The new carnitas-style pork belly with esquites corn mac salad at Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival showcases the varied menu the culinary team has planned for this year.

You can find this dish at LA Style, one of the ten festival marketplaces located throughout California Adventure. The esquites corn salad comes with a habanero and chilli-lime seasoning.

Disneyland Resort Chef Luis Madrigal expressed that this dish is a result of an attempt to experiment with the much-loved pork belly, all while presenting a Los Angeles cultural experience.

He shared, “So, we thought of including it. Carnitas are pork but they’re made in a unique style. We explored ways to merge this with the pork belly. We have this pork belly piece accompanying the esquites corn salad. Esquites are a common street food in Los Angeles, often sold by outdoor vendors. We wanted to offer that cultural experience to our guests, an experience that chefs get outside of the workplace. Growing up, many of us used to visit the elote man to get a cup of esquites. Now, we’re bringing that tradition together with the carnitas.”

The festival commenced on March 1 and will end on April 22, offering over 80 new dishes found in festival marketplaces, meals at participating locations and certain carts. This year, patrons can choose from the new four-coupon Sip and Savor Pass or the recurring eight-coupon variant. These passes can be spent on selected food and non-alcoholic drinks.

In addition to the wide range of food and beverages on offer, there is an educational aspect featuring local, celebrity, and Disney chefs who provide cooking shows on weekends at the Hollywood Backlot Stage.

The other half of the Food & Wine Festival is made up of entertainment, including a new interactive children’s display in Hollywood Land – “Confection Purrfection with the SuperKitties,” which is inspired by Disney Junior’s animated show, “SuperKitties.” An amusing aspect of the show is the witty use of cat puns, spanning from “cat-astrophe” and “that’s paw-some,” to “cat-ch ya later” and everything in between.

“The series is flooded with cat puns and we just kept loading more,” stated Linda Love Simmons, the show director for Disney Live Entertainment. “We were in fits of laughter constantly,” she added.

The event features appearances by the “SuperKitties” and kids’ cupcake decorating activities.

The organizer stated a desire to provide an engaging activity for young food enthusiasts.

For live-music lovers, the festival will boast a larger number of bands this year. 14 different bands will be performing daily at the Palisades Stage and Paradise Gardens Bandstand. Musical genres range from reggae, top 40, 80s, R&B, jazz to big band.

The “Cookin’ with the Jammin’ Chefs” segment returns for the third time. It features music centered around cooking, dancing characters and performers dressed as chefs drumming on kitchen utensils. Characters such as Chip ‘n’ Dale, Clarabelle Cow, and Daisy Duck will contribute to feature with their exciting dance moves.

“I cherish the concept of rejoicing in everyone’s presence. The thought of everyone seeing themselves in the narratives we share delights me,” expressed Simmons. “With ‘Confection Purrfection’, the notion is that when people sense inclusion, it enhances their happiness. It amplifies joy for all. This is something we should embrace, ensuring that everyone perceives themselves as integral to the story. Also, the laughter and fun are tremendous. Even the tiniest chefs possess their own superpowers.”

“As for ‘Cookin’ with the Jammin’ Chefs,’ the conclusion always resonates with me deeply: ‘Sample everything, give it all a try, because food, much like life, is a grand celebration. That, to me, encapsulates the essence of Food & Wine – it’s a spontaneous celebration. It’s a tribute to the abundance California offers. It also celebrates artistry. By the gazebo, close to the beer garden, works of art designed specifically for the festival can be observed. The mural is brushed to life. So, in the opening four days of the festival, attendees can witness the gradual birth of this mural at the hands of a real artist called Marcella Swett.”