Major theme in Orlando: It's also about the food

In the late 1990s, Emeril Lagasse stood on a patch of dirt outside Universal Studios Orlando, the spot that would become the new entertainment hub CityWalk.

"This is where your restaurant is going to be," officials from the theme park told him. It seemed like an odd place.

"I was basically standing in a swamp," Lagasse remembered recently. "I've got vision, but I don't have that kind of vision."

Today, Emeril's Orlando, featuring his signature New Orleans-inspired cuisine, is one of the anchor restaurants at the food-shopping-nightlife complex. The restaurant was such a success, he opened the pan-Asian Tchoup Chop at the Royal Pacific resort adjacent to the Universal Orlando theme parks.

"In only 10 years-plus, Orlando has really developed into an incredible dining community," he says. "People's expectations of food in Orlando, including among those who are visiting, have been raised beyond the typical chicken wing kind of place."

Celebrity chef restaurants in the Orlando area in the past decade have become destinations of their own, beyond the draw of the theme parks. The roster of trendy eateries, which grew in September with the addition of Food Network star Cat Cora's Kouzzina at Disney's Boardwalk Resort, adds to a diverse dining scene in the city and regional suburbs.

Here's a look at what the biggest names have to offer.

EMERIL LAGASSE

The New Orleans-based star of Food Network's "Emeril Live!" operates the upscale Emeril's Orlando at Universal CityWalk. It showcases Cajun cuisine using regional ingredients. He's also the name behind the Asian and Polynesian-flavored Emeril's Tchoup Chop at the Loews Royal Pacific next to Universal Orlando. The second restaurant is a concept Lagasse planned for New Orleans, to be built near his flagship restaurant on Tchoupitoulas Street. (Hence the name.)

Signature dishes: At Emeril Orlando: roasted snapper, homemade andouille crust, fingerling potato-cremini mushroom hash, Creole meunière sauce and candied pecan relish. At Tchoup Chop: Thai basil seared mahi mahi, edamame fried rice cake, roasted vine ripe tomato fumet.

WOLFGANG PUCK

The cookbook author, TV chef and seemingly omnipresent restaurateur made his name with Spago in Los Angeles. In Orlando, Puck's Grand Café at Downtown Disney West Side serves wood-fired pizzas, sushi, pastas and salads. Those who need to grab and go can stop at the fast-casual Wolfgang Puck Express at the Downtown Disney Marketplace.

Signature dishes: Grand Café: Pumpkin Ravioli with slow braised pork ribs, crispy Asian slaw and spicy honey mustard dressing. Express: four-cheese pesto pizza with parmesan, mozzarella, fontina, goat cheese, plum tomatoes, fresh basil and sun-dried tomatoes.

NORMAN VAN AKEN

One of the founders of New World Cuisine, Van Aken is best known for his landmark Miami restaurant Norman's and for appearances as a guest judge on "Top Chef" and on the South Florida episode of "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations." His Orlando restaurant opened more than six years ago at The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes. It showcases Caribbean and Latin American flavors in an elegant setting overlooking the resort's golf course.

Signature dish: pan-cooked filet of Key West yellowtail with grilled asparagus spears, citrus butter, and garlic mashed potatoes.

TODD ENGLISH

Todd English's bluezooat the Walt Disney World Dolphin resort is as memorable for the spectacularly beautiful dining room as for the coastal New England cuisine created by the chef, cookbook author and star of PBS' "Food Trip with Todd English."

Signature dish: Simply Fish, featuring fresh fish of the day cooked on a teppanyaki grill and served with a selection of sauces, including warm crabmeat, Dijon mustard and chives.

CAT CORA

The home-style Greek cooking of Cora's coastal Mississippi childhood is the inspiration for the menu at this Disney BoardWalk resort restaurant by the cookbook author and Food Network co-star of "Iron Chef America." Be sure to pair whatever dish you order with one of her Coranation wines. This menu is full of big, bold flavors.

Signature dish: Cinnamon-stewed chicken with tomatoes, herbed orzo and mizithra cheese.

ROY YAMAGUCHI

Yamaguchi, namesake for a chain of Hawaiian-fusion restaurants, elevated his profile last year by competing on "Top Chef Masters." Using seafood as a predominant theme, his Orlando restaurant merges local ingredients with European sauces and Asian spices. (Tip: You don't have to go to Orlando. There are Roy's in Tampa and Sarasota, too.)

Signature dish: Hawaiian-style misoyaki butterfish with Chinese sizzling soy vinaigrette.