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It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost a month since the dessert party weekend hosted by myself and food allergy cookbook author Laurie Sadowski. It seems like the month has just flown by, post-event and it feels like just yesterday we were busily planning all of the events!
This is a recap of the 2nd Annual Special Diets Dessert party. I’ll be recapping & highlighting the Welcome Breakfast hosted at Babycakes NYC in Downtown Disney and sponsored by Enjoy Life and the Lunch & Learn at Raglan Road Irish Pub sponsored by Magners Irish Cider and Mary’s Gone Crackers in another post. This recap is all about desserts!
*Big thanks to Krista Joy from Disneyways.com for sharing her amazing photos from the event (they turned out way better than the ones I attempted to take) and for also covering the event for WDWNT News Today. You can read her full recap on the WDWNT News Today site HERE.
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| Photo Copyright Disneyways.com |
As with any event, it all starts with an idea. Little did I know that last year when I came up with the idea to host a special diets dessert party that it would provide me the opportunity to create a series of events celebrating special diets. Our first party, co-hosted by Allergy Free Mouse, was held in December 2012. There was such a positive response that I came up with the idea to host another one—and the most requested dates all revolved around one theme – Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival! Like me, so many of you were interested in having a special event where you could enjoy Food & Wine Festival inspired offerings while eating safe food. And so the 2nd Annual Special Diets Desert Party was set for October 13, 2013.
This year’s event could not have taken place without the generous support of many special diets vendors & Disney related sites and companies. I cannot begin to thank each of those folks enough for all that they did to help make this event a reality! Here is a list of our generous sponsors. I encourage you to check out their sites, services, and products! This is an amazing group of people.
Our Platinum Sponsor for this event was Mousekejournals. This amazing Disney directory site, offers you a taste of all things Disney! Their support & partnership in this event was amazing!
Gold Sponsors:
- Crunchmaster
- Disney Dining
- Goldbaums
- Mary’s Gone Crackers
- Mousecation
- Orlando Theme Park Shoppers
- Popsalot
- The Spice & Tea Exchange
- Theme Park Concierges
- Walt Disney World Made Easy for Everyone
Silver Sponsors:
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| Chef Dennis from Disney’s Catered Events |
I work really closely with Disney’s Catered Events & Event Planning to make sure our menu is free of the top 8 common allergens but not free of flavor. This year I asked them create a Food & Wine Festival inspired menu. They came up with a lot of dishes and we eventually narrowed it down to the following:
- All American Chocolate Bacon Whoopee Pies
- French Apple Coquotte
- Green Tea & Ginger Spiced Glazed Donuts
- Mexican Cinnamon Chocolate Drops
- Chocolate Ganache Chocolate Drops
- Chocolate Brownie Bites
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| Photo Copyright Disneyways.com |
Disney’s Catered Events always goes above and beyond to provide safe and delicious desserts and they did a great job this time. I really enjoyed all of the dishes and thought they were really fun and unique. Chef Dennis worked with us this year and he really tried to make sure that everything was just right. The kitchen originally utilized Namaste and Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Mix; however, at the last minute they changed the mixes to only be Namaste due to a legume allergy in our party. It was great to know that the kitchen was adept at making changes and making sure our guests were safe at the party! The list of ingredients was provided to guests ahead of time and as requested. Chef Dennis was also on hand at the party itself to consult with guests who had special dietary needs and to take care of specially prepared plates for guests who had allergies not covered by the top 8.
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| Photo Copyright Disneyways.com |
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| Photo copyright Disneyways.com |
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| Photo copyright Disneyways.com |
In addition to this awesome dessert buffet (which was all you can eat and quickly devoured!), guests also had the chance to have a private and up-close view of IllumiNations. I have to say, it’s one of my favorite things about these parties—the view is just spectacular!
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| Photo copyright Disneyways.com |
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| Photo copyright Disneyways.com |
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| Photo copyright Disneyways.com |
As if this wasn’t enough, guests also get the opportunity to enjoy swag from their favorite special diets vendors. Each guest received a gift bag with tote bags provided by Magical Vacations by Me which included a bounty of treats, both food and non-food related. In addition, guests also received giveaways that included large gift baskets, t-shirts, free product coupons, CDs, full size products and more. See the vendor page for a complete list of vendors who donated to the event HERE.
This year’s event was so much fun. I truly enjoyed meeting each and every guest, seeing familiar faces, and just watching as guests enjoyed eating safe and delicious desserts. Disney helped make this a really special event, and I enjoy working with them every year to make this happen. It was truly a magical evening!
Do you want this event hosted again next year?
Let me know what time of year you’d like to see it take place!
