Orlando – I attend a whole lot of food-centered fundraising events each year, and Chef’s Gala is one of the best. Located within the grand Epcot World Showplace, the event features 24 local and Disney World restaurants. Each has a station at which the chefs prepare and serve small dishes designed just for the evening. Wines are poured freely, plus there’s live entertainment and an excellent silent auction.
Tickets are splurgy at $350, or $650 for two, yet the proceeds go for good: Nearly every penny raised helps Heart of Florida United Way fund community programs to feed and house our hungry and homeless neighbors.
Pictured is Braaivleis, an South African-infuenced dish of spiced pork tenderloin, smoked pork belly and super-unusual sausage prepared by the incredibly talented chefs of Tiffins, a fine dining restaurant located within Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park. The sausage, called Boerewors, refers to Afrikaans farmers, who serve this regularly at “braai” barbecues. It’s flavored with coriander, nutmeg, cloves, allspice and black pepper. Yup, you get to taste foods that intriguing at Chef’s Gala.
The restaurants below will all have food stations at the 2019 Heart of Florida United Way Chef’s Gala. Details and tickets
SAVORY
· Ale & Compass Restaurant at Disney’s Beach Club Resort
· Be Our Guest Restaurant at Magic Kingdom Park
· blu on the avenue
· Coral Reef Restaurant at Epcot Center
· Fiorenzo Italian Steakhouse at Hyatt Regency Orlando
· Hemisphere at Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport
· Highball & Harvest at Ritz-Carlton, Grande Lakes
· Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen at Magic Kingdom Park
· La Luce at Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek
· Latitude & Longitude at Orlando World Center Marriott
· Le Cellier Steakhouse at Epcot
· Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
· Morimoto Asia at Disney Springs
· Narcoossee’s at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
· Primo by Melissa Kelly at JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes
· Sanaa at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Resort Area
· Sebastian’s Bistro at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
· SLATE
· STK Orlando at Disney Springs
· Tiffins at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park
SWEET
· Amorette’s Patisserie at Disney Springs
· BoardWalk Bakery at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
· Gideon’s Bakehouse
· The Glass Knife