This is the second of a two-part recap of the Curated Experiences sponsored by the Ritz-Carlton at Grande Lakes Orlando. You can read the first part here.

On Saturday evening, the Da Vinci Lawn was staged for a more formal dinner with large round tables, no more than five people to a table, with each place elegantly set with all the forks, knives, spoons and stemware that would be needed for the five-course meal.

What an experience.

No, make that plural – experiences.

The Ritz-Carlton at Grande Lakes Orlando held its inaugural Curated Experiences event last weekend with food and wine events, cooking classes and demonstrations, non-food events such as gold lessons, fly-fishing tutorials and a chance to hold a bird of prey on your hand. And encouraged by the success of the first time, the team at Grande Lakes is already planning another weekendful in April.

Photo: Walt Disney World

The latest “Taste of...” festivalette at Epcot opened Wednesday. This one is the Taste of Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival, running Mar. 3 through July 5. Throughout the past year, Epcot has been trying to maintain some semblance of its yearlong parade of festivals but without the full panoply of offerings. I wonder if this one will feature only seedlings? Still, there is a good array of outdoor kitchens offering food and drink, and festival planners even managed to add some new kiosks, including the Epcot Sunshine Griddle (avocado toast, shrimp & grits, corned beef brisket hash) and the Epcot Farmers Feast (spring onion soup, duck confit and profiteroles with red bbet mousse – you know, things farmers eat).

Reservations to get into the park are required, as is a valid ticket. If vaccinations stay on track, maybe we can look forward to a full-blown International Food & Wine Festival this year.