2019 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival: August 29-November 23, 2019

[pooh'smate]

That would be wonderful!

And I highly recommend it - delicious, especially on a hot day. I liked everything I ate that day but I would have gotten another of these if we had stayed later.

Wishing you delicious food, low crowds and cooling breezes!

I love pumpkin and Chai so it is for sure on my list. I added it to my must eat list the day the menus were released.

 

[disneygirlsng]

It was fun... and completely embarrassing! And of course, my wife filmed the whole thing. I don’t know if I can bring myself to post it!

Well you can't not post it now! Haha

 

[agavegirl1]

Well, if anybody attended the Robert Irvine event this afternoon, you got to see me completely act the fool!

Sorry, missed that but if you plan on a repeat performance at the Andrew Zimmern Brunch on 10/20 I’ll be happy to offer a critique...

 

[Chisoxcollector]

Sorry, missed that but if you plan on a repeat performance at the Andrew Zimmern Brunch on 10/20 I’ll be happy to offer a critique...

Haha. I don’t think Andrew Zimmern hates me enough to do to me what Robert Irvine did to me yesterday.

So my wife and I were sitting front and center for his event yesterday. The first (of many times) he picked on me started with him pointing at my wife and saying “You’ve seen me before, so you’ve heard me talk about this. Tell everybody what olive oil is made out of”.

My wife answered that she probably wasn’t paying attention, because she was probably just staring at him. Irvine replied “Oh, I thought it was your husband that was staring at me”.

Then he went on a little spiel about olive oil. Eventually, he grabbed two unmarked bottles of oil and headed out into the crowd. And of course, he came straight for me. He told me to open my mouth, and proceeded to squirt quite a bit of oil into my mouth. It was at least an ounce, and it was really gross lol. He then asked me to describe the taste. Other than it being gross, I didn’t know how to describe it.

So then he asked me to open my mouth again. He promised he wouldn’t give me as much this time. He squirted about half as much and asked me to describe it. Once again, I had no idea what to say. It was so gross drinking straight oil that I had a hard time picking out any discernible flavors. I told him he picked the wrong guy. He then asked what I did for a living and then made fun of it, lol.

This was just the beginning. Later on he started going on about salt, and all of its uses. He then started staring at me again, and demanded that I go up in front of everybody with him. He told me he was going to act out who discovered salt, and I had to guess the answer. He crouched down, and then started bouncing towards me making ape noises!

He asked me who discovered salt, and I answered “a monkey or an ape?” He then started making fun of me for calling him a monkey, and said that the correct answer was an ape. He then asked me to stand still again. Then he started rubbing his head on my shoulder and chest, demonstrating how the ape would cleanse itself on a rock.

Now comes the humiliating part. He asked me to do my best impression of an ape! I immediately said no. I’m an outgoing person, but dancing around like an ape just isn’t me lol!

But then Irvine and his assistant started riling up the crowd. A woman was shouting “We believe in you. You can do it!” So finally I did it.

Finally, he let me sit down. Even thinking about it now I get embarrassed, lol.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Thanks for sharing @Chisoxcollector! It certainly sounds like you were a great sport. What event was this? A pairing? I hope the food was good! And maybe an extra beverage for you! I know he has a reputation for being a bit over the top — and how cool he recognized you — but that’s the kind of thing that could go really sideways if he doesn’t read someone the right way/picks the wrong person. But I’m sure you did great, ape impression and all!!!

 

[agavegirl1]

Oh my @Chisoxcollector, that is hilarious and I’m sure I would have scored you highly in my critique. I do believe you are right about Andrew Zimmern, not the same type of interaction at the brunch.

 

[disney4us2002]

@Chisoxcollector Do you think he wanted you to say there was a difference in taste of the two EVOOs? I can't imagine having straight EVOO in my mouth. I'm sure I would've gagged so you are indeed a good sport.

 

[BeachPrincess]

Haha. I don’t think Andrew Zimmern hates me enough to do to me what Robert Irvine did to me yesterday.

So my wife and I were sitting front and center for his event yesterday. The first (of many times) he picked on me started with him pointing at my wife and saying “You’ve seen me before, so you’ve heard me talk about this. Tell everybody what olive oil is made out of”.

My wife answered that she probably wasn’t paying attention, because she was probably just staring at him. Irvine replied “Oh, I thought it was your husband that was staring at me”.

Then he went on a little spiel about olive oil. Eventually, he grabbed two unmarked bottles of oil and headed out into the crowd. And of course, he came straight for me. He told me to open my mouth, and proceeded to squirt quite a bit of oil into my mouth. It was at least an ounce, and it was really gross lol. He then asked me to describe the taste. Other than it being gross, I didn’t know how to describe it.

