AllEars® Team Blog

Mmmm... I can still smell the amazing, buttery aroma of freshly made caramel, even now -- 24 hours after I first set foot in the new Karamell-Küche shop that opened just a few days ago in Epcot's Germany pavilion.

This new store, located on the site of the former Glas und Porzellan in the front of the pavilion, is sponsored by Storck USA, makers of Werther's Original Caramels. It's unique, in that it is the only freestanding retail location for Werther’s in the world -- how did Epcot get so lucky?

Not only does the shop sell a wide array of prepackaged Werther's candies, but each day cast members are busy making fresh caramel confections, including caramel apples and popcorn, caramel-drizzled cupcakes, rice krispie treats, cookies, strawberries, and much more.

Not only is this place a treat for the nose and tastebuds, but it's a feast for the eyes, with attractive displays of its goodies, as well as the chance to watch the cast members at work. You can see them mixing up batches of savory hot caramel, or generously drizzling it over popcorn, cupcakes, and a variety of fruit and freshly baked items.

All of this gooey goodness does not come cheap, of course. You can expect to pay $5.45 for a regular caramel-dipped apple, and up to $9.95 for a specialty, such as Rocky Road (covered with nuts, chocolate chunks, and marshmallows) or Apple Pie. But get this! Some of the items count as snacks on the Disney Dining Plan, including the small bag of caramel popcorn ($2.95), the gourmet caramels ($3.95), the chocolate and caramel covered strawberries ($3.95) and several of the various cookies (prices vary).

If you're buying some of the regular Werther's candies, you can get 1.8 oz. roll packs for $.95, 4.5 oz. bags for $2.95. You can also get sugar-free Werther's: 1.48 oz. minis for $1.45; 2.75 oz. bags for $2.95 and 7.7 oz. bags for $8.95.

The shop is open during regular World Showcase hours, and the lines are currently long, but fast-moving. This is one sweet destination, if you'll pardon the pun, that you should definitely check out on your next visit to Epcot.

Friday, October 1, we held an AllEars® Meet and Greet in Epcot's recently reopened La Cantina. It was an unusual day, in that we had so many members of the AllEars®Team on hand -- some in town for the Wine and Dine Half Marathon, others in for the opening weekend of the Food and Wine Festival, as well as our lucky locals.

We had hoped that La Cantina would be fairly empty by the time of our 2:30 p.m. meeting, but the joint was still jumping, which made for a slightly crowded and chaotic meet-up -- but still, it was so great to meet so many of our readers, and get to spend some time with some old friends, too!

I tried to get photos of everyone, but alas, was not successful -- but I did get to capture a few of your smiling faces. Please let me know if I got your names wrong -- or supply your names if I don't have them. And send in photos of the meet, too, if you'd like me to include them!

Cindy and Tom from Lakeland, FL

Deb Koma and Gail R.

Barbara and Albert from Cape Cod

from left: AllEars® blogger Jeanine Yamanaka, Dave of Running Team AllEars®, Team AllEars® Co-captains Mike Scopa and Michelle Scribner MacLean, blogger Jack Spence, technical guru Jack Marshall, blogger Mike Bachand, and Senior Editor Deb Koma.

Holly Aulen (from Team AllEars®), Michelle Scribner MacLean, and Dave Aulen

Team AllEars® runners Holly Aulen, Stan Harris, MaryJean Kancel, Dave Dankowski, and Evelyn DeLuccia, with Co-captains Mike Scopa and Michelle Scribner MacLean

A sweet girl named Katie made us feel like celebrities, asking for our autographs -- and yet we forgot to get her photo! Sorry Katie!

Deb Koma

Mike Scopa

Jack Spence

Mike Bachand

And here's a look at the brand new, limited edition AllEars® Food and Wine Festival Trading Card that we released that day:

(Read more about our trading cards HERE.)

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to say hello -- please let me know if I've forgotten anyone:

Beci Mahnken of MouseFanTravel
Sue and Mickey from W. Memphis, Arkansas
Cindy and Tom from Lakeland
Floyd and his wife from Winterhaven
Connie and her daughters from PA
Jane from Nebraska
Barbara and Albert from Cape Cod
Sandra Huling
Gail R.
Aaron
Dave and his wife from Team AllEars
and lots of other Team AllEars runners I didn't get to meet!
Amy
Matthew
Laura W.
Jeremy
Julie B.

If you missed us this time, be sure to watch our Team Meets page for upcoming AllEars® Meets, and hopefully we'll see you next time you're in the world!

Thanks so much for your continued support of AllEars®!