The Flavors of Florida event is in full swing at Disney Springs and the first Culinary Series presentation since the event officially began was held yesterday morning at Waterview Park. The free Culinary Series promises to bring some of the top chefs and names from around Disney Springs to Waterview Park for a 30-60 minute presentation about that particular restauranter’s Flavors of Florida offering.

Yesterday, George Miliotes and Executive Chef Will Davison presented a live demo featuring the restaurant’s Flavors of Florida offering – the Dicuru Burrata dish. Before we jump into the specifics of this event, we’re going to talk about the Culinary Series in general and what you might be able to expect when you attend.

Arrival and Venue

All remaining Flavors of Florida Culinary Series events are scheduled to take place at Waterview Park, which is set between Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar and The BOATHOUSE, and across the walkway from Wine Bar George. The events start at 10:30am, but parking is available as early as 8:30am and Disney Springs entry is available as early as 9:30am, according to Disney. We’d plan on arriving early to allow time for finding a parking space and going through the security checkpoints to enter Disney Springs.

When you arrive at Waterview Park, there will be Cast Members ready at a check-in location where you will receive a wristband to indicate that you signed up ahead of time. For our particular event, registration for the free event began on the Wednesday before the Friday demonstration. That is, two days before the event date. Complimentary registration is required for almost every event due to limited seating and anticipated high demand. Guests are encouraged to visit the Disney Springs website for more details.

During our event, we were offered a free water bottle and handheld fans to combat the rising temperatures. The seating area is partially shaded, but you’ll want to prepare for summer which means warm weather and possible rain. If there is poor weather during the event, a secondary location will likely be utilized.

We arrived about 15 minutes before the start of the presentation and found more than half of the seats taken already. There was a reserved section for the front few rows that appeared to be for influencers and that wasn’t available for guests attending the event. We’re assuming that’ll change going forward, but who knows.

Chairs were set up throughout the space to accommodate many more guests than the built-in seating in the area, and two TVs flanked the presentation table. A large mirror was set above the presentation table so guests could see how the chef was preparing the dish and the two TVs showed a live feed of the presentation.

Presentation

The content of the presentation will change from week to week based on the restaurant presenting, but they will all have a Flavors of Florida twist to highlight how the kitchens are using the Sunshine State flavors. The presentation we attended by Wine Bar George featured a single dish that was relatively simple to make, but they made sure to highlight just how much care they put into the ingredients. The presentation was hosted by Mark Daniel and was about 30 minutes long.

While the Dicuru Burrata seemed simple enough for Chef Davison to whip up, here’s a look at the extensive ingredients list that brings the delicious dish together.

Sample

Following the presentation, everyone who attended was able to grab a sample of the Dicuru Burrata to enjoy.

Everything was exceptionally fresh, and the flavors popped. Beyond the burrata itself, the grilled Belle Glade Sweet Corn was a highlight, and everything came together for a perfect, refreshing summer dish.

Flavors of Florida Culinary Series Worth It?

We really enjoyed the presentation and the sample afterward, but it’s tough to put into perspective where a 30-minute presentation should fit into your vacation. If you’re in town for 3-5 days, it’s tough enough to fit Disney Springs into your trip, much less a 30-60 minute window on a Friday morning. However, if you’ll be in Disney Springs anyway, or you’re a local looking for something to kick-start your day at Disney Springs, we recommend dropping in. It’s wonderful to hear from the local businesses that make Disney Springs what it is, and learning more about how a particular restaurant makes decisions for a limited-time event like the Flavors of Florida is fun.

We wouldn’t go out of your way to attend just because the scope of Walt Disney World has to offer is so massive, but we enjoyed our time and plan on returning for subsequent Culinary Series events. We applaud Disney Springs and the local restaurant owners for taking the time to put on an event like this. The Flavors of Florida event is essentially a menu addition here or there and not a full-blown offering like the Holiday Season at Disney Springs, but with the all-new Culinary Series as a base to build off of, we hope to see more from the event in the years to come.

As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!