Vanilla Ice to Host Disney’s Swan & Dolphin Food Fest
Orlando’s foodie scene soon will welcome a 1990s rapper, as well as a Walt Disney World classic gastro festival.
Robert Van Winkle, also known as Vanilla Ice, will host the grand opening event April 9-11 for McFadden’s Irish Restaurant & Saloon in Orlando, one of the newest restaurants to open on International Drive. McFadden’s, located at the Vue at 360 dining and entertainment complex, is next door to the $200 million I-Drive 360 complex, which will open May 4.
The Orlando location, which created an estimated 75 new jobs in Central Florida, is New York-based McFadden’s Irish Restaurant & Saloon’s first in Florida and it’s also the chain’s biggest restaurant, at 11,000 square feet.
Meanwhile, Walt Disney World’s Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic is set for Oct. 30-31. Tickets are on sale for the sixth-annual event, which features more than 40 culinary stations from the hotel’s award-winning restaurants, as well as wine from 30 different wineries.
Food festivals like this help shine a spotlight on Central Florida culinary scene and attract more visitors to the region, helping boost Orlando’s $50 million tourism industry.
Source: BizJournals