Avid Lover of Food Enjoys Disney’s Annual Food and Wine Festival

From boy scouts to aspiring hobby, Declan Sklena loves food because it leads a way into people’s hearts as well as their cultures.

Author: Julianne Gonzalez

Published: April 21, 2019

Declan Sklena derives his excitement from the annual Food and Wine Festival at Disney’s California Adventure. The festival consists of different booths scattered around the amusement park. The culinary festival goes on from March 1 to April 23.

Sklena thrives during this month and a half because it happens to be his favorite time of the year. His passion for food first developed when he was in the Boy Scouts. “We would go on camp outs and have to make a menu for the entire weekend” Sklena states. “I really enjoyed planning and then executing our menus using the cooking gear.” His biggest obstacle with cooking food was cooking over the fire. He enjoyed finding different ways to prepare his menu with the assortment of cooking gear in their backpacks.

Dedicating his nights to the masters of Iron Chef, Master Chef, and Chopped, Sklena learned from the best. These beloved television shows sparked his love for making different dishes for people to try. Sklena has now pursued his dream of sharing his passion for food.

By keeping his fondness for food, Sklena exclaims, “I try to experiment with new foods or recipes every week, actually!” Either from finding recipes online or from trying to replicate a dish from his favorite restaurant, he constantly tries different ways to make food. Even when he goes to restaurants, he will try different food and drink items. “I love trying new foods and drinks no matter where I am,” Sklena affirms. Amanda Gonzalez, Sklena’s girlfriend, comments on his love for food. She states that “once he learned to make the chopped salad from our favorite restaurant, Portillos, and it almost tasted exactly the same.”

His first obstacle was cooking in the woods over a fire. Now his obstacle includes preparing for his vegetarian girlfriend. However, Sklena’s obstacles provide him happiness. Gonzalez comments with a laugh: “He loves to cook. I never have to cook because he always wants to be the one cooking.” He can make his family’s recipe of sweet and sour macaroni. He accommodates for his girlfriend by making a batch of fake meat for her while making another batch of meat for himself. The family’s recipe includes tons of spices while adding cranberries with the pasta noodles.

Since Sklena appreciates food and drinks, he takes up every opportunity to celebrate his culinary love. He attends Renaissance Fairs filled with an abundance of themed foods and drinks. Another event, Disney’s California Adventure’s Food and Wine Festival allows Sklena to bask in his love for food and drink. He loves the environment of the festival. He reminisces his times at the festival by stating, “The smells from the foods are mouth-watering and almost every one of age has a drink they want to try out in their hand.” The sights and sounds are magnificent to Sklena. He takes in the ambient sounds of the amusement park and the festival around him. He feels in his element. Sharing special moments with his girlfriend surrounded by food and drinks continues to be his favorite part of the celebration.

Sklena describes in great detail his favorite foods of the 2019 festival. His first favorite food was the Garlic Mac and Cheese. “The garlic infused cheese gives the macaroni a creamy, but savory taste and the breadcrumbs on top provide the perfect crunch to bring the dish to a nice finish,” Sklena details. However, the creamy mac n cheese got pushed aside once he tried the Meatless “Meatball” Sandwich. The delicious food item became his favorite this year because the “sandwich is entirely vegan with a non-animal protein to make up the meatballs, a soy cheese, and a toasted bun all topped with a delicious marinara sauce with oregano.”

Looking forward to the festival becomes the highlight of his March and April every year. He can enjoy the different foods and drinks that are displayed each year. Sklena’s excitement this year led to wanting to go two days in a row to try all the foods he could. On the first day Sklena went, Gonzalez noticed him “intensely studying” the food and wine pamphlet.

Now that the food and wine festival comes to a close, Sklena declares, “I am so looking forward to the 2020 Food and Wine Festival already.” Patiently waiting for next year, Sklena will be sharing his love for foods through different dishes and experimenting with ingredients. He believes foods and drinks lead the way to learn about a culture. Sklena hopes to keep following his passion, and in the future attend a “food tour” across Europe.