James Beard Award-winning chefs Michael Mina and Todd English together will host the very first tasting experience for Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic on Saturday, November 21, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
James Beard Award-winning Chefs Michael Mina and Todd English
Guests will travel a culinary journey through ten courses paired with beverage selections from around the world, from Italy to Napa. The event will combine tasting, storytelling, and culinary demonstrations, and guests will learn about each chef’s personal heritage, global travels, culinary philosophies, and the dishes that have defined their careers.
Bourbon Steak – A Michael Mina Restaurant and Todd English’s bluezoo both can be found at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort.
Chef Michael Mina is known for combining technique, bold flavors, his Middle Eastern heritage, and a career spent developing distinguished restaurant concepts. Mina’s newest addition to the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin, Bourbon Steak by Michael Mina, offers a modern cuisine inspired by the “classic American steakhouse.”
Bourbon Steak replaced Shula’s Steakhouse at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort and opened in July of 2025. The restaurant “celebrates the details that make meals memorable, from perfect sears and tableside old-fashioneds to shared sides and milestone moments.”
Mina’s tasting menu will feature:
- Marinated bigeye tuna with crispy falafel, whipped tahina and urfa-spiced cucumbers
- Chilled lobster and mango salad with saffron mango sauce, blistered pepper and avocado
- Aleppo grilled poussin with creamy chickpea and orzo koshary
- Triple-seared Wagyu striploin and smashed sweet potatoes with matbucha and olive oil
- Basbousa & passionfruit cheesecake with labneh, pomegranate, and ashta
Chef Todd English spent his career studying flavors from all around the world. Todd English’s bluezoo showcases a creative approach to seafood in a vibrant, contemporary Walt Disney World setting. Here, guests can savor succulent raw or cooked seafood—plus tender chicken and beef dishes—at this underwater-themed restaurant.
English’s tasting menu will pay respect to his home of Boston, Massachusetts, presenting coastal cuisine featuring:
- Brown butter miso-poached lobster with truffled dashi glaze and whipped corn chawanmushi
- Pan-seared Nantucket scallops with fresh-pressed apple cider, spiced acorn squash, and toasted hazelnut butter
- House-made pastene cacio e pepe with duckling confit au poivre and pecorino espuma
- Roasted Chilean sea bass with blood orange glaze, 8-hour roasted fennel, shaved porcini mushroom and shaved fennel slaw
- Roasted red beet chocolate gateau with chocolate beet chips and white chocolate golden beet glace
During the tasting, Mina and English will interact directly with guests, detailing the stories behind each creation and explaining how people, places, and flavors have influenced their past and continue to shape the future of cuisine.
Tickets for the tasting experience are $295 per person and can be purchased at swandolphinfoodandwineclassic.com. Space is limited.
We recently reported that the menus were released for the 2026 Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic. This event is a “street party,” featuring top-tier world cuisines, international wine, beer, and spirits, seminars, and live entertainment. Food and beverages are unlimited for each night of the event, with dishes from 23 of The Swan and Dolphin Resort’s restaurants and lounges, plus fair-themed refreshment areas such as Chinatown, Carnival Corner, and For the Love of Florida.
The Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic runs from November 20-21, 2026, from 5:00 p.m to 9:00 p.m. each night. Tickets are available.
The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel is located between EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and near Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park and Magic Kingdom Park. Guests are welcomed to 23 world-class restaurants and lounges, cosmopolitan theming, and the Mandara Spa for high-end relaxation. The complex features six pools, three health clubs, golf, complimentary transportation to locations across the Walt Disney World Resort, early entry to all four theme parks, and extended evening theme park hours on select nights in select parks. The new, 14-story Walt Disney World Swan Reserve offers 149 suites and a premium atmosphere.
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