This past weekend kicked off the six-week Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, an annual event celebrating global cuisine in Central Florida. Now in its 15th year, the festival has grown to include 28 different "Marketplaces," each furnishing food and drink from around the globe, demos by celebrity chefs and world-renowned winemakers, performances by throwback musical acts and droves of patrons eager to sample it all.
This year's festival is the most enjoyable one I've been to, and I've attended every year for the past five years. They've included three new Marketplaces — Belgium, South Korea and Charcuterie and Cheese — as well as brought one back (Singapore), and have added more events and diversions (for a price, of course). Plus, the cooler weather we're currently experiencing makes it all the more enjoyable.
This article appears in Oct 7-13, 2010.