So then he asked me to open my mouth again. He promised he wouldn’t give me as much this time. He squirted about half as much and asked me to describe it. Once again, I had no idea what to say. It was so gross drinking straight oil that I had a hard time picking out any discernible flavors. I told him he picked the wrong guy. He then asked what I did for a living and then made fun of it, lol.

This was just the beginning. Later on he started going on about salt, and all of its uses. He then started staring at me again, and demanded that I go up in front of everybody with him. He told me he was going to act out who discovered salt, and I had to guess the answer. He crouched down, and then started bouncing towards me making ape noises!

He asked me who discovered salt, and I answered “a monkey or an ape?” He then started making fun of me for calling him a monkey, and said that the correct answer was an ape. He then asked me to stand still again. Then he started rubbing his head on my shoulder and chest, demonstrating how the ape would cleanse itself on a rock.

Now comes the humiliating part. He asked me to do my best impression of an ape! I immediately said no. I’m an outgoing person, but dancing around like an ape just isn’t me lol!

But then Irvine and his assistant started riling up the crowd. A woman was shouting “We believe in you. You can do it!” So finally I did it.

Finally, he let me sit down. Even thinking about it now I get embarrassed, lol.

Robert can be a bit much, kudos to you for being a good sport. So would you do his presentation again?

 

[Chisoxcollector]

Thanks for sharing @Chisoxcollector! It certainly sounds like you were a great sport. What event was this? A pairing? I hope the food was good! And maybe an extra beverage for you! I know he has a reputation for being a bit over the top — and how cool he recognized you — but that’s the kind of thing that could go really sideways if he doesn’t read someone the right way/picks the wrong person. But I’m sure you did great, ape impression and all!!!

It was his Food and Beverage Pairing. He served lamb chops and a cranberry vodka drink. Both were quite good! The serving of lamb was bigger than I expected as well.

@Chisoxcollector Do you think he wanted you to say there was a difference in taste of the two EVOOs? I can't imagine having straight EVOO in my mouth. I'm sure I would've gagged so you are indeed a good sport.

I'm embarrassed to admit this, but they weren't both EVOO. One was EVOO, and the other was apparently cottonseed oil. Both Robert and Shane (VP of his company, but acting as his assistant) made fun of me for not tasting the difference. Shane said if I can't taste the difference in oils, then they shouldn't bother serving me such a fine lamb dish. Under different circumstances I think I would be able to differentiate between the two. But basically doing shots of them in a high pressure environment, the only taste I was able to discern was "gross"!

Robert can be a bit much, kudos to you for being a good sport. So would you do his presentation again?

My wife said that the event was the best F&W event of her life. I'm sure she'd be singing a different tune if he picked on her all day, lol! But I really did have a lot of fun. Irvine's events are all always a blast.

I forgot to mention, he did do a bottle signing at Port of Entry immediately after his event concluded. My wife and I hustled over and were first in line. We already have his books and some photos signed, so I got a bottle of his Boardroom gin signed, and my wife had him sign one of her F&W coasters. We also took a bunch of photos with him, including one of him flexing his arm while my wife points at his muscles. As we were about to leave, he made fun of me some more for not tasting the difference in oils, lol.

 

[brewhome]

@Chisoxcollector, you have confirmed my opinion that Robert Irvine is a jack*ss. It’s fine to have some fun with your guests, but it sounds like he went way too far. I would not have enjoyed watching him do that to anyone.

 

[disney4us2002]

@Chisoxcollector, you have confirmed my opinion that Robert Irvine is a jack*ss. It’s fine to have some fun with your guests, but it sounds like he went way too far. I would not have enjoyed watching him do that to anyone.

Granted I wasn't there, but I have gone to a few shows of his and others like him and I'm guessing he kept at it because of Chisox' reaction. If it seemed like he wasn't a good sport and going along, I'm sure Robert would've backed off. I bet it was hilarious to those in attendance.

Chisoxcollector, seriously, if you want to be on display and make a fool of yourself during the Sunday brunch with Andrew Zimmern, I will gladly laugh and point!! Ha ha. Three weeks to go!!!!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

@Chisoxcollector, you have confirmed my opinion that Robert Irvine is a jack*ss. It’s fine to have some fun with your guests, but it sounds like he went way too far. I would not have enjoyed watching him do that to anyone.

I’ve been thinking more about this. I’m all for a good time and some laughs. I’m thrilled Chisoxcollector and his wife had a great time (best ever!) at this demo and of course I was not there for the all-important context - and I do think he read Chisox’s reaction. I’ve attended past Robert Irvine demos and thoroughly enjoyed them. And I’ve seen the charity work he does and I believe he’s a good person. But touching someone (“... rubbing his head on my shoulder and chest...”) without prior consent is just not okay - even for theatrical or comedic effect. And honestly a huge liability for him and Disney.

 

[Gryhndmom]

Six days until we arrive at food and winefor those there now...are there still the Dooney food and wine totes available ?

