This Test Kitchen Has Ears

Disney’s Flavor Lab is a 7,000-square-foot research-and-development facility where chefs, sommeliers, mixologists, Disney Imagineers and restaurant managers dream up the dining experiences guests enjoy at Walt Disney Parks around the world, reports Fox News. 

This summer brings us dozens of new food and beverage creations created by this team, including: a spicy “El Diablo Burger” to a refined, ceviche-style octopus – served with artichokes, capers, Kalamata olives, tomatoes and a saffron aioli. 

Lenny De George, executive chef of culinary concept development, is confident he has a winner in D-Luxe Burger. He studied burgers and french fries, which his team knew nothing of, for two years. Those months of research have resulted in a pared-down menu of four super-juicy burgers  made with a signature blend of Angus chuck, short rib and brisket, with unique combinations of toppings in freshly baked buns. The fries are cut in-house, cooked three times (steamed once, fried twice) and served with a choice of six dipping sauces, like buffalo blue cheese and chipotle and horseradish mayonnaises. 

Ed Wronski, the director of culinary development at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, told Fox, “We have over 475 food and beverage locations in Florida, and more than 160 in California, with every style of cuisine and service you can imagine.”  Walt Disney demanded that everything begins with a story at Disney, and that’s true for the food as well. He shared, that “after the story is laid out and we do some brainstorming, we might spend 18 months to two years working on the menu, including many renditions of a dish.” 

Who in your grocerant or prepared food department is writing the story of your foods?