Great news! I got the chance to speak with Epcot Park Event Content Development Manager Michael Jenner — basically the head honcho when it comes to food at this year’s Flower and Garden Festival — and now I’m excited to share not only his recommendations for noshing around the World this spring, but everything that will be on offer at this year’s Festival!

As you know, the 2013 event will be the first to debut multiple food and beverage marketplaces throughout the World Showcase.

Today, we’ve got a few more great updates and tips to share, plus we’ve got the FULL list of food and beverage offerings!  Click here to see everything you’ll be able to try during the festival this year!

Q&A with Michael Jenner

I can’t wait to try all of the new goodies at the Festival this year! Let’s find out how this awesome addition came about…

Q: What brought about the idea of bringing more food and beverages to the Flower and Garden Festival?

A: We’ve been wanting to do this for several years. It’s been a daytime festival, so even though the parks stayed open at night, the festival kind of shut down. By adding the Food and Beverage component, as well as lit topiaries this year, the festival can continue after dark.

Guests have also been interested in the natural progression of food from garden to table. So the 12 new marketplaces will feature huge gardens in front of them, and the menus will feature ingredients inspired by what we’re displaying in those gardens.

Q: What are a couple of dishes you’re most excited about and recommend?

A: I’ll be at the Smokehouse Barbecue and Brews marketplace all day. We’ll actually have a wood burning smoker on stage smoking the pig for the pulled pig slider. The Smoked Brisket with Collard Greens with Jalapeno Cornbread just melts in your mouth! Also, portions at the smokehouse will be hearty-sized, not tapas-sized — you can’t do barbecue small!

I’m also excited about the Dole Whip with spiced rum at the Pineapple Promenade . We’ll be selling both regular dole whip and the spiced rum version, and the staff is really excited about it.

The Florida Fresh marketplace is featuring ingredients from local farms, and I love the Shrimp and Stone Ground Grits with Andouille Sausage, Zellwood Corn, Tomatoes and Cilantro. It pairs well with the Hot Sun Tomato Wine, which has a spicy, almost Bloody Mary taste.

Q: What other surprises can we expect at the Flower and Garden Festival this year?

A: We’re finalizing the Passport for the Flower and Garden Festival. This will be a lot like the Epcot Food and Wine Festival passport, with which guests can get stamps when they visit various marketplaces.

We’re also excited about the “TRYit” items on the marketplace menus. These are specialty items that are inspired by the gardens around the World Showcase. They’re perfect ways for you (or the kids!) to try something new. One of these items is the Beet Lollipop, a “push-up” filled with roasted red and golden beets and cream cheese. It will be found at Intermissions Cafe in the Festival Center!

You’ll also want to check out the Oz Garden, inspired by the new Disney film, Oz, the Great and Powerful. This playground will be lit so the kids can play at night, and it’s the perfect place for them to blow off some steam while you (the parents) indulge in food from the marketplaces. The Oz Garden is scheduled to open next week (February 11th)!

Now let’s jump right into the full list of incredible eats and drinks you’ll have the chance to indulge in during the festival!

Flower and Garden Festival Marketplaces and Food and Beverage Listing

Note that many items on this list will be available for a Disney Dining Plan snack credit! Items in BOLD below are part of the “TRYit” menu inspired by fruits and vegetables growing in the gardens throughout the World Showcase during the festival! Be sure to click here to see even more great photos of food items from this year’s festival!

