Click here for Images and B-roll.
Beginning September 30, guests can take a bite out of the galaxy at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex! During Taste of Space, an annual event that takes place at the visitor complex, guests will discover multiple ways to pique their palates with the flavors of fall: Taste of Space: Fall Bites!; Marstini Shake-Off; and Taste of Space: Celebrity Chef Edition.
Taste of Space: Fall Bites!
A delectable selection of special menu items featuring the distinctive flavors of fall will be available at several eateries throughout the visitor complex during Taste of Space: Fall Bites! From September 30 to November 3, visitors can indulge in out-of-this-world, limited-time menu items as follows:
- Inside Gateway: The Deep Space Launch Complex®, the Space Bowl Bistro will feature a colorful harvest bowl that includes quinoa, tricolored potatoes, super greens, diced granny smith apples and goat cheese, finished with maple syrup.
- A trip to Orbit Cafe will warm guests up with a hearty chili featuring lentils and squash or delectable cranberry brie “Moon” puffs with honey and toasted almonds.
- For dessert, guests can head to Milky Way for a flaky pear galette topped with vanilla bean ice cream.
- A meteor shower can be found at Red Rock Grill in the form of lamb “meteor” meatballs featuring spiced mint marinara.
- The Moon Rock Cafe, located at the Apollo/ Saturn V Center, will offer an autumn pizza topped with bacon, fig and habanero spread, squash, sweet potato, sopressata, cheddar cheese and sage.
Local brews will also be available for purchase inside Planet Play.
Taste of Space: Marstini Shake-Off
On October 4, bartenders from Lourdes Library, The Space Bar, Playalinda’s Brix Project, 28 North Gastropub, The Alilbi Cocktails & Bites, and Oceanside Distillery will compete for the coveted Marstini trophy at the fourth annual Taste of Space: Marstini Shake-Off. To take place inside Gateway: The Deep Space Launch Complex, guests over 21 can sample each Marstini and enjoy several fall dishes while mingling with veteran NASA astronauts Mike Mullane, Fred Gregory and Tony Antonelli. Attendees will also have the opportunity to vote for their favorite cocktail creation to win the People’s Choice Award. Tickets for Taste of Space: Marstini Shake-Off are $159 per person plus tax and are available for purchase online at www.kennedyspacecenter.com.
Taste of Space: Celebrity Chef Edition
Another foodie favorite event returns on November 2 with the third Taste of Space: Celebrity Chef Edition, a celebrity-studded chef demo and dinner after-hours event. Renowned chefs Duff Goldman and Amanda Freitag will serve up something special for attendees that is guaranteed to make their taste buds blast off. Plus, chef Jon Ashton will host the evening and create a stupendous dish. Chefs Goldman, Freitag and Ashton will demonstrate their expert cooking techniques alongside veteran astronauts Robert Cabana, Janet Kavandi and Jose Hernandez. Guests will have the chance to enjoy exclusive menu items as they hear personal stories about the experience of eating in space as well as favorite foods the astronauts enjoyed during their flights. The chance to take photos with the astronauts following the demo will only be bested by a delectable selection of desserts, including a specialty cake designed by Duff himself and Charm City Cakes. Tickets for this event are $175 per person plus tax and are available for purchase online at www.kennedyspacecenter.com.
“Oh man, I’m pumped to be heading back to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex for the third time to celebrate Taste of Space 2024! Honestly, it’s like being a kid in a candy store for me,” said Duff Goldman. “The exhibits totally bring the epic history of space exploration to life, and getting to hang with real astronauts? That’s just out of this world! Plus, I get to serve up some killer food and show off some fun, creative techniques right in the middle of all this awesome space history. Kennedy Space Center and Taste of Space always fire up my imagination, and over the years have inspired me to make some of my all-time favorite cakes. I’m baking up some wild stuff for this year’s event that guests are not going to want to miss!”
