By Beth Deitchman
When we start to ponder our favorite holiday traditions, it isn’t long before food comes to mind… whether that be mom’s cornbread stuffing on Thanksgiving or a treasured family Christmas cookie recipe that’s been handed down for generations. It was this connection between culinary memories and holidays that inspired the Festive Foods Marketplace that’s debuted this year at Disney California Adventure and invites guests to taste their way through different holiday cultures and celebrations.
The 14 marketplace kiosks—with tantalizing names like “Winter Sliderland” and “Spice Salutations”—are serving food that’s inspired by the holidays celebrated during Disney California Adventure’s Festival of Holidays this year: Christmas, Navidad, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Diwali, and Three Kings’ Day. “It’s really all about cultural comfort foods,” Gary Maggetti, the general manager for Disney California Adventure’s West area, tells D23. The Festive Foods Marketplace builds on the success Disney’s food and beverage team has had with the very authentic offerings of ¡Viva Navidad! and allows the chefs to take a little creative license in coming up with fun twists on traditional favorites. Rather than presenting latkes as traditional Hannukah fare at “Nibbles & Nosh,” for example, the chefs have created a Brisket Potato Croquette with horseradish crème; and the flavors of Thanksgiving all come together in one amazing Roasted Turkey Slider with cranberry sauce and gravy at “Winter Sliderland.” “They’re a nod to traditional holiday menu items,” Maggetti says, adding, “We think that Californians are playful, and that fits very well with the theme of the festival.”
The chefs began to put together the marketplace menus in the heat of summer, back in late July, Disneyland Resort Culinary Director John State says. “You would be amazed by how passionate the chefs were as they talked about the foods they grew up on,” State recalls, noting that many of the items that made it to the final menu were inspired by these memories—and sometimes even prepared using cast members’ personal recipes. The Warm Bourbon Cider at “Treats for Santa” and the Sweet Potato Pie at “Southern Home Holidays” have both been enjoyed by the chefs’ families for years. Maggetti adds that tastes and smells triggered a plethora of memories at the tastings. He remembers hearing from one of the samplers, “These remind me of making cookies with my mom, the ones that we always had to bring to holiday gatherings, and they’d be wrapped up in that colored cellophane…” And everyone, Maggetti says, had their own visceral reaction—the marketplace menu became very personal for all of the chefs.
With so many options to choose from, guests might think they need a strategy to avoid missing a single delicious bite. “The intent for our guests is to allow them to nosh their way all through the theme park, while they experience incredible crafts and entertainment,” Maggetti says. “If you want to make it a meal you certainly can, or in between meals you can stop by and grab a Seven Sharks A-Circling brew from Karl Strauss at ‘Brews and Bites.’ Or you’ll do cookie decorating with the kids at the ‘Treats for Santa’ marketplace. The idea is that in between the experience that you have, whether it’s riding attractions or watching really fun entertainment, you can also supplement with a [culinary] tour of multiple holidays.” The most popular item, State reveals, has been the Southern Mac & Cheese with jalapeño cornbread crumble, with the Adobo Pork Bao and the Roasted Turkey Slider both enjoying cult followings, as well.
Maggetti and State both stress that if guests like a seasonal or marketplace dish, they should make their opinions known. “We’ve had several menu items over the years that are just so popular our guests asked us to have it year round,” Maggetti says. “For Lunar New Year a couple years back, we offered these delicious potstickers, and now you can find them every day at Lucky Fortune Cookery.”
The Festive Foods Marketplace is just one part of the not-to-be-missed Festival of Holidays at Disney California Adventure, which continues through January 8. And it’s a culinary celebration you simply can’t miss!