Calling all foodies!
For Florida residents and visitors who enjoy sampling fine and unusual cuisine at Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival, there’s another similar theme park venue that beats many of the Disney offerings, and at a lower admission price. It’s the annual Taste of Space coming up at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex! This year there are five distinct culinary opportunities available, all located amidst exclusive and intriguing space-related exhibits, attractions, and yes, real live astronauts (not animatronics).
The annual event draws thousands of hungry visitors over series of dates.
Taste of Space: Fall Bites!
From September 30 to November 3, visitors to the complex can indulge in out-of-this-world, limited-time menu items. A delectable selection of chef inspired menu items featuring the distinctive flavors of fall will be available at several eateries throughout the visitor complex during Taste of Space: Fall Bites!
- Inside Gateway: The Deep Space Launch Complex®, the Space Bowl Bistro will feature a colorful harvest bowl that includes quinoa, tricolored potatoes, super greens, diced granny smith apples and goat cheese, finished with maple syrup.
- A trip to Orbit Cafe will warm guests up with a hearty chili featuring lentils and squash or delectable cranberry brie “Moon” puffs with honey and toasted almonds.
- For dessert, guests can head to Milky Way for a flaky pear galette topped with vanilla bean ice cream.
- A meteor shower can be found at Red Rock Grill in the form of lamb “meteor” meatballs featuring spiced mint marinara.
- The Moon Rock Cafe, located at the Apollo/ Saturn V Center, will offer an autumn pizza topped with bacon, fig and habanero spread, squash, sweet potato, sopressata, cheddar cheese and sage.
Local brews will also be available for purchase inside Planet Play.
Taste of Space: Marstini Shake-Off
On October 4, bartenders from Lourdes Library, The Space Bar, Playalinda’s Brix Project, 28 North Gastropub, The Alilbi Cocktails & Bites, and Oceanside Distillery will compete for the coveted Marstini trophy at the fourth annual Taste of Space: Marstini Shake-Off. “Shaken or stirred?” That is the question.
Yes, you read that right, the MARStini! To take place inside Gateway: The Deep Space Launch Complex, guests over 21 can sample each Marstini and enjoy several fall dishes while mingling with veteran NASA astronaut Tony Antonelli. Attendees will also have the opportunity to vote for their favorite cocktail creation to win the People’s Choice Award. Tickets for Taste of Space: Marstini Shake-Off are $159 per person plus tax.
Taste of Space: Celebrity Chef Edition
November 2, will see the third Taste of Space: Celebrity Chef Edition, a celebrity-studded chef demo and dinner after-hours event. This year, the Visitor’s Complex welcomes back chef Duff Goldman (Ace of Cakes, Kids Baking Championship) and a new face to Taste of Space, chef Amanda Freitag (Chopped, Iron Chef America). Chef Jon Ashton (The Today Show, The Tonight Show) returns as well to cook up something special and serve as the host. Joining the chefs will be a special bonus: veteran NASA astronauts José Hernández, Robert “Bob” Cabana and Janet Kavandi. Guests will have the chance to enjoy exclusive menu items as they hear personal stories about the experience of eating in space as well as favorite foods the astronauts enjoyed during their flights. The chance to take photos with the astronauts following the demo will only be bested by a delectable selection of desserts, including a specialty cake designed by Duff himself and Charm City Cakes. Tickets for this event are $175 per person plus tax.
Gourmands seeking a bit more flavor can take advantage of a very limited number of tickets available for an exclusive meal that will follow the chef demo. The two-hour, sit-down, multi-course dinner will feature a menu designed by Goldman, Freitag and Ashton and will take place on the second floor of Gateway inside the flight terminal of Spaceport KSC. Personal visits to each table will be made by the celebrity chefs and astronauts in attendance. Ending the meal with a treat sweeter than most desserts, guests will have the chance to mingle and take photos with Goldman, Freitag and Ashton. Tickets are $499 per person plus tax and include both the chef demo and sit-down dinner events (late flash: this event is reportedly sold out).
An exclusive family-friendly ice cream social with Goldman and Freitag will round out the Taste of Space: Celebrity Chef Edition weekend. On Sunday, November 3, the chefs will conduct a short demo while interacting with guests as they create their own ice cream sundaes. Duff’s signature cake will also be on display during the event. In addition to one-day admission, tickets for the Ice Cream Social are $60 plus tax for adults and $50 plus tax for children.
You can find all of the details of Taste of Space here.
Tips For Attending
Visiting Chicago-area food critics Terry and Linda Hardin recommend getting your reservation as soon as possible, as they are usually sold out. Tickets for these events are available for purchase online at www.kennedyspacecenter.com.
The great thing about this culinary opportunity is that admission prices to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex beats the Epcot admissions:
A one-day pass is $75 for adults and $65 for children under 12 (vs. Epcot at $109-149 per person depending on day of the week).
A two-day pass (return within 6 months) is $89 for adults and $79 for children (vs. Epcot at $242-300 per person depending on day of the week).
