
Any Disney Cast Member from a Disney princess to a Disney Imagineer is a crucial factor in the magical experience that every Disney Guest has on a Walt Disney World Resort vacation, Disneyland vacation, or even a Disney vacation abroad — and in honor of Women’s History Month, Disney is putting the spotlight on some of the female pastry chefs who are responsible for incredible Disney dishes!
Nicole Cantore, a Digital Integration Specialist for the Disney Company’s Global Food & Beverage department, shared a bit about the “sweet trears” created by several female Disney pastry chefs recently on the Disney Parks Blog as part of the Celebrate Her Story campaign going on for Women’s History Month and International Women’s Month.
Being a chef can sound glamorous (especially being a pastry chef!) and might make you think of Ratatouille scenes, but it’s actually a lot of hard work that requires a lot of passion.
Pastry Sous Chef Diana Eid is a chef at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, and her passion for Napa Valley, chocolate, and a good whisk all combined to help Chef Diana create a decadent Disneyland Resort dark chocolate pâté that includes rich chocolate pate, hazelnut crème anglaise, hazelnut Chantilly, and a flavorful port reduction sauce. You can find this dessert at the hotel Napa Rose, which is part of Disneyland Resort!
Being given the freedom to try new things and experiment with flavors is crucial for any pastry chef, and having that freedom allowed Pastry Sous Chef Kat Krause to create a unique plant-based chocolate coconut cake at the Hollywood Brown Derby in Walt Disney World Resort!
Chef Kat created this cake in honor of her mother, a vegan Walt Disney World Guest, showing that personal passions and family can always be an influence in the kitchen. Chef Kat also encourages chefs to mentor and support each other, instead of creating a divisive and competitive environment.
When you’re eating a delicious Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland Resort dish, do you ever think about the people who made that food? Pastry Sous Chef Monique Perez is another reason why you should! Her gorgeous citrus crème brûlée (which you can order at Topolino’s Terrace) includes a white chocolate-and citrus crème brûlée, tiny beignets, strawberry foam, cherry compote, and chocolate meringues. There is even a limited-edition 50th-anniversary milk chocolate stamp on this dessert!
Once again, personal passions helped influence this Disney Pastry Chef’s creations. Chef Monique created this Walt Disney World Resort dessert in honor of her love of France!
Disney has been honoring women throughout this Women’s History Month and International Women’s Month on a global level, with Minnie Mouse providing in-person congrats to Disneyland Paris Cast Members across the Atlantic. Keep checking back to learn more about how Disney is celebrating women this month through the Celebrate Her Story campaign– and to see the rest of the featured chefs from this month (including Chef Courtney Slack, Chef Graciela Gomez, and Chef Stephanie Yee), check this Disney Parks Blog post!
Want to meet another Disney chef during Women’s History Month? Let us introduce you to Chef Chocolatier Amanda Lauder from the Ganachery, as well as the signature Chef Amanda Toque Bonbon!
It’s important to celebrate women; every female Cast Member is an important part of Disney, whether she is a female Imagineer, an executive pastry chef, a sous chef, or Minnie Mouse herself! And remember — it’s not just events like the EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival, or shopping opportunities at Disney Springs, or delicious marketplace snacks that make Disney so magical. It’s the people!