About
The Ocala Food & Wine Festival is a three-day, chef-led culinary celebration featuring culinary competition, beer, wine and spirits tastings and samples of extraordinary cuisine.
Experience three days of exceptional cuisine at World Equestrian Center – Ocala. This exclusive weekend is your invitation to indulge with talented chefs, elegant events and world-class accommodations.
Make the most of the weekend with the Five-Star Festival Package, offering exclusive access to the Chefs’ Dinner. Book a package to fully immerse yourself in gourmet cuisine and luxurious comfort.
This 21+ event benefits the Public Education Foundation of Marion County ProStart Program. Marketing in Partnership with the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association.
Event Schedule
Chefs’ Dinner Presented by The Gallery Off 80th
November 6
Grand Tasting
November 7
Grand Prix Dining Experience: Ocala Food & Wine Festival Edition
November 7
Jazz Brunch
November 8
Five-Star Festival Package
Available at either The Equestrian Hotel or The Riding Academy Hotel:
- Two nights’ accommodations for two guests
- Access for two to all signature festival events:
- Friday: Chefs’ Dinner Presented by The Gallery Off 80th
- Saturday: Grand Tasting with exclusive access to the VIP Bubble Lounge
- Saturday: Grand Prix Dining Experience
- Sunday: Jazz Brunch
- $50 Stirrups breakfast credit per room Saturday morning
- Early check-in and late check-out
- Valet parking (The Equestrian Hotel Only)
- 15% off a Calluna Spa service for two
- Surprise welcome amenity
Book early to secure the best rates. Don’t miss your chance to experience one of Florida’s most extraordinary culinary weekends!
Must be 21+ to book. Package based on dual occupancy. Subject to availability.
Ticket Information
Grand Tasting | $150 per person
Sip and savor at this unlimited sampling event. Explore local bites, samples from premium beverage vendors, and curated offerings from our talented chefs. The afternoon will feature lively programming, including a beer garden, a wine pull and the annual mystery basket competition featuring local culinary students. Commemorative tasting glass included!
$3 online service fee and taxes additional.
1pm–5pm | WEC Exposition Center 1
Purchase Tickets
Jazz Brunch | $135 per person
Raise a glass to the end of the weekend with this elegant jazz brunch at The Equestrian Manor. Mingle with the chefs and indulge in sweet and savory brunch classics, chef-attended action stations, a build-your-own Bloody Mary bar and bubbly, all accompanied by live jazz.
$3 online service fee and taxes additional.
10am–1pm | Lallie’s Covered Pavilion
Ticket Bundle
Local guests can enjoy a special packaged rate when bundling tickets to the Grand Tasting and Jazz Brunch, plus receive access to the Grand Prix Dining Experience: Ocala Food & Wine Festival Edition.
$425 per person
$3 online service fee and taxes additional.
Grand Tasting Stage Schedule
Discover culinary and beverage demonstrations featuring WEC chefs and industry experts, plus the return of the annual Mystery Basket Competition, where local culinary students, guided by Chef Roland LaCroix and Chef Jonathan Nicho, put their skills to the test with surprise ingredients.
1:10pm – 1:25pm Bourbon Cocktail Demonstration
Four Roses National Brand Ambassador Tucker Carper
Join Tucker for a live cocktail demonstration featuring Four Roses Bourbon as he shares expert tips and techniques along the way.
1:40pm – 2pm Sabaku: The Art of Japanese Fish Butchery
The White Willow Sushi Chef de Cuisine Karl Reinhart
Chef Karl will demonstrate Japanese fish butchery with a whole buri, or winter yellowtail, weighing up to 30 pounds. Watch the precision and craftsmanship of sukibiki, the technique of carefully removing scales with a knife before expertly filleting the fish.
2:15pm – 2:30pm Exploring Woodinville Whiskey
Woodinville Whiskey Co. Representative Josh Prete
Discover the craftsmanship behind Woodinville Whiskey and its single-barrel program, including an exclusive barrel selection for World Equestrian Center – Ocala.
2:45pm – 3:10pm From Cream Puffs to a French Showpiece
Emma’s Patisserie Resort Executive Pastry Chef Yohann Le Bescond
Celebrating his French heritage and top-placing finish in a national croquembouche competition, Chef Yohann will transform classic cream puffs into one of France’s most iconic pastry showpieces.
3:20pm – 3:40pm Beef Butchery Masterclass
Certified Angus Beef® Brand Chef Josh Ennis
Offering a closer look at preparing premium beef, Chef Josh will take the stage for a live butchery demonstration.
Featured Competition 3:55pm – 4:55pm Mystery Basket Competition
Two chef-led teams of local culinary students go head-to-head in a Chopped-style competition. Which team will come out on top?
Get the Fun Started Early!
Begin your festival weekend with The Art of Champagne: An Evening with Cristal on Thursday, November 5. Enjoy an intimate six-course dinner paired with legendary Louis Roederer champagnes, including newly released and rare Cristal vintages. Limited seats are available.
Talent
Chef Yohann Le Bescond
Resort Executive Pastry Chef
Learn More
French Chef Yohann Le Bescond serves as Complex Executive Pastry Chef at World Equestrian Center – Ocala, where he oversees the pastry program across the resort’s 13 dining concepts, including the two beloved Emma’s Patisserie locations. A 2025 James Beard Award semifinalist for Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker, Le Bescond trained in Brittany, France, earning his Brevet Technique des Métiers Pâtissier by age 20 before leading pastry kitchens in the United States at just 22. His work has earned national recognition through appearances on Food Network’s Summer Baking Championship, Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking and Beat Bobby Flay, and he was named to Restaurant Hospitality‘s 2023 Chef Power List.
Chef Stephan Holland
Learn More
With over two decades of mastery in Modern American, Spanish, Asian, Japanese, and Haute Cuisine, Chef Stephan Holland brings global finesse to the table. He previously led special projects, openings, and development at Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas and has overseen and conceptualized multiple restaurants in Sweden. Chef Stephan has headlined premier events such as the NPIWFF Wine and Food Festival and collaborated with Andrew Zimmern, Martha Stewart, José Andrés, and Nobu Matsuhisa. He now oversees the 13 dining concepts at World Equestrian Center – Ocala.
Event Sponsors
Festival Highlights
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