitely a theme throughout this presentation.In fact, one lovely audience member got to experience this first-hand as he called her on stage. There was some fun banter between the two of them, and he even left the stage at one point telling her to finish her dish as she answered a food related question. And of course, he popped back up on the other side of the stage to surprise her.

 All the while, Chef Kevin was actually cooking (not something you see at every demo). He really described his dish well and explained his choices and how Irish cooking really is very simple & flavorful! I was so excited to see that when the tastings came out, I actually had a very similar looking dish to the dish others were being served. Mine of course was missing the potato mash and the sauce, but otherwise, it was a very composed dish.

Trout

I have to say, that bar none, this was the best culinary tasting I'd been to at the Epcot Food & Wine Festival, to date. The fish was so flavorful and perfectly cooked. The fish was very crispy and yet maintained its delicate texture. I was in love with the toasted almonds and the green bean salad that accompanied it. It was seriously amazing. Paired with the wine, this was an excellent dish.As we finished Chef Kevin began discussing dessert. He had a lemon tart that was to be served as the second course. Now, normally you only get one dish to taste at a demo like this, so this was a real treat for guests to have two. Based on the recipe, I really expected that I wouldn't get anything or maybe just some fresh berries and I was OK with that. However, what happened next turned out to be a big surprise for me. Chef Kevin asked if I was in the audience. Uh-oh! I knew where this was going -- Sarah was going to officially be a part of the demo! He asked if I could come on stage.

Hey that's me!

Chef Kevin talked a lot about how Celiac disease is very common in Ireland and how they try to make their dishes as naturally GF as possible. He also asked me about my special diets and if I was celiac or gluten intolerant. It was nice because it provided a quick opportunity to discuss the seriousness of being GF and how chefs can address this. The audience could also learn how Raglan Road offers a very gluten free friendly menu because of this. I really appreciated Chef Kevin's very good knowledge of gluten free diets but also the fact that he was making me a dessert, which is a rare treat. As he said it was for me to feel "spoiled rotten." Love this!

This photo is copyright http://www.extrawdwmagic.com/

I have to say, I was pretty nervous up there, but Chef Kevin really tried to put me at ease. That and Amy also offered me up some extra wine--that always helps! The dish he prepared for me was super simple, and I really want to make it at home. It was a homemade meringue which he toasted and a compote of fresh mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries) which had been mixed with some sugar, fresh squeezed orange juice, and flambeed with Grand Marnier (or Cognac...I was a bit too excited to remember). It looked gorgeous and almost too good to eat (well almost!)

This may have been one of my most favorite desserts I've ever had. Seriously!

This dessert was so amazing. As you can tell by the photo, this was very a very light yet rich dessert. The meringue was out of this world! And the toasted part of the meringue, even better. I can't even tell you how good the berries were in that simple sauce. It was honestly divine.

Me with Chef Kevin

As an overall, this was hands down the most dynamic and wonderful demo that I've been too. And not just because I was treated to delicious food (which I was) but also because Chef Kevin has a great presentation style and real enthusiasm and passion for food. It really exudes from him! He was so wonderfully kind and accommodating to my dietary needs that I can't wait until next year's demos. In fact, I'm hoping to participate in his big dinner that he usually hosts at Raglan Road. I think it will be a true treat.A special thanks to Chef Kevin, the Raglan Road team, and the cast members who made my visit extra special. For another terrific, non-special diets related review of this demo, head over to my friends at Extra Walt Disney World Magic for their review of the demo. They have amazing photos of the entire demonstration, with lots of great up close shots and descriptions of the demo itself! You can find that review HERE.