In honor of National Culinary Arts Month, Walt Disney World is shining a light on five chefs whose backgrounds — from Puerto Rico to El Salvador to Africa — shape the food they create and the experiences guests carry home with them.
At Magic Kingdom's Be Our Guest Restaurant, sous chef Alex leads nearly 100 culinary cast members and credits the mentors who believed in her early on, saying the magic guests feel at the table really starts backstage, when cast members feel supported and confident. Over at EPCOT's Le Cellier Steakhouse, Chef Carlos draws on memories of family gatherings in Puerto Rico to create a sense of cultural connection in Canada's pavilion, collaborating closely with Canadian Cultural Representatives to keep the storytelling authentic.
At Hollywood Studios, Chef Koli takes a guest-first approach, regularly doing table touches to learn what excites diners — a habit rooted in watching his mother cook communal meals from their family farm in Africa. That spirit of discovery also runs through Animal Kingdom's Satu'li Canteen, where Chef Charles crafts dishes for Pandora – The World of Avatar that feel immersive rather than interchangeable, designed to make the fictional landscape taste as real as it looks.
At Disney Springs, assistant sous chef chocolatier Gregory brings a personal touch to The Ganachery's handcrafted confections, often incorporating tropical flavors like guava, passion fruit, and coconut as a nod to his Salvadoran heritage. For Gregory, the sweetest part of the job isn't the chocolate — it's the moment a guest takes that first taste.
The profiles were shared by the Disney Parks Blog in recognition of National Culinary Arts Month.
