Bringing Home the Disney Recipes

by Beth Keating

Review

April 26, 2025

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I remember how excited we got when the local grocery stores in New York started carrying Mickey ice cream bars. Though they weren’t exactly the same as the slightly larger versions in the theme parks, they were an adequate substitute at the time. Living in New York, and Disney prices being what they were (are), we only made it down to Florida every three or four years. Thus, we took any opportunity to have a touch of Disney in our lives in the interim, and Mickey bars were one of our favorite theme park treats. (That, and Zebra Domes!)

One year, my sister brought back a Disney cookbook for me from her trip to Disney World (Cooking With Mickey and the Disney Chefs: Recipes from Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort, and Disney Cruise Line by Pam Brandon), and that started a tradition of occasionally whipping up a Disney dinner from the cookbook while we were waiting for our next Florida excursion.

Later, because we’d been having so much fun with the first cookbook, my son bought us Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge: The Official Black Spire Outpost Cookbook by Chelsea Monroe Cassel and Marc Sumerak. It’s a treasure chest of Star Wars fun that, even if we don’t use it the rest of the year, gets faithfully taken off the shelf and used on May 4 each year. It’s also a fun read if you aren’t a whiz in the kitchen because so much of the book has “background” stories that are told in the voice of Strono “Cookie” Tuggs, head chef at Maz Kanata’s castle. Cookie says, “Food is art,” and the photography alone in this cookbook is worth the purchase price.

Somewhere along the line, we also acquired the Cooking With Mickey, Gourmet Mickey Cookbook, Volume II, which bills itself as “The most requested recipes from Walt Disney World and Disneyland.” This book is a winner as well, and we’ve cooked from it often. It has many of our favorite Disney recipes in its pages. The pages are well-stained from use.

The original Cooking With Mickey and the Disney Chefs book is quite the prize, because many of the recipes harken back to favorite Disney restaurants, some of which no longer exist. It’s a step into the history of our trips to the parks. (Anybody else remember Spoodles on the BoardWalk? Spoodles’ “Beet and Arugula Salad” and “Hipiti” recipes are in there! So is the “Tonga Toast” recipe from Kona at the Polynesian, but Kona – and Tonga Toast - still exists today. Just thought I’d mention that stellar Tonga Toast!)

The Cooking With Mickey Vol. II book has entries such as the “Antipasto All’Italiana,” “Filetto Pizzaiolo,” and “Tira-Mi-Su” from the long-gone Flagler’s at the Grand Floridian (now Citricos); the “Black Bean Soup” at Fisherman’s Deck and “Beef Barley Soup” at Steerman’s Quarters, both at Disney Village Marketplace (which itself is history); and several submissions from one of our favorite EPCOT restaurants, the since replaced L’Originale Alfredo di Roma Ristorante in the Italy pavilion. I miss their “Fettucine Alfredo,” but the recipe is there if you’d care to follow it.

Oh, and remember Luau Cove at the Polynesian? You can dish up the “Polynesian Luau Chicken” from the Cooking With Mickey, Vol. II book. How about King Stefan’s Banquet Hall in Magic Kingdom, the predecessor to Cinderella’s Royal Table? “The Coachman,” a prime rib-turkey-ham creation from King Stefan is there, as is their “Seafood Brochette” and their “Apple Blackberry Cobbler.” (Don’t even get me started on why Sleeping Beauty’s father was hosting an eatery in Cindy’s castle. King Stefan’s is gone now, but I still have the glass mug to prove its existence.)

This past Christmas, my son gifted me The Official Disney Parks Cookbook: 101 Magical Recipes from the Delicious Disney Vault by Pam Brandon and the Disney Chefs. And once again, there are tons of recipes from throughout the parks that let you recreate famous – and not so famous – dishes from throughout the Disneyverse.

The chapters, rather than being broken down by meal types as is typical in traditional cookbooks, are broken down by Disney Parks. Some of the selections are currently being dished up in Disney restaurants across the globe, while others are “gone but not forgotten.” Recipes range from “Walt’s Chili and Beans” from Carnation Café at Disneyland; “Batuuan Ronto Wraps” at Galaxy’s Edge; “Mickey Beignets” from Café Orleans at Disneyland and Scat Cat’s Café at Port Orleans at Disney World; “The Grey Stuff” at Be Our Guest in Magic Kingdom; to the famous “Cobb Salad” at The Hollywood Brown Derby in Hollywood Studios; to Flame Tree Barbecue’s “Barbecue Rub” and “Barbecue Sauce” at Animal Kingdom. Over in the Resorts, they share the delicious “Honey-Coriander Chicken Wings” from ‘Ohana at the Polynesian. For the kiddos, you can try your hand at “Chef Mickey’s Breakfast Pizza” from – you guessed it – Chef Mickey’s character breakfast at the Contemporary. Craving Disney’s ubiquitous “POG juice”? There’s a recipe for that, too.

While cooking up the various recipes is an entertaining endeavor in and of itself, reminiscing over bygone restaurants and remembering special moments on family vacations makes these cookbooks more than just printed pages on the shelf. Thanks to decades of Disney Chefs tinkering with recipes they’ve shared with their guests, we have a way to recapture some of the best of Disney dining. Give these books a try!

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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.

Walt Disney ranked as one of the great entrepreneurs of the 20th century. In 10 Points from Walt Disney on Entrepreneurship, Ray Keating, editor and columnist for DisneyBizJournal and a leading economist on entrepreneurship and small business, turns to Walt for inspiration and insights on what it means to be an entrepreneur, on embracing entrepreneurship, and on learning lessons for the entrepreneurial journey.

The Disney Planner: The TO DO List Solution combines a simple, powerful system for getting things done with encouragement and fun for Disney fans, including those who love Mickey, Marvel, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