FRUITS BY THE GLASS – World Showcase Plaza

• Watermelon Passion Fruit Cocktail (featuring local Cane Vodka)
• Sea Dog Blue Paw Wild Blueberry – non alcoholic
• Blueberry Beer
• Florida Orange Groves, Mango Mama, Mango Wine
• Florida Orange Groves, Blueberry Blue, Blueberry Wine
• New Planet 3R Raspberry Ale (Gluten Free)
• DeLoach Vineyards Heritage Reserve Chardonnay
• DeLoach Vineyards Heritage Reserve Pinot Noir

FLORIDA FRESH

– World Showcase Promenade, Mexico side

• Watermelon Salad with pickled Red Onions, BW Farms Baby Arugula,Feta Cheese and Balsamic Reduction
• Shrimp and Stone Ground Grits with Andouille Sausage, Zellwood Corn, Tomatoes and Cilantro
• Angel Food Cake with macerated Florida Berries
• Florida Orange Groves, Hot Sun, Tomato Wine
• Florida Orange Groves, 40 Karat, Carrot Wine
• Florida Beer, Orange Blossom Pilsner
• Strawberry Slush – non alcoholic

JARDIN DE FIESTAS

– Mexico

• Tostada (Crab tostada served with Chipotle Mayo and Valentina Salsa)
• Tacos de Carnitas (Pork Tacos topped with Tamarindo salsa, served on a flour tortilla with Chicharrón)
• Flan de Guayaba (Guava Custard)
• Rosita Margarita
• Organic Tequila Flight
• Mexican Beer, Corona Light Draft Beer
• Conga Fruit Punch – Non Alcoholic

LOTUS HOUSE

– China

• Beijing-Style Candied Strawberries
• Spring Pancake with Grilled Chicken and Green Apple
• Pan-Fried Vegetable Bun
• Peach-Oolong Bubble Tea – non alcoholic
• Kung Fu Punch (Vodka and Triple Sec with Mango and Orange Juice)
• South Sea Storm (Guava with Light and Dark Rum)
• Plum Wine
• Lychee Aerated Water; Peach Aerated Water
• Tsing – Tao Beer

BAUERNMARKT: Farmer’s Market – Adjacent to Germany

• Savory Bread Pudding with Spring Peas and Wild Mushroom Ragout
• German Meatloaf Sandwich with Sweet Mustard and Fried Shallots
• Potato Pancakes with house made Apple Sauce
• Hugo – Charles De Fere “Organic” Brut with Elderflower and Mint
• Florida Avenue American Wheat Ale
• Krombacher Hefeweizen
• Goose Island Brewing Company’s Honker Ale
• Blue Point’s Toasted Lager
• Beer Flight

THE SMOKEHOUSE: Barbecue and Brews

– The American Adventure Courtyard

• Pulled Pig Slider with Cole Slaw
• Smoked Beef Brisket with Collard Greens and Jalapeno Corn Bread
• Rocky Road Brownie Mousse
• The Original Rib Shack Red Wine
• Mama’s Little Yella Pils (Czech style Pilsner)
• Liberty Ale from Anchor Brewing Company, San Francisco, Ca. (India Pale Ale)
• Red Ale from Orlando Brewing, Orlando, Fla. (Red Ale- Organic)
• Blackwater Porter from Orlando Brewing Company, Orlando, Fla. (Stout- Organic)
• Beer Flight

PINEAPPLE PROMENADE

– World Showcase Promenade, Canada side

• Dole Whip
• Dole Whip with Siesta Key Spiced Rum
• Pineapple Upside Down Cake featuring Dole® Pineapple
• Dole Pineapple Fruit Cup
• Frozen Desert Violet Lemonade – non alcoholic
• Samuel Adams® Cream Stout Beer

PRIMAVERA KITCHEN – Italy

• Asparagi con Aragosta all’Ortolana (Green asparagus, lobster, garden cocktail sauce)
• Lasagna Primavera (Spinach Lasagna, green peas, zucchini, mushrooms, broccolini, béchamel and fresh tomatoes, with garlic and basil leaves)
• Panna Cotta al Limoncello (Limoncello flavored Panna Cotta, wild berries)
• Fontana Candida, Pinot Grigio
• Castello di Querceto, Chianti
• Bosco del Merlo, Prosecco
• White Peach Bellini
• Strawberry Rossini
• Italian Primavera Cocktail
• Birrificio Del Ducato – Nuova Mattina (Spring Saison Ale)
• Birrificio Le Baladin – Nora (Specialty Ale)
• Birra Del Borgo – Rubus Lamponi (Specialty Wild Fruit Ale)
• Italian Beer Flight

