The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin has announced the dates for the return of its Food & Wine Classic. The popular event will run Friday and Saturday, Oct. 29 and 30, along the waterfront and causeway connecting the two hotels. As in the past, the event will feature food samples from the resort’s many restaurants, including the estimable Shula’s Steak House, Todd English’s bluezoo and Kimonos sushi bar, and wine, beers and spirits as well.
Tickets are on sale now at FoodandWineClassic.com and include overnight packages. However, unlike last fall’s event, participation will not be exclusive to hotel guests. Guest favorite themed areas, including the Beer Garden, Bubble Lounge (with sparkling wines), China Town, and the Pig & the Poke, will be back, though it’s unclear if the seminars that were offered in previous years will return.
The Food & Wine Classic started in 2010 as a piggyback (good name for another themed area) to the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival and quickly became an anticipated event in its own right. In April, the resort experimented with a springtime version of the Classic that proved to be a success, even though attendance was limited to allow for distancing. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Classic becomes a biannual event.
The Hangry Bison has started construction on a second location adjacent to Winter Garden’s City Hall. You’ll have to hold your hanger in check until sometime this fall, or visit the original location in Winter Park Village.
Bend the Bao, a quick-service walk-up, has opened at Universal CityWalk. It features the steamed buns with a variety of fillings.
It wouldn’t seem right to have a Newsy Nuggets column without mention of chicken nuggets. Or tenders, as some euphemize. Huey Magoo’s Chicken Tenders, a locally grown operation that started in 2004, has just announced its 200th franchise. They now tenderize in eight states.
And speaking of franchises, Crumbl Cookies is planning some new stores in Central Florida to go with the three existing ones. However, the new shops will have a different owner. I guess that’s just the way the cookie franchises.
