Culinary Destinations | Epcot Becoming Episode 4 | National Geographic

Okay, perfect. The food should have a story. Something you remember for years to come. This is delicious. The creations of the chefs here at EPCOT represent the connecting of different cultures around the world. More than 40 food and drink spots offer unique culinary experiences throughout the park.

As part of the latest transformation, Connections Cafe opened in the World Celebration neighborhood. It's the entry point into all the cuisine that we offer here at EPCOT. Surrounding part of the eatery is a mural designed to tell a story. This mural is absolutely an immersion into how grains, fruits, and vegetables really connect us all. As does, of course, dessert.

Many people are asking how to pronounce Baumkuchen properly. German language. Baum-kuchen. Also known as tree cake. I did my apprenticeship in Germany as a confectioner, and in order to become a Master Pastry Chef, you were required to execute the skill of baking a Baumkuchen. It's very popular in Germany, of course, in Japan, and here at the Connections Cafe.

Our Baumkuchen has a little accent of Florida oranges. I think if you eat a slice of Baumkuchen, then you connect better. Voilà! In World Discovery, the addition of Space 220 takes food connections intergalactic. From the very start, guests are launched into the story. It allows our guests to feel as if they're traveling to space aboard a space elevator.

The elevator takes you to what Disney Imagineers called the Centauri Space Station. It gives you the illusion that you're a space tourist. The experience was dreamed up by Imagineers early on in the transformation. They were tasked with repurposing a portion of the building from the Mission: SPACE attraction. The name Space 220 Restaurant actually comes from the 220 miles that we are above EPCOT in our story.

All around, space vistas and characters aboard the Centauri Station come to life. We want people to look at these things and feel like it's something that maybe I could actually do that someday. And nothing rounds out a story like an out-of-this-world meal.

Hello! My name is Chef Marc. Welcome to my kitchen. The main thing here is always the food. At the end of the day, this is a restaurant. The food has to be the star. The way that everything is plated, even the plates themselves, we tried to make feel a little more unusual. Microgreens just to finish them.

Here we go. All right. Here's one of my favorite dishes, our Rocket Flame Seared Tuna. Enjoy! With the scene set and the galaxy in motion, the stars are ready to shine. Space 220 is really about aspiration. It's about infusing the real world with magic.