Followers of my blog, know that in addition to discussing the Walt Disney Classics Collection, another facet is visiting Walt Disney World with family and friends and sharing our experiences at both the theme parks and restaurants (located throughout the theme parks and resorts).A favorite of ours was Spoodles (pictured at right), conveniently close to Epcot®Theme Park, at Disney's Boardwalk Inn. We just recently discovered this restaurant through our good friend Michelle, after she ate there in September 2007. We ate there for the first time in May 2008, had an awesome experience (was it the food, the company we were with or both :)??), so ate there again this past November and once again, we were not disappointed (great food, great friends, good times!). Very sorry to hear that it will be closing. Spoodles closing is making way for Kouzzina by Cat Cora, slated to open Fall, 2009.
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (March 17, 2009) - Chef Cat Cora and Disney are joining together to open an exciting new family dining restaurant at Disney’s BoardWalk Resort. Kouzzina by Cat Cora will feature a menu of Mediterranean-style cuisine that pays tribute to the chef’s Greek roots. The restaurant, to be owned and operated by Disney, is scheduled to open by fall 2009 in the space currently occupied by Spoodles.
“I am pleased to welcome Cat Cora and her engaging new concept for Kouzzina to the Walt Disney World Resort,” said Jay Rasulo, chairman, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “This collaboration between Cat and Disney represents a significant step in our ongoing commitment to offer unique culinary experiences and choices for our guests.”
As a Mississippi native born to a family of Greek restaurateurs, Cora grew up immersed in two different and flavorful cultures , and has taken from that unique background the kitchen “know-how” handed down through generations. The cuisine at Kouzzina (Greek for “kitchen” and pronounced “koo-zee-nah”) will showcase Mediterranean cuisine and Chef Cora’s philosophy to create simple yet sensational meals.
Cora said that the new restaurant will feature “time-honored recipes passed down from my ancestors, as well as my favorite Greek and Mediterranean dishes that my family loves.”
She began working with Disney in 2008 by creating a Disney Video on Demand series to showcase ways to help families develop more healthy eating habits. “I’m extremely excited about this latest extension of my relationship with Disney,” she said. “Together, we’re going to develop a truly amazing contemporary Mediterranean restaurant.”
The first and only female Iron Chef on Food Network's hit show “Iron Chef America,” Cora is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in New York. She also is Executive Chef for Bon Appétit magazine. In addition to hosting the instructional cooking demonstrations for Disney Video on Demand, Cora has been a featured chef at the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival and at Disney’s California Food & Wine Festival at Disneyland Resort.
1 comment:
Just had a marvelous dinner at Spoodles a couple weeks ago. The lamb shank w/ creamy polenta was out of this world. Very much like an osso bucco. I also love their preserved lemon shrimp scampi. You get about a dozen large shrimp. Extremely tasty. I'll be very sad to see Spoodles go.
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