Gourmands seeking a bit more flavor can take advantage of a very limited number of tickets available for an exclusive meal that will follow the chef demo. The two-hour, sit-down, multi-course dinner will feature a menu designed by Goldman, Freitag and Ashton and will take place on the second floor of Gateway inside the flight terminal of Spaceport KSC. Personal visits to each table will be made by the celebrity chefs and astronauts in attendance. Ending the meal with a treat sweeter than most desserts, guests will have the chance to mingle and take photos with Goldman, Freitag and Ashton. Tickets are $499 per person plus tax and include both the chef demo and sit-down dinner events. They are available for purchase online at www.kennedyspacecenter.com.
Foodie Fun for the Whole Family
New this year, an exclusive family-friendly ice cream social with Goldman and Freitag will round out the Taste of Space: Celebrity Chef Edition weekend. On Sunday, November 3, the chefs will conduct a short demo while interacting with guests as they create their own ice cream sundaes. Duff’s signature cake will also be on display during the event. In addition to one-day admission, tickets for the Ice Cream Social are $60 plus tax for adults and $50 plus tax for children. Tickets are available for purchase online at www.kennedyspacecenter.com.
For more information about Taste of Space, visit www.kennedyspacecenter.com.
*Menu items are subject to change without notice.
About the Chefs
Duff Goldman is a classically trained chef, best-selling author, and artist known for his dazzling, creative approach to food and desserts. He believes in the power of inner creativity and is on a mission to spread fun and joy through the simple science of baking. Duff first rose to fame on the hit Food Network show Ace of Cakes, as he welcomed viewers into his innovative cake shop, Charm City Cakes, where he and his team reimagined the possibilities of cake design by building spectacular custom cakes. His fun-loving personality and culinary talents have made him a television mainstay, and today he can be found mentoring the next generation of bakers on the Food Network’s Kids Baking Championship, as well as a long-standing judge on the network’s Holiday Baking Championship and Spring Baking Championship. Fans across the country can elevate their own celebrations with Duff’s delicious cakes available on GoldBelly.com, with his all-in-one baking kits from Baketivity, and with Duff’s many recipes from his New York Times Best-Selling cookbooks. For more information, follow Duff on Facebook, Instagram, and X or visit www.Duff.com.
Amanda Freitag is a chef, television personality, and author who has become a culinary maven. Following her graduation from the Culinary Institute of America, Freitag worked in a diverse mix of restaurants in New York City, including Jean-George Vongerichten’s Vong, Verbena, Il Buco, Cesca, and The Harrison. She sharpened her skills through world travel, including working under Chef Alain Passard in Paris, and continued expanding her culinary expertise into a variety of international cuisines. Outside of the restaurant business, Amanda has become a household name for her work on and off the television screen. She is well known for being a judge on Food Network’s “Chopped” and has appeared on “Iron Chef America”, “Next Iron Chef”, “Unique Eats”, “Beat Bobby Flay,” Guy Fieri’s “Tournament of Champions,” and more. Her mission to make cooking more approachable inspired her cookbook “The Chef Next Door,” her viral social series EasyAF, as well as her various product lines. Most recently, she launched On The Line podcast alongside co-host and culinary colleague Chef Dan Holzman.
Jon Ashton began his culinary career in several notable English restaurants, including the Derby Lodge Hotel and The Kirkfield Hotel in Newton Le-Willows. Ashton’s success and flair in the kitchen soon gave way to appearances on British cooking shows including the nationally syndicated “TV Dinners” where audiences fell in love with his wit, charisma, and genuine love of food. After moving to the United States to follow his childhood dream, Ashton launched into the business with a passion for sharing his craft and making good food accessible. Ashton is a long-time contributing chef for parade.com and has appeared on The Today Show and The Tonight Show. Many of America’s most trusted brands have put their products in Jon’s hands including Disney, Disney Cruise Lines, Waring, Geico, Four Seasons, Crystal Cruises, Quaker/Tropicana, Eggland’s Best, Brown Forman, Mizkan, National Dairy Council, NFL, NASCAR, Conde Nast, and many more.