DCA Food and Wine Weekends
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Of special interest to guests are the celebrity chefs and wineries that are participating in this year’s festival. Chef Jamie Gwen, from KABC radio, broadcast live from the event the first weekend, and is scheduled to return on Saturday, May 6. In addition, she memorably hosted the first Lunch ‘n Learn at the Disneyland Hotel. Andrew Sutton, Executive Chef at Disney’s Napa Rose presides over the Napa Rose Cooking School every Saturday. Guest chefs scheduled for the Thursday evening Celebrity Chef Dinners are Michael Cimarusti of Providence (Los Angeles), Carl Schroeder of Arterra (San Diego), James Boyce of the Studio at the Montage Resort (Laguna Beach), and Michael White of Fiamma (Las Vegas). Among the vintners scheduled to participate are Beaulieu, Dr. Loosen, Edna Valley, Rosenthal Malibu Estate, Provenance, Acacia, Flora Springs, Chalone Estate, Silver Oak Cellars, and Gallo, along with Sauza Tequila and Karl Strauss Brewing Company.

So what will guests find when they arrive at Disney’s California Food and Wine Weekend? A typical Sunday found a group on the patio of the Golden Vine Winery filing into a complimentary Wine Seminar by Acacia Vineyard, as another group around the corner was waiting to step up to a complimentary Culinary Demonstration on seasonal greens with Jimmy Weita, the Chef Garde Manger at the Grand Californian.

Chef Jimmy Weita

Chef Jimmy deftly prepared a light salad of miniature iceberg lettuce, peeled tomatoes, and crisp prosciutto ham, topped with homemade blue cheese dressing. In addition to some great cooking tips, guests were treated to an entertaining historical background on the various ingredients, and were served a sample of the delicious salad that had been prepared before their eyes. Earlier seminars that day included hors d’oeuvres, artichokes, and pasta.