World Equestrian Center in Ocala has swung open the doors to The Equestrian Manor, a four-story, roughly 300,000-square-foot addition packed with event space, rooftop perches and four new chef-driven restaurants. The expansion pushes the equestrian complex's on-site dining count to 13, six years after the property first launched its culinary program in 2021.
The debut marks what resort executive chef Stephan Holland described as a paradigm shift for the property, according to the Orlando Sentinel. World Equestrian Center welcomes local residents alongside resort guests and competitors, and the public can attend most events without paying an admission fee.
A Four-Story Wing Built for Big Appetites
Per 352today, The Equestrian Manor measures 303,857 square feet and includes the 10,500-square-foot Eloise's Grand Ballroom, a space large enough to host up to 1,200 attendees for conventions, weddings and galas, according to Eventective. The building's four chef-driven concepts include the Pan-Asian White Willow, the Italian fine-dining Genevieve's and the 400-seat Polo Pony, alongside a new outpost of Emma's Patisserie.
White Willow's kitchen relies on fish flown in from Japan twice weekly for its raw and cooked Pan-Asian menu, per the same account. Emma's Patisserie, tucked into just 700 square feet, has handled as many as 800 transactions in a single day and served up to 1,600 guests, rounding out its offerings with fresh-baked bread, gelato and ample seating.
From Nobu Alum to James Beard Semifinalist
Holland's résumé includes stints working alongside chefs José Andrés and Nobu Matsuhisa, and he has said the resort is aiming to draw both international travelers and local diners, the Sentinel reports.
Executive Pastry Chef Yohann Le Bescond joined the team in 2020, six months before the equestrian facility opened, and went on to become a 2025 James Beard Award semifinalist in the pastry chef category. Before that recognition, he built a national following on Food Network, reaching the finals of Summer Baking Championship in 2023 and appearing on Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking in November 2024, according to Orlando Weekly. Hoodline covered the semifinalist nod as part of our prior James Beard coverage of Central Florida chefs.
Horse Capital of the World Gets a Reservation List
Marion County has carried the trademarked title of Horse Capital of the World since the designation was read into the U.S. Congressional Record in 1999, backed by an equine industry that generates more than $2.3 billion in local economic impact, according to the Marion County Clerk of Court. The county is home to more than 80,000 horses spread across upwards of 190,000 acres of pastureland, per the same county data.
World Equestrian Center opened to the public in January 2021 on a 378-acre campus built by the Roberts family, owners of logistics company R+L Carriers, according to Flamingo Magazine. The property's rapid rise culminated in a 2024 nod from TIME Magazine, which named it one of the world's 50 greatest hotels and resorts and one of just 13 in the United States on its annual stay list, as reported by the Ocala Gazette.
Beyond the Arena: Stables, Stays and a Growing Footprint
The complex still bills itself as the nation's largest facility of its kind, with more than 20 arenas and stable space for about 3,000 horses, hosting more than 40 formal equestrian events a year — up from just 22 not long ago, the Sentinel notes. Jeremy Gow has said World Equestrian Center was the first facility to combine elite equestrian competition with resort-style hospitality, while Leah Tong has called the campus a pet-friendly property overall, according to the same report.
On the lodging side, the AAA Four Diamond-rated Equestrian Hotel offers rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the 128,000-square-foot Grand Outdoor Arena, according to AAA. Between that hotel's 248 rooms and the pet-friendly, 390-room Riding Academy Hotel, the campus now counts 638 total hotel rooms, per Hotel Scoop.
Growth Plans: Retail Storefronts and a November Food Festival
World Equestrian Center is also building out The Shoppes Off 80th, a planned addition of 28 luxury and equestrian retail storefronts next to The Equestrian Manor, along with an 11-field outdoor sports complex, according to World Equestrian Center. The resort's flagship culinary event, the Ocala Food & Wine Festival, returns November 6-8, 2026, drawing food enthusiasts from across Florida and partnering with local restaurants for chef competitions and beverage seminars, per the resort's event listing. Past editions have featured celebrity guest chefs such as Food Network's Duff Goldman in 2025, with proceeds benefiting the Public Education Foundation of Marion County's ProStart culinary program for local high schoolers. World Equestrian Center also partners with the Peeps Foundation, which raises miniature dwarf ponies, reflecting the family-friendly programming layered atop the dining expansion.
The pricing spread reflects a similar balancing act: a box of a dozen doughnuts runs $14, pizza slices go for $7, and some chef's dinners and prix fixe menus stay under $100, even as event tables at The Equestrian Manor can run as high as $2,000, per the Sentinel. As the paper put it, the expansion is an opportunity to put Ocala on the map for food-minded visitors — a notable shift for a campus built on ribbons and events in the show ring.
