CAPE CANAVERAL, FL – Beginning Friday, October 3, guests can take their taste buds on a journey through a galaxy of flavors at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, recently ranked as the number one attraction in the U.S. in Trip Advisor’s 2025 Traveler’s Choice Awards.
During the Taste of Space food festival, made up of three events including Taste of Space: Fall Bites!, Marstini Shake-Off, and Taste of Space: Celebrity Chef Edition, guests will discover multiple ways to launch their palates into a universe of fall flavor.
Taste of Space: Fall Bites: A gourmet selection of special menu items featuring the distinctive flavors of fall will be available at Orbit Cafe and Moon Rock Cafe during Taste of Space: Fall Bites! From October 3 to November 16, visitors can indulge in out-of-this-world, limited-time menu items as follows:
- Orbit Cafe will feature a hearty lentil chili with crisp tortilla chips, a warm and flaky apple blossom drizzled with caramel sauce, and a spaetzle tossed with mushrooms in a rich brown butter sauce.
- Moon Rock Cafe, located at the Apollo/Saturn V Center, will serve a pork schnitzel sandwich topped with tangy slaw as well as potato latke dippers paired with cranberry ketchup. For dessert, guests can enjoy a chocolate Bundt cake with a tart raspberry sauce.
Taste of Space: Marstini Shake-Off
The “Marstini Shake-Off” will offer an evening of cosmic cocktails with a new twist on October 3. Set to take place inside Gateway: The Deep Space Launch Complex, guests will watch the cocktails come to life and then taste them blindfolded while accompanied by space-themed sounds selected by the bartender for a multi-sensory experience.
Guests ages 21 and older can sample exclusive space-themed “Marstinis” crafted by Lourdes Library, The Space Bar, Playalinda’s Brix Project, 28 North Gastropub, The Alibi Cocktails & Bites, and Coa Cocoa Beach.
Attendees will also have the opportunity to mix and mingle with veteran NASA astronaut Mike Foreman and vote for their favorite cocktail creation to win the People’s Choice Award.
Tickets for the after-hours experience are $99 plus tax and can be purchased here.
Taste of Space: Celebrity Chef Edition
The Taste of Space: Celebrity Chef Edition returns on November 15 and will honor 25 years aboard the International Space Station with an unforgettable evening of culinary creativity and astronaut storytelling. Chefs Jet Tila, Amanda Freitag, and Jon Ashton will demonstrate their cooking techniques alongside veteran NASA astronauts Robert Cabana, Nicole Stott and Michael Lopez-Alegria.
Attendees will enjoy exclusive dishes from the chefs, personal stories from astronauts, photo opportunities, a custom pin and commemorative keepsake. Tickets for this event are $175 per person plus tax and are available for purchase online at kennedyspacecenter.com.
For the ultimate foodie experience, a limited number of tickets are available for an exclusive meal that will follow the chef demo. The event will feature a menu designed by Tila, Freitag, and Ashton, and will take place on the second floor of Gateway inside the flight terminal of Spaceport KSC.
Throughout the evening, chefs and astronauts will make personal visits to each table, creating once-in-a-lifetime memories. The meal concludes with time to mingle and capture photos with the culinary stars and space explorers. 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 kennedyspacecenter.com.
For more information about Taste of Space, visit kennedyspacecenter.com.
Chefs Participating
Chef Jet Tila
From battling the legendary Masaharu Morimoto on Iron Chef America, opening Encore Hotel in Las Vegas and guiding Anthony Bourdain through many markets and restaurants, Chef Jet Tila is internationally celebrated. The three-time Emmy, James Beard nominee and best-selling author grew up in the first family of Thai food and then later attending both French and Japanese culinary schools. He was appointed as the inaugural Culinary Ambassador of Thai Cuisine by the Royal Thai Consulate, the first-ever chef to represent Thailand’s culture and cuisine.
Chef Jet’s culinary operations includes VP Culinary of Pei Wei Group 160restaurants & Managing Partner Dragon Tiger Noodle Co in Las Vegas. He has partnerships with Compass Group, Schwan’s CJ food, HSN & NBCUniversal/Dream Works.
He appears as a host, co-host, judge, and competitor on many Food Network shows as “Tournament of Champions,” “Ready Jet Cook,” “Iron Chef America,” “Cutthroat Kitchen,” “Chopped,” “Beat Bobby Flay” and “Guy’s Grocery Games.” As well as an array of shows ranging from the “Today Show,” “MasterChef,” and “Rachael Ray,” and holds six culinary Guinness World Records.
Amanda Freitag
Born and raised in New Jersey, chef, television personality, and author Amanda Freitag has become a culinary maven. Following her graduation from the Culinary Institute of America, Amanda 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 worked under Chef Alain Passard in Paris, and continued expanding her culinary expertise into a variety of international cuisines. She is also 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 – bottled cocktails, spice blends, and AF merchandise. Most recently, she launched On The Line podcast alongside co-host and culinary colleague Chef Dan Holzman.
Chef Jon Ashton
Chef Jon Ashton’s love for cooking began at age eight, learning timeless recipes and kitchen wisdom at his grandmother’s side in Liverpool, England. By sixteen, he knew his future lay in the culinary arts. After graduating from a French-inspired culinary school, Jon embarked on a global journey that shaped his unique culinary perspective.
Guided by the belief that “cooking has the power to inspire anyone,” Jon is passionate about sharing the beauty and accessibility of food with audiences around the world. After moving to the United States to pursue his dreams, Jon built a celebrated career. As the founder of Jon Ashton Productions, Jon combines his culinary expertise with storytelling to create compelling brand narratives that connect global audiences through food and travels.
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About me: Hello my name is Carlos Hernandez and I am a writer and journalist with over 15 years of experience. I write the food and travel blog Carlos Eats (https://www.carloseats.com) and also contribute to several newspapers and magazines on numerous topics.
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