There are many ways to celebrate food and wine during the 2025 Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival. For some, it is all about eating and drinking throughout the run of the festival. For others, the festival is all about live entertainment or shows like Cookin’ with the Jammin’ Chefs. There is also merchandise and special bookable experiences to be enjoyed as well and don’t forget about the return of Soarin’ Over California! On top of all of that, there are also culinary demonstrations that take place on the weekends at the Hollywood Backlot Stage in Hollywood Land.
For guests wanting to catch a culinary demonstration at the Hollywood Backlot Stage, there are a few things to know. First off, they take place on Saturdays and Sundays with Disney chefs, visiting chefs, and also some festival sponsors. Each of these demonstrations is free. The Daps Magic team has found many of them to be both informative and enjoyable through the years. Below is a look at all of the culinary demonstrations for the 2025 Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival.
Here is a culinary demonstration that was given during the media event for this festival. This shows how the Birria Mac & Cheese is made. This dish is available at the festival.
In this demonstration, the Mickey Mouse-shaped Macarons are made:
Culinary Demonstrations with Disney Chefs
March
- Saturday, March 1
- 5:00 PM to 5:30 PM: Steven Ashworth and Paula Abad, Great Maple Modern American Eatery, Pixar Place Hotel
- Sunday, March 2
- 5:00 PM to 5:30 PM: Priscilla Lemos and Mychael Banaga, Disneyland Park
- Saturday, March 8
- 3:00 PM to 3:30 PM: Juan Mendoza, San Fransokyo Square, Disney California Adventure Park
- 5:00 PM to 5:30 PM: Erik Ortiz Serrano, Disneyland Park
- Sunday, March 9
- 3:30 PM to 4:00 PM: Joanna Aquayo and Quy Hoang, Disney California Adventure Park
- 5:00 PM to 5:30 PM: Brian Torres, Disneyland Resort
- Saturday, March 15
- 5:00 PM to 5:30 PM: Joshua Frias, Naples Ristorante e Bar, Downtown Disney District
- Sunday, March 16
- 5:00 PM to 5:30 PM: Lauren Gutierrez and Brandi Gonzales, Golden Vine Winery, Disney California Adventure Park
- Saturday, March 22
- 5:00 PM to 5:30 PM: Corey Ripplinger, Disneyland Park
- Sunday, March 23
- 5:00 PM to 5:30 PM: Darrin Finkel, Jazz Kitchen Coastal Grill & Patio, Downtown Disney District
- Saturday, March 29
- 5:00 PM to 5:30 PM: Carlos Gaytán and Rudy Lopez, Paseo and Céntrico, Downtown Disney District
- Sunday, March 30
- 5:00 PM to 5:30 PM: Phu Hoang and Quy Hoang, Disneyland Park
April
- Sunday, April 6
- 5:00 PM to 5:30 PM: Albert Esparza, Disneyland Resort
- Saturday, April 12
- 5:00 PM to 5:30 PM: An Interview with Pam Brandon (Chef and Author of The Official Disney Parks Celebration Cookbook) and Disneyland Resort Chefs John State, Jeremiah Balogh and Stephanie Yee
- Sunday, April 13
- 5:00 PM to 5:30 PM: An Interview with Pam Brandon (Chef and Author of The Official Disney Parks Celebration Cookbook) and Disneyland Resort Chefs John State, Jimmy Weita and Stephanie Yee
- Sunday, April 19
- 5:00 PM to 5:30 PM: Adrian Martinez and Elizabeth Ramos, Disneyland Park
- Sunday, April 20
- 5:00 PM to 5:30 PM: Adolfo Salazar and Joanna Pereyda, Disneyland Park
Culinary Demonstrations with Visiting Chefs
March
- Saturday, March 1
- 6:00 PM to 6:30 PM: Duff Goldman, Charm City Cakes
- Sunday, March 2
- 6:00 PM to 6:30 PM: Ernie Alvarado, URBANA Mexican Gastronomy
- Saturday, March 8
- 6:00 PM to 6:30 PM: Bricia Lopez, Guelaguetza
- Sunday, March 9
- 6:00 PM to 6:30 PM: Bricia Lopez, Guelaguetza
- Saturday, March 15
- 6:00 PM to 6:30 PM: Jamie Gwen, Celebrity Chef, Radio Host and Cookbook Author
- Sunday, March 16
- 6:00 PM to 6:30 PM: Paul Cao, Burnt Crumbs
- Saturday, March 22
- 6:00 PM to 6:30 PM: Shachi Mehra, ADYA
- Sunday, March 23
- 6:00 PM to 6:30 PM: Claudia Sandoval, MasterChef Season 6 Winner
- Saturday, March 29
- 6:00 PM to 6:30 PM: Dafne Mejia, Hell’s Kitchen
- Sunday, March 30
- 6:00 PM to 6:30 PM: Nicholas Echaore and Ryan Garlitos, Heritage BBQ
April
- Saturday, April 5
- 5:00 PM to 5:30 PM: Wing Lam, Wahoo’s Fish Taco
- 6:00 PM to 6:30 PM: Dafne Mejia, Hell’s Kitchen
- Sunday, April 6
- 6:00 PM to 6:30 PM: Shaun O’Neale, MasterChef Season 7 Winner
- Saturday, April 12
- 6:00 PM to 6:30 PM: Stuart O’Keeffe, Celebrity Chef
- Sunday, April 13
- 6:00 PM to 6:30 PM: Ray Hayashi, RYLA
- Saturday, April 19
- 6:00 PM to 6:30 PM: Jet Tila, Food Network
- Sunday, April 20
- 6:00 PM to 6:30 PM: Allan Tea, Cali Dumpling
Culinary Demonstrations with Festival Sponsors
The following culinary demonstrations take place on Saturdays and Sundays from 3:30 PM to 4:00 PM:
March
- Saturday, March 1, and Sunday, March 2 – Preston Gaspar, Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Meats
- Sunday, March 15, and Sunday, March 16 – Mark Mackey, Ethel M Chocolates
- Saturday, March 22, and Sunday, March 23 – J. Michael Melton, Impossible Foods
- Saturday, March 29, and Sunday, March 30 – Chris de Mezzo, COO & Roastmaster, Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Company
April
- Saturday, April 5, and Sunday, April 6 – National Geographic with Pablo “Popi” Garcia Borboroglu and Disneyland Resort Chef Natalie Willingham
- Saturday, April 12 – Cooking with Tajin, Disneyland Resort Chef Daniel Romo
- Sunday, April 13 – Cooking with Tajin, Disneyland Resort Chefs Steven Medina and Jamie Burt
- Saturday, April 19, and Sunday, April 20 – Disneyland Resort Chef Harrison Butac, Disney Vacation Club
What do you think of all of these culinary demonstrations? Which one is your favorite? Will you be attending any of these? If so, which one(s)? Be sure to check out all of Daps Magic’s coverage of Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival and also all of the videos as well (as seen below).
