Chef Richard Blais to Open First Orlando Restaurant Adjacent to Walt Disney World at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress

Foodies rejoice! A brand new restaurant by acclaimed Chef Richard Blais is opening up right next to the Walt Disney World Resort at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress.

This new restaurant will be the first in Orlando by Chef Blais and will introduce Guests visiting the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress to his unique spin on a tropical dining experience. Known as the first ever winner of Top Chef All-Stars on Bravo, Chef Blais is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and he has completed culinary training at The French Laundry, Daniel, Chez Panisse and el Bulli as well. More recently, he will also be the co-star of a new cooking competition alongside Chef Gordon Ramsay, coming soon to FOX.

Blais is currently the owner and operator behind Trail Blais, a culinary consulting company that has worked with a variety of well-known restaurants across the U.S. and he has authored the cookbooks, Try This at Home: Recipes from My Head to Your Plate, and So Good. He has also opened Ember & Rye at the Park Hyatt Aviara in Carlsbad, CA and he has accepted the position of Culinary Director at The Rady Shell at Jacob’s Park, home of the San Diego Symphony.

At the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, the new restaurant by Blais will use the space formerly occupied by Hemingways. The restaurant is set to bring Chef Blais’s unique and innovative menus and dining experience to the Orlando area food scene later this fall. (A hiring event is taking place next week on October 12, 10 am-3 pm for management, cooks, bartenders, servers, and greeters.

The Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress is adjacent to the Walt Disney World Resort making it an excellent off-property place to stay and an easy drive to the Disney theme parks as well as Universal Orlando and SeaWorld. The resort sits on 1,500 acres, and features a full service spa, golf course, award-winning tennis and racquet club, 1,000 feet of beach along a private lake, a pool with 12 waterfalls, two whirlpools, a water slide, rock climbing, splash zones, and more. Additional activities include s’mores pit, beach volleyball, tether ball, watersports and trails for jogging, walking and biking.

Even if you do not often leave Walt Disney World property during your Disney vacations, there are a couple of instances where we actually recommend staying off site and dining outside of the parks. If you have a larger family visiting, you will almost certainly find more reasonable prices for accommodations often with more amenities outside of Disney property, and during peak seasons like Christmas week for instance, it can sometimes be easier to find dining options outside of the parks.