 

[randumb0]

BTW...
Does anyone have the recipe for the Twinnings Pumpkin Chai Tea Frozen Cocktail from The Chocolate Studio?

I would to love to try to recreate it at home.

I searched several Disney-related recipe websites with no luck although I did find a recipe for the other drink with chai (the milkshake - not the cocktail, which looked different).

Here you go!

 

[RebeccaRL]

Here you go!
View attachment 440038

Thank you very much!

@sherlockmiles shared this previously also but I didn’t realize it was the same one as the frozen cocktail.

Hope my home version is as good as the one at The Chocolate Studio!

 

[Chisoxcollector]

@Chisoxcollector, you have confirmed my opinion that Robert Irvine is a jack*ss. It’s fine to have some fun with your guests, but it sounds like he went way too far. I would not have enjoyed watching him do that to anyone.

Granted I wasn't there, but I have gone to a few shows of his and others like him and I'm guessing he kept at it because of Chisox' reaction. If it seemed like he wasn't a good sport and going along, I'm sure Robert would've backed off. I bet it was hilarious to those in attendance.

Chisoxcollector, seriously, if you want to be on display and make a fool of yourself during the Sunday brunch with Andrew Zimmern, I will gladly laugh and point!! Ha ha. Three weeks to go!!!!

I’ve been thinking more about this. I’m all for a good time and some laughs. I’m thrilled Chisoxcollector and his wife had a great time (best ever!) at this demo and of course I was not there for the all-important context - and I do think he read Chisox’s reaction. I’ve attended past Robert Irvine demos and thoroughly enjoyed them. And I’ve seen the charity work he does and I believe he’s a good person. But touching someone (“... rubbing his head on my shoulder and chest...”) without prior consent is just not okay - even for theatrical or comedic effect. And honestly a huge liability for him and Disney.

He did seem a bit more over the top this time than he was at the previous events we've attended. I didn't mention, but he and Shane dumped a TON of salt on the floor. I'm talking pounds of salt. The main woman that kind of runs the team inside of these events (I think her name is Diane?) looked like she was going to have a heart attack when she saw the mess. Here is a pic of some of the salt:

I will say though, I was laughing the entire time he was picking on me. Up until he asked me to do an ape impression, I showed no signs of being uncomfortable. Even then, I said a couple of times I didn't want to do it, but I was still laughing. He probably would have stopped had I shown any real signs of discomfort.

Here is a picture of Irvine rubbing up against me:

Here he is pouring oil into my mouth:

And this is when he went up to my wife's camera and said what a good job I did with my ape impression:

While I still get super embarrassed just thinking about the ape impression, we did have a great time. We will probably remember this for the rest of our lives. My wife will remember it with pure elation, while my memory will be tinged with a slight bit of humiliation. All things considered, we will attend his events again in the future. Though I may consider wearing a disguise!

 

[sherlockmiles]

Thank you very much!

@sherlockmiles shared this previously also but I didn’t realize it was the same one as the frozen cocktail.

Hope my home version is as good as the one at The Chocolate Studio!

The recipe I found online was the same recipe but used vanilla ice cream. I think the vanilla would let the pumpkin come out more, but I'm a chocolate girl so mine at home will be with chocolate ice cream.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Oh my on dumping all that salt. That almost upsets me more than the other stuff. That's pretty disrespectful to the event staff-- especially when they probably had to turn the room around for another event in fairly short order. Although I'll give him the benefit of the doubt -- maybe he came out with the vacuum himself or had his staff handle or at least gave them a head's up. Anyway, really glad you had such a good time @Chisoxcollector. Those "lifetime" experiences and memories are what keep us coming back to Disney. Appreciate all of your F&W reporting. If I ever do another Irvine event, I'm making a mental note to sit in the back...

-----------

To all -- I'm here today and tomorrow to say farewell to Illuminations and hello to the new show. Please let me know if anything I can investigate for you (I will check on the Dooney totes).

 

[gwynne]

To all -- I'm here today and tomorrow to say farewell to Illuminations and hello to the new show. Please let me know if anything I can investigate for you (I will check on the Dooney totes).
[/QUOTE]
I would love to hear a bit about your impressions of the new show. Thanks for all the helpful information you post. It is so appreciated!

Have fun at Epcot!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

I would love to hear a bit about your impressions of the new show. Thanks for all the helpful information you post. It is so appreciated!

Have fun at Epcot!

Will do and thanks! I'm staying at Beach Club with a room that faces Epcot and I can tell you that they tested the show last night around midnight and even with the shades drawn my room lit up. Not to mention it was LOUD. Scared the heck out of me. Seems there is some serious "fire power"with this new show. I'm optimistic. I'm less so about the skyliner's impact on the International Gateway... it wasn't so smooth yesterday, particularly after Illuminations. Hopefully today is better. Off to find out!