That’s right, a food truck.  Who knew?  For most people (myself included) familiar with the Four Seasons message of over-the-top luxury, the tag-along of a food truck would never be in the same sentence.  Yet here I am writing about both.  One from the standpoint of ‘been there, experienced that’ and the other, well, guess I’ll have to wait until that food truck rolls back into Orlando again because by the time I got wind of it, the Fours Season’s Sponsored Food Truck was well on its way to rollin’ down the highway to another destination.  Yes, I know what you’re thinking now.  Pity me.  It means this story is mostly about my recent dining experience at the recently opened Capa, located on top of the Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World, aka the newest addition to Orlando’s luxury hotel scene.

Yeah okay, it was a bit of a rough night. . . . .

And by that I’m only referring to the drive out there and actually finding the place.  (Hey, it was slightly dark and this hotel is in a rather ‘mysterious’, newly designated area called Golden Oak at WDW, only accessible via a gated entrance.) Once we arrived and went inside, well, pity me no more.  Let’s just say it was a truly lovely experience dining in the two-week-old rooftop restaurant Capa, billed as a contemporary Spanish steakhouse, with both indoor and outdoor seating.  And yes, if you time your reservations right you can view the fireworks from this glorious perch that one might also refer to as a safe haven from all those tourists ‘out there’.

So, it all began with this:

Moved on to this:

Followed up by this:

No. Complaints. At. All.  Nor should there be when someone else is paying (DISCLOSURE, since I know you’re curious, this dinner was not hosted by the Four Seasons), and you are gourmet-dining in a restaurant that overlooks a magical kingdom where both mice and men (and zillions of hyper-active kids who are literally out of their minds with happiness, sigh) rule the world.  But on the 17th floor of the Four Season’s Orlando Resort at Walt Disney World there was only peace and quiet, appropriate atmosphere music with an international flair, ambience and hospitality galore, along with incredible smells coming from the open kitchen grill area.  Oh yes, and delicious food that was delicately prepared and artfully presented.  Here is another example of the true meaning of ‘artfully presented’:

And truthfully, those are the expectations of most people when they think of the Four Season’s brand.  But, how about that food truck business?  How on earth does the affluent international hotel empire go from, well, uber luxury to a traveling food truck?  Glad you asked, and here’s the simple answer:  it’s a brilliant marketing concept to bring that indulgent brand down to the people.  And that, my friends, is what hospitality is all about.  Finding and meeting needs.  At its best, this includes service with a smile at an affordable price.  And since many will never be able to afford an actual stay at a Four Season’s resort (check out their hotel room rates and you decide), that traveling food truck is bringing a taste of their experience to everyone.  In fact, the tour is also known as the Four Season’s Taste Truck Tour, successfully bringing this message to the masses.  Did I mention I think that is brilliant on their part?  I did?  Well there, I said it again.

Here’s what the food truck’s very own website has to say about the launch of year two for this take-it-to-the-people road show:

“After a great run down the West Coast last year, we are thrilled to kick off our East Coast tour,” said Guy Rigby, Vice President of Food & Beverage, Americas. “The food truck concept allows us to pair our commitment to innovation and quality with a dynamic setting that provides Four Seasons chefs an opportunity to share their creativity, craft and passion for food with the local community.”

Plus, a portion of the food truck revenue will be donated to a local charity in each participating location furthering their cause of goodwill marketing and community brand awareness.

So as we circle back to the beginning of this story, maybe now you see how I finally got comfortable with using the words luxury and food truck in the same sentence, and don’t you agree?