Lee writes:

“On opening day of the Festival we recorded a fantastic 17 minute interview with Gary Maggetti, the General Manager of Food and Beverage for Disneyland. He was charming, he was informative, Laura asked probing questions – it was great stuff. Unfortunately, my video camera decided to eat that particular clip, the only time it’s ever done that. So instead, between us, are going to write what we can remember of that interview.”

We started off asking Mr. Maggetti about the changes in the Festival this year, including the new venue in the Hollywood area, the Festival Showplace. He told us that this festival has proved to be flexible and portable over the years, and able to take advantage of whatever space has been available to it. The Festival Showplace gives them the opportunity to host a number of parts of the Festival in one location.

The Taste of California Marketplace returned this year, they were unable to feature it last year because of restaurant renovations. They brought back two Marketplace favorites from past years: the Cheddar Cheese Soup in a mini boule and the Beer Battered Halibut. We asked him about his favorites on the menu, and he told us that he really liked the Island Ahi – it’s marinated overnight (more like a ceviche) and served with coleslaw. His other favorite is the Festival offering at Taste Pilot’s Grill – the Southwest Pulled Pork Sandwich. He said that they often have to experiment a number of times when they try to come up with a new menu item, but they decided they’d gotten this one right the first time.

One new Signature event this year is the Riedel Glass Tasting sessions. Participants will have the opportunity to see how the shape of the glass affects their wine tasting experience.

Cast members actually volunteer to work this event, and many of them return year after year. In response to guest feedback, this year they were able to provide more training for the cast, especially those working the wine and beer tasting areas where guests ask a lot of questions.

Last year there were hundreds of cooking demos over the course of the event – the majority done by Disney chefs. This year in addition to the very popular celebrity chefs there is increased participation from local chefs – this reduces the load on the Disney cast and brings the community more into the event.

The Food and Wine Festival adds some new and more interesting items to menus in DCA, and we asked about expanding menus at Disneyland with something behind the usual burgers, hot dogs and chicken sandwiches. Mr. Maggetti said that they have been doing some of that: the Troubadour Tavern offers baked potatoes and the re-tooled Harbour Galley offers specialty salads instead of french fries. He also mentioned the on-going renovation of the kitchen at the Tomorrowland Terrace. The restaurant is scheduled to reopen early this summer with a new menu. It will still include burgers, including a new “signature” burger, but will also feature some more interesting menu choices.

Since 2008 they have been trying to offer healthier food choices – something they call “Stealth Health”. They discontinued the used of trans fats in 2008, and all of their hamburger and hot dogs buns contain about 20% whole grains. The goal is to make it easier to make healthy choices. For example, by default, all kid’s meals come with fruit instead of fries and milk or juice instead of sodas. Those are available by request, but they have found that most guests stick with the healthy choice. They have added many more fruit carts which offer a wider selection of fruits and healthier options – soon there will be a fruit cart in every land. He recommended the slices of fresh mango, which we tried the next day, and it was really good.

We had noticed that in past years, some of the special Festival menu items have ended up on the permanent menu, and we asked about what determines that. Part of it of course is the popularity of the item, but also how difficult/time consuming it is for the kitchen to produce is also a factor. If Festival food items are added in the future it will probably mean swapping them out for an existing menu item due to limitations on how much the restaurant kitchen can really handle.

They just completed the renovation/expansion of the central kitchen under New Orleans Square which provides the food for all of the restaurants there. This will allow them to add new menu items and even make some old favorites show up in new locations. For example, the Mickey Mouse beignets from Cafe Orleans will also be available at the Mint Julep Bar – but don’t worry, that doesn’t mean the fritters are going away.

Hope we’ve given you enough to pique your interest about this year’s Festival – it’s an event we look forward to every year!

Here’s some additional AllEars pages on the Festival:

General Overview of the Festival
What’s New in 2010 and Touring Tips
2010 Festival Menus
2010 Photo Gallery
Sweet Sundays 4/18/10