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Kouzzina by Cat Cora
Debuts at BoardWalk
Celebrity
chef Cat Cora prepares dishes Sept. 17, 2009 prior to the
grand opening of her first signature restaurant,
"Kouzzina by Cat Cora," located at Disney's
BoardWalk at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
Cora,
the first and only female Iron Chef on the Food Network series
"Iron Chef America," officially opened the
Greek-inspired,
200-seat restaurant Sept. 17, 2009 with a traditional Greek
toast. "Kouzzina" is Greek for "kitchen."
(Gene Duncan, photographer)
Chef Cat Cora
and Disney celebrated the grand opening of Kouzzina by Cat
Cora, an exciting new family dining restaurant at Disney’s
BoardWalk at Walt Disney World Resort. The grand opening
occurred on Thursday, September 17, 2009.
This is the
first table-service restaurant for the celebrity chef,
featuring a menu of Mediterranean-style cuisine that pays
tribute to the Cora family’s Greek roots.
Owned and
operated by Disney and open daily for breakfast and dinner
with seating for about 200 guests, the new restaurant features
“time-honored recipes passed down from my ancestors, as well
as my favorite Greek and Mediterranean dishes that my family
loves,” Cora says.
Kouzzina
by Cat Cora at Disney’s BoardWalk Resort features
an exhibition kitchen in the spacious dining room.
As a
Mississippi
native born to a family of Greek restaurateurs, Cora grew up
immersed in two different and flavorful cultures, and has
taken from that unique background the kitchen “know-how”
handed down through generations. The cuisine at Kouzzina
(Greek for “kitchen” and pronounced “koo-zee-nah”)
showcases Mediterranean cuisine and Chef Cora’s philosophy
to create simple yet sensational meals.
Chef
Dee Foundoukis, Kouzzina by Cat Cora, Disney’s BoardWalk
Resort.
The
restaurant’s spacious interior features an open kitchen,
wooden tables and chairs and a walk-up pizza window for casual
dining at outdoor tables on the boardwalk. Breakfast
specialties include Kouzzina’s signature blend of press-pot
coffee and an icy Greek frappé with coffee, milk and natural
sugar. Sweet choices include steel-cut cinnamon oatmeal,
blueberry orange granola pancakes and Greek-style yogurt with
fresh fruit and house-made granola. Savory breakfast
creations include turkey-sweet potato hash with two eggs and
arugula salad; the stacked Kouzzina breakfast with two poached
eggs, kalamata olive toast, artichoke spread, sweet potato
hash and bacon or chicken sausage; and spinach-tomato-feta
scrambled eggs.
PASTITISIO:
This baked Greek casserole dish at Kouzzina by Cat Cora at
Disney’s BoardWalk Resort includes
bucatini pasta, cinnamon-stewed meat sauce, and béchamel
sauce.
For dinner,
Cora’s hand-selected beverage menu includes “Cat’s Ouzo-tini,”
Mediterranean sangria and her own wine label, Coranation,
featuring
California
wines. Starters include crisp calamari, goat
cheese-stuffed grape leaves, spinach pie and Spiro’s Greek
Salad. Entrées range from cinnamon stewed chicken to
traditional whole fish and a char-grilled lamb burger, with
sides such as chilled salt-roasted beets, smashed garlic-fried
potatoes, sautéed brussel sprouts and herbed orzo with Greek
olive oil and Kasseri cheese. A traditional baklava and
dense, rich, chocolate budino are dessert favorites.
FISHERMAN’S
STEW: Scallops, seasonal fish, shellfish and fennel,
grilled bread,
and ouzo butter create a savory dinner in a bowl at Kouzzina.
Cora began
working with Disney in 2008 by creating a Disney Video on
Demand series to showcase ways to help families develop more
healthy eating habits. The first and only female Iron
Chef on Food Network’s hit show “Iron Chef America,”
Cora is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in
New York
. She also is executive chef for Bon Appétit magazine.
In addition to hosting the instructional cooking
demonstrations for Disney Video on Demand, Cora has been a
featured chef at the Epcot International Food & Wine
Festival and at Disney’s California Food & Wine Festival
at Disneyland Resort.
SPIRO’S
GREEK SALAD: The traditional starter at Kouzzina by Cat
Cora at Disney’s BoardWalk Resort includes
tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, kalamata olives and feta.
CHAR-GRILLED
LAMB BURGER: The burger at Kouzzina by Cat Cora at
Disney’s BoardWalk is made with lamb
and dressed with olives and feta, with a side of crisp sweet
potato fries.
CAT’S
OUZO-TINI: The signature cocktail at Kouzzina by Cat Cora
at Disney’s BoardWalk Resort is the ouzo-tini,
the celebrity chef’s personal recipe featuring Absolut
vodka, Metaxa ouzo, pineapple juice, fresh lime juice and
pomegranate
served in a sugar-rimmed martini glass shaken and served
tableside.
SPANAKOPITA:
The version of this savory pie at Kouzzina by Cora at
Disney’s BoardWalk Resort
has a flaky phyllo crust and a filling of spinach, feta, leeks
and dill.
CINNAMON-STEWED
CHICKEN: A signature dish at Kouzzina by Cat Cora
at Disney’s BoardWalk Resort with tomatoes, herbed orzo and
Mizithra cheese.
TRADITIONAL
WHOLE FISH: At Kouzzina by Cat Cora at Disney’s
BoardWalk Resort,
whole fish is pan roasted and served with braised greens,
Greek olives, fennel and smoked chili.
BAKLAVA:
This traditional walnut and cinnamon pastry is served with
pistachio gelato.
Kouzzina
(photos below)
Chef Cat Cora and Disney are joining together to open an
exciting new family dining restaurant at Disney’s BoardWalk
Resort. Kouzzina by Cat Cora will feature a menu of
Mediterranean-style cuisine that pays tribute to the chef’s
Greek roots.
The restaurant, to be owned and operated by Disney, is
scheduled to open by fall 2009 in the space currently occupied
by Spoodles.
“I am pleased to welcome Cat Cora and her engaging new
concept for Kouzzina to the Walt Disney World Resort,” said
Jay Rasulo, chairman, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “This
collaboration between Cat and Disney represents a significant
step in our ongoing commitment to offer unique culinary
experiences and choices for our guests.”
As a Mississippi native born to a family of Greek
restaurateurs, Cora grew up immersed in two different and
flavorful cultures , and has taken from that unique background
the kitchen “know-how” handed down through generations.
The cuisine at Kouzzina (Greek for “kitchen” and
pronounced “koo-zee-nah”) will showcase Mediterranean
cuisine and Chef Cora’s philosophy to create simple yet
sensational meals.
Cora said that the new restaurant will feature “time-honored
recipes passed down from my ancestors, as well as my favorite
Greek and Mediterranean dishes that my family loves.”
She began working with Disney in 2008 by creating a Disney
Video on Demand series to showcase ways to help families
develop more healthy eating habits. “I’m extremely excited
about this latest extension of my relationship with Disney,”
she said. “Together, we’re going to develop a truly
amazing contemporary Mediterranean restaurant.”
The first and only female Iron Chef on Food Network's hit show
“Iron Chef America,” Cora is a graduate of the Culinary
Institute of America in New York. She also is Executive Chef
for Bon Appétit magazine. In addition to hosting the
instructional cooking demonstrations for Disney Video on
Demand, Cora has been a featured chef at the Epcot
International Food & Wine Festival and at Disney’s
California Food & Wine Festival at Disneyland Resort.
CAT & MOUSE: Cat Cora to Open
'Kouzzina by Cat Cora'
a Mediterranean-style dining experience at Walt Disney World
Resort
Click here for Kouzzina Breakfast Menu
(Coming Soon!)
Click here for Kouzzina
Dinner Menu
(Updated Sunday, September 27, 2009)
Click here for Kouzzina Kids Menu
(Coming Soon!)
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