Friday
November 1
Flavors of the Fire Welcome Event | $125
Mix and mingle as we start the weekend with live-fire cuisine from around the world. Try small plates of internationally celebrated favorites, like Korean barbecue, Yakitori chicken and Achiote shrimp, along with samples of global spirits and live music. Available for individual event purchase.
Tiki Afterparty
Five-star ticket holders can keep the party going at The Equestrian Hotel’s swanky poolside bar. Exclusively available with Five-Star Experience package.
Saturday
November 2
Grand Tasting | $125
Sample beer, wine, spirits, and cuisine and catch the celebrity chef demonstrations and Jr. Chef Mystery Basket Competition on the main stage as well as seminars from beverage experts. Available for individual event purchase.
Lugano Rose Garden Cocktail Hour
Enjoy an elegant pre-dinner cocktail hour in the rose garden, including exclusive access to the Lugano Diamonds lounge. Exclusively available to Five-Star Experience package ticket holders.
Celebrity Chef Dinner
Indulge in an exquisite, multicourse dinner from a team of celebrity chefs. Each course is artfully prepared and thoughtfully paired by a different culinary master or industry expert. Learn from the celebrity chefs as they present each course. Available exclusively with Five-Star Package.
Sunday
November 3
Jazz Brunch | $135
Raise a glass to the end of the weekend with this elegant Champagne brunch on The Equestrian Hotel terrace featuring live jazz music.
Celebrity Chefs & Talent
Chef Yohann Le Bescond
Chef Jonathan Martini
Pitmaster Rashad Jones
Master Sommelier Roland Micu
Chef Marc Murphy
Chef Michael Seegobin
Chef Esther Choi
Chef Lorena Garcia
Chef Lorena Garcia
Chef Lorena Garcia brings with her the big flavors of Latin cooking. Chef Lorena has appeared on top culinary television shows such as Top Chef Masters, America’s Next Great Restaurant as well as many programs on Univision and Telemundo. She has traveled around the world teaching and cooking before developing her own CHICA concept in Las Vegas and Miami, which celebrates the flavors of Latin America. Her global take on Latin cuisine fuses classic technique with Latin ingredients. Her life as a chef, entrepreneur, cookbook author, media personality, cookware designer, and restaurateur has been a celebration of the cooking and passion for food that she grew up with in her homeland of Venezuela.
Complex Executive Pastry Chef Yohann Le Bescond
French chef Yohann Le Bescond, Ocala’s newest celebrity chef, is renowned for his appearances on Beat Bobby Flay and Food Network’s Summer Baking Championship. Leading the pastry program at World Equestrian Center, he showcases his impressive skills across seven property restaurants with more to come in 2025. Le Bescond’s classic French creations and mastery earned him a spot on Restaurant Hospitality’s 2023 Power List.
The Equestrian Hotel Executive Chef Jonathan Martini
Chef Jonathan Martini is the Hotel Executive Chef at World Equestrian Center – Ocala, where he oversees the world-class culinary programming at The Equestrian Hotel. With a multicultural culinary background, his cuisine is infused with the rich flavors of his roots in Brazil and Italy. His depth of expertise includes time at two Forbes five-star-rated properties in Florida and Montana, and experience working for one of the world’s Top 50 best chefs.
Pitmaster Rashad Jones
Host of the hit Food Network show Eat, Sleep, BBQ, Ocala’s own Rashad Jones. Known as the ‘barbecue king,’ Jones is the ultimate pitmaster, grill dad, and “master of ‘cue” – an honor earned most recently as the winner of Season three of Food Network’s series BBQ Brawl. He owns and operates the popular Big Lee’s BBQ and their fleet of food trucks right here in Ocala.
Master Sommelier Roland Micu
Roland Micu, MS brings with him the impressive title of Master Sommelier, a distinction awarded sparingly at the discretion of the Court of Master Sommeliers. In 2012, Micu completed the program at the age of 28, making him the youngest Master Sommelier in the world at the time. Micu now leads the wine and beverage programming for World Equestrian Center’s seven restaurants, including the award-winning program at Stirrups Restaurant.
Chef Marc Murphy
Chef Marc Murphy brings over 30 years of experience from kitchens worldwide to the heart of New York City. He appears regularly as a judge on Food Network’s top-rated show, Chopped, Guy’s Grocery Games, Guy’s Ranch Kitchen, Beat Bobby Flay, and more, and he currently hosts intimate dining events at MM Kitchen Studio in New York City.
Junior Chef Michael Seegobin
Junior Chef Michael Seegobin is a rising culinary talent, having demonstrated his culinary chops as a competitor on MasterChef Junior Season 9 at just 11 years old. A Florida native with Trinidadian roots, Seegobin first developed his love of cooking from his father and honed his skill by delving into YouTube videos and cookbooks. His mission is to create flavorful dishes that represent his heritage with fresh, local ingredients. He continues to inspire aspiring young chefs with his talent and dedication to the culinary arts.
Chef Esther Choi
Celebrity Chef Esther Choi is chef and owner of Mŏkbar, with locations in Chelsea Market, Midtown, New Jersey, and soon Las Vegas, as well as a partner at Ms. Yoo. Her cooking blends traditional and modern Korean influences with fresh, seasonal ingredients. Esther began her culinary education at 14 and currently hosts “Heat Eaters” on First We Feast and co-hosts Food Network’s competition show “24 in 24: Last Chef Standing.”
Ticket Packages
$345
FOUR-STAR EXPERIENCE PACKAGE
Friday Flavors of the Fire
Saturday Grand Tasting
Sunday Jazz Brunch
$595
FIVE-STAR EXPERIENCE PACKAGE
Friday Flavors of the Fire
Friday Night Tiki Afterparty
Saturday Grand Tasting
Saturday Bubble Lounge
Saturday Lugano Rose Garden Reception
Saturday Celebrity Chef Dinner
Sunday Jazz Brunch
Stay Packages
Five-Star Experience Stay Package at The Equestrian Hotel
Includes: Five-Star Ticket Experience package and an elegant two-night stay in the room or suite of your choice.
Four-Star Experience Stay Package at The Riding Academy Hotel
Includes: Four-Star Ticket Experience package and a two-night stay in the studio or suite of your choice.
Event Sponsors
Festival Memories