HANAMI

– Japan

• Frushi (Fresh strawberries, pineapple and cantaloupe rolled with coconut rice, atop a raspberry sauce sprinkled with toasted coconut and whipped cream)
• Chirashi Hanazushi (Grilled Salmon, cooked shrimp and crab stick served over a bed of fragrant ginger rice with Volcano and Dynamite sauce)
• YakiSoba Pan (Fresh grilled carrots, onions and cabbage with Japanese noodles and teriyaki sauce served on a bun with mayonnaise and Beni Shoga)
• Green Tea Flan (Silky custard with macha green tea and caramel glaze)
• Yuzu Rita
• Fruit Saki
• Hana Awaka Saké
• Frozen Kirin Ichiban

TASTE OF MARRAKESH

– Morocco

• Spiced Lamb Kebab with Vegetable Couscous Salad
• Harissa and Lemon Confit Chicken Drumettes with chermoula and cucumber salad
• Baghrir (Moroccan pancake with honey, almonds and Argan Oil)
• Desert Rose – Sparkling Wine with Pomegranate liqueur
• White Sangria
• Guerrouane Red Wine
• Moroccan Casa Beer
• Mint Iced Tea with Peach

L’ORANGERIE – France

• Tarte à la ratatouille et fromage de chèvre (Zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers, onions and tomato tart with goat cheese)
• Terrine Campagnarde, baguette et compote de cerises (Country style pâté served with baguette and cherry compote)
• Verrine charlotte au pèches (Caramelized peaches and rosemary and light vanilla cream)
• La Vie en Rose Frozen Slush (Grey Goose Vodka Orange,
  St. Germain liquor with White and Red Cranberry Juice)
• Chardonnay, White Burgundy, Macon Village Georges Duboeuf
• Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux Beau-Rivage
• Muscat Pétillant, Sparkling Muscat Charles de Fère
• Kronenbourg Blanc 1664, (Fruity White Beer with Citrus Notes)

THE COTTAGE: Savories, Trifles and Tea

– United Kingdom

• Potato, Chive and Cheddar Cheese Biscuit with Smoked Salmon Tartare and Sour Cream
• Baked Goat’s Brie with Kumquat Chutney
• Waterkist Farms Heirloom Tomatoes with house-made Mozzarella, Minus 8 Vinegar and Basil
• Trio of Trifles (Chocolate, Berry, Ginger and Tea)
• Hot Teas (Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Lemon Green Tea, Jasmine Green Tea, Spiced Apple Chai, Pumpkin Chai, Mixed Berry Black Tea, Pomegranate and Raspberry, Camomile Honey & Vanilla, Honeybush, Mandarin and Orange, Pure Peppermint, Lemon & Ginger)
• Poema Cava Brut Rosé
• Chilled Rose Blush Lemonade – non alcoholic
• Peach Cold Brewed Iced Tea
• Mixed Berries Cold Brewed Iced Tea

Intermissions Café

– Festival Welcome Center

• Beet Lollipop
• Grapes
• Fruit & Cheese Plate
• Vegan Trio
• Southwest Chicken Wrap
• Tuna Salad with Pita
• Italian Salad
• Asian Tuna Salad with Noodles
• New Planet™ 3R Raspberry Ale (Gluten Free) (12 oz.)
• Blue Point’s Spring Fling (12 oz.)
• Florida Orange Groves, Mango Mama, Mango Wine
• Florida Orange Groves, Blueberry Blue, Blueberry Wine
• DeLoach Vineyards Heritage Reserve Chardonnay
• DeLoach Vineyards Heritage Reserve Pinot Noir
• Poema Cava Brut Rosé

Note that food and beverage items are subject to change!

What are you most looking forward to trying?

I can’t wait to sample all of these goodies!! What items are you most looking forward to trying? Let us know!