A beautiful day emerged in
Orlando, FL as the clouds parted to reveal the sunrise. A short drive from
Orlando is the Disney planned community of Celebration, FL. It was established
in 1994. Although, Disney sold this community to Lexin Capital in 2004, it still
has that Disney look as if built for a Disney movie complete with post office,
school, shops, restaurants, and about 2,500 picturesque homes with a New Urban
design.
Celebration’s Market Street
serves as the “Main Street U.S.A.” lined with shops and restaurants and center
stage for the Kenmore Kitchen Arena at the World Food Championships (WFC).
Crews set up a steel-framed canopy along the length of the street to house 50
kitchen stations to be used for all of the competitions, except barbeque. One of
the restaurants along Market Street, Thai Thani, housed the Food Fight Write!
Bloggers’ Summit to start and then became the judges’ room.
Breakfast started out right
with scrambled eggs from The Happy Eggs Co. along with breakfast taco and bagel
bar. The Happy Eggs Co. eggs are so orange. A lot of the bloggers thought
cheddar cheese was added but it was just the color of the yolks shining
through. A high protein breakfast was definitely in order to keep the brain
functioning throughout the long day ahead – scrambled eggs topped with cheddar
cheese, sour cream, and salsa along with a small helping of red skillet
potatoes. While eating breakfast, the bloggers also had a chance to get a
professional headshot done by WFC photographers in their own attire or suited
up in a WFC chef coat.
The summit started with the
introduction of our emcees: Beth Peterson, founder of Yummie Nation, Emily Ellyn, rad retro chef and food competition star, and Mike
McCloud, CEO of WFC.
The Happy Egg Co., a sponsor
of WFC, talked about their product, the only free range egg brand that is
American Humane CertifiedTM. This means each farm has 5 acres of
green pasture for the hens to run, jump, flap, and play outdoors every day - 21.8
square feet per hen. This is awesome in comparison to cage free which allots
only 10.5 inches by 16.5 inches per hen or caged which allots only 8.5 inches
squared per hen. You can also see the difference in the yolk. The Happy Egg Co.
eggs have a bright orange yolk compared to a caged egg with a pale yellow yolk.
These eggs will also come to the main stage during the Sandwich Competition so
stay tuned!
The bloggers took a tour of
Market Street to see Kenmore Kitchen Arena in its final setup stages – a street-long,
steel-framed canopy to cover all of the kitchen stations in case of rain. It
was highly likely that a rain shower or two would happen during WFC in Florida.
Mike McCloud talked about his vision and all of the man hours that went into
events like these from planning, logistics, man-power, and more. The stage
would be set up in front of the beautiful lake in Celebration. To the right of
the stage, Swizzle and Sizzle Spots would be setup for cocktail and cooking
demonstrations. And to the left of the stage, a tasting village including
sponsors and local Kissimmee organizations.
Right before lunch, Mike also
unveiled the new position of Cheferee (referee in Kenmore Kitchen Arena to help
resolve any disputes during competitions). The bloggers were introduced to the
Saucy Mama sauces that were available for the Blogger Challenge
along with learning how to grill a steak. A few of the bloggers did not have
cooking experience and it was also a great way for the more experienced cooks
to get acquainted with the grill that will be in their cooking station. Once
the steak was grilled, it became the bloggers lunch along with a salad bar to
make the ultimate steak salad.
While the bloggers dined on
their steak creations, The Kansas City Steak Company talked about their steaks since
they will be used in the Blogger Challenge (filet mignon) and also the Top 10
Sandwich Competition (ribeye). They have been hand-trimming steaks since 1932.
The beef is aged 28 days (except filet mignon) for a taste that sets them apart
from their competition and anything that you might find in a grocery store. You
can definitely taste the difference in the filet mignon. There is almost no
marbling but the beef flavor is in the forefront with a tender texture you can
cut with a butter knife. After lunch, the bloggers broke into groups and worked
on campaigns for The Kansas City Steak Company. The winning team won $1,000!
The conference ended with
some commentary from former and future competitors and a taste of My YardFarm’s local, sustainable, and organic microgreens and tomatoes.
They also provided greens for the pantry during the competitions.
After a full day’s
conference, it’s always nice to head back to the hotel (or timeshare in this
case), put your feet up and relax in the Orlando afternoon sun. The patio on
the 1-bedroom suite at Parc Soleil has a table and lounge for enjoying the afternoon sun
as it starts to set behind Epcot Center. To the east, the Orlando Eye is in
view as well.
No other evening event can
take you on a journey back in time quite like Medieval Times. One of nine castles
on the North American continent is bestowed upon the providence of Kissimmee in
the kingdom of Orlando. Your journey from today to the time of yesteryear
begins upon the castle as the drawbridge beckons. Torches are lit to signal a
grand event is at hand. Once one of the merry maids confirms you are on the
guest list and appoints your knight, you are taken to an instant portrait
session with one of the royal family or a handsome knight. Inside the fortress
walls lies the grand hall dressed with royal crests, libations, and souvenirs
fit for a king or queen.
When the arena is open,
guests are invited in and taken to their proper cheering sections of their respective
knights. The court entertains the guests with pageantry, horse prancing,
jousting, and sword fighting. The guests cheer as the knights battle to the
death. There can be only one victorious knight.
The Bill of Fare begins with tomato
bisque and warm baked bread. The main course of roasted chicken, sweet buttered
corn, and herb-basted potato are served “sans flatware” so feel free to eat
with your hands. Pasty of the Castle (apple turnover) is the sweet ending to
your feast. Beverages of Pepsi and coffee are included with the fare. Adult
libations are also available for purchase. HAZZAH!
The Epcot and Magic Kingdom
fireworks signal the end to a long, yet knowledge-filled day. As the eyes grew weary,
the handsome black and white knight may just visit you in your dreams.
To see more photos, please
visit OC Food Diva’s Facebook page.
For more information:
4510 West Vine Street
Kissimmee, FL 34746, United
States
+1.866.543.9637
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