Celebrity Chefs and New Experiences at Walt Disney World Resort Hotels Set for the 2016 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival

Today, we have more great news to share about the 2016 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, that runs September 14 – November 24.

Let's start with the stellar lineup of celebrity chefs who will cook and entertain throughout the 62-day festival — Geoffrey Zakarian, Maneet Chauhan, Duff Goldman, Elliott Farmer, Masaharu Morimoto and Graham Elliot are the newcomers for 2016, joining longtime favorites including Robert Irvine, Cat Cora, Norman Van Aken, Elizabeth Falkner, Buddy Valastro and Jamie Deen. And, yes, ABC's "The Chew" is back for a week of taping their Emmy Award-winning show!

For the very first time, we're expanding the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival experience to some of the Walt Disney World Resort

• "Brunch with a Twist at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa" — a sumptuous 5-star, 5-course meal prepared by the resort's award-winning chefs
• "The Secrets of Flavor at Disney's Yacht Club Resort" — a three-course lunch that gives guests a 'sensory-food connection' at Yachtsman Steakhouse
• "Culinary Adventures with a Master Chef" at Disney's Contemporary Resort — a hands-on chef's table experience in a professional working kitchen
• "Behind the Scenes at Trader Sam's Grog Grotto" at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort — an entertaining tour of the whimsical Trader Sam's, followed by lunch and a special mixology session

Keep checking the Disney Parks Blog for updates about when you can begin making reservations for these festival experiences and more.

And with 39 new or re-imagined marketplace dishes and 47 new cocktails, beers, wines and ciders on the menu for this year's festival, there will be a lot to choose from. Here are a few of our favorite new dishes from some of the more than 30 Festival Marketplaces that Epcot guests can experience this fall: elegant seared scallop with truffled celery root puree, Brussels sprouts and mushrooms at Wine & Dine Studio; the mojo pork with black beans and rice at Islands of the Caribbean (and the divine quesitos are there too!); loaded Greek "nachos" at the Greece Marketplace, and our favorite: peanut butter and white chocolate mousse from The Chew Collective.

Visit epcotfoodfestival.com for more details on all of the festival's events.