A few weekends ago, I was truly blessed and lucky enough to be able to attend Food Blog Forum – a conference for foodies. The conference was held at, wait for it…
WALT DISNEY WORLD in Orlando, Florida. Oh yeah. Uh huh. If you follow me on Instagram, (and if you don’t, uh why don’t you?!) you saw some of the photos from my trip. Disney World is an Instagram addicts dream. I took over 400 hundred photos so I think I did pretty good only posting 28 photos from the trip.
The conference itself was so inspiring and offered so many great tips from people who have so much insight to offer. I’m still a little overwhelmed by all the information that was shared but each person offered something useful.
Those speaking at the conference included:
- Victoria Finn, Director, Creative Inc., The Walt Disney Company
- Food Photography & Food Styling: Todd Porter & Diane Cu (White on Rice Couple)
- Beyond the Banner – New Monetization Strategies: Moderators: Jaden & Scott Hair (Steamy Kitchen), Panelists: Lindsay & Bjork Ostrom (Pinch of Yum and Food Blogger Pro)
- Pinterest Best Practies: Enid Hwang from Pinterest
- Battling Blogger Burnout: Panelists: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt (Serious Eats), Elise Bauer (Simply Recipes)
My favorite part was in the afternoon when all the speakers participated in a round table discussion. We sat in groups of 10-15 in separate rooms and the speakers rotated between rooms. They each spoke to us for 15-20 minutes and answered any and all questions. It was great to have that time to ask questions we were all thinking and pick their brains a bit.
Of course when you go to a Food Blog conference you are expecting to have great food. And this one did not disappoint. We started out Friday evening with a welcoming reception at the Four Seasons Resort Orlando put on by PB&G, their pool bar & grill chefs. The food was amazing and I could have eaten chicken and ribs all night long. And those red velvet squares. Yep. My favorite.
Saturday found us having lunch at Disney’s Contemporary Grill with a smorgasbord of food prepared for us by chefs from all over Disney World. Did you hear that? Chefs from all over Disney World. At once. This is something not many people get to experience and you can believe we all enjoyed ourselves at lunch.
My favorites were the Sautéed Shrimp and Scallops with Seasonal Vegetables and Mushrooms served in a Puff Pastry with a Creamy Lobster Sauce from the Be Our Guest chefs and the Braised Beef Bolognese with House-Made Cavatelli from the Trattoria al Forno chefs. I seriously could have eaten two helpings of those dishes but I was so stuffed after lunch I didn’t push it.
When we weren’t at the conference, I’m pretty sure every attendee spent their free time at the parks. I know I did! {click on the photo below to see all my pics from the trip}
The folks at Disney World went above and beyond to make our time there magical. They were truly caring people and wanted to make sure we had everything we wanted and needed while we were there. It has solidified my dream to work at Disney some day soon. How can you not be happy working at such a magical place?
As you can tell by the photos, I ate a lot of food while at the parks. I took it as my duty to do research for you so you would know what to eat on your next visit.
Here are my top 5 things I ate at Disney World (well, at least on this trip).
1. Churros. You can get these bites of yumminess at La Cantina in the Mexico section at Epcot.
2. Raspberry and Lemon Macaron. Boulangerie Patisserie in France at Epcot is where you need to head to get this treat. You don’t want to miss it.
3. Nutella Waffle Sandwich. Head over to Sleepy Hollow at Magic Kingdom for this amazing sandwich. Be sure and ask for whipped cream on it. If you go before six you can get a chicken and waffle sandwich but we never made it there in time.
4. Lemon Tart. Another fabulous treat you can find at Boulangerie Patisserie in France at Epcot.
5. Pineapple Dole Whip. You can’t go to Aloha Isle at Magic Kingdom without getting one of these refreshing drinks. Get it as a float.
And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention we stayed at the Grand Floridian Resort. This was my second time staying here and the renovations they have done to their rooms is phenomenal. It is a majestic hotel and the staff are simply wonderful. They’ve spoiled me for future trips!
Thank you Walt Disney World and Food Blog Forum for such an amazing experience this year. I can’t wait to head back to Disney World to experience more magical goodness later this year!
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