Ask Me Anything with Chef Brian, WDW Director of Culinary Concepts & Development

[2xcited2sleep]

There was an Ask Me Anything (AMA) on Reddit earlier this week with Chef Brian, who is the Director of Culinary Concepts and Development. Some interesting info including favorite dish he's created, favorite dish to order, and process for creating dishes. Some excerpts below. I'm going to be heading to Toledo for the rioja chicken at my next opportunity!

Do you all find it difficult to introduce exotic or foreign foods to menus given how you have to produce the food for a broad audience?

The challenge with introducing a "foreign" or exotic food is the ability of people to recognize and want to order it. We want to have offerings for everyone, but with food - like all things - people can fear the unknown. For example, lionfish tastes just like lobster - but how many people would feel comfortable ordering that off a menu having never heard of it?​

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What's your favorite Disney movie? And more importantly, what's your favorite dish you've ever created in your time at WDW?

Toy Story! This movie is genius. What kid hasn't thought of their toys coming alive when they aren't home? For dish, probably the Filet Mignon at Le Cellier at Canada in EPCOT. It features a mushroom risotto with porcino dusted filet and beurre blanc that's been on the menu for over 20 years.​

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What is your favorite dining location to eat at? On or off property.

I'm a big fan of Toledo, but for a really special dining experience I love Topolino's Terrace and Cal Grill. I love a good rooftop view. Steakhouse 71 is also an honorable mention.​

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Could you illustrate your process for innovating dishes suited to highly unique story-based locations, such as Galaxy's Edge or Mo'ara Valley in Pandora? How does Disney balance the experience of food in those locations as part of the story, while making them broadly palatable? Do you have a favorite dish from either location?

It all starts with a story. We dive deep into the movies to see what are the little things that people didn't catch that we may be able to latch onto. For example, when we developed the blue milk at Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge we considered: What animal did it come from? What was the diet of that animal? What kind of environmental factors would influence what blue milk tastes like. We get inspiration from everything and consider how add that playful familiarity to the food.​

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What would you choose if you could only pick one quick service dining item and one table service dining item from each park for yourself? As a bonus can you throw in one of each from a resort/hotel as well?

My QSR park favorite is the Ronto Wrap at Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. My favorite at resorts is to grab a slice at the Pizza Window at the Boardwalk.​

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... And my second question is more of a fun one: if you could assemble a three-course meal with plates from across Disney property, what would your appetizer, entree, and dessert be?

If I could design my own three course meal, I'd include the Sake Braised Pork Belly (Hollywood Brown Derby, Hollywood Studios), Regional Curry Tasting (Tiffins, Animal Kingdom), and Malva Pudding (Jiko, Animal Kingdom Lodge) for dessert.​

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How does Disney balance the need to cater to preferences ranging from foodies to 'park fuel' and everything in between? Do you target a certain number of dishes/ restaurants etc. for each 'tier' in a given park or land?

We try to balance our food and beverage to make sure we have a variety of options - from sit down service to on the go snacks. We develop everything from Mickey bars to MICHELIN stars!​

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What’s your favorite food at Disney World?

My favorite dish is the Rioja Braised Chicken at Toledo. I never order chicken when I go out, but it's the only place I will order chicken at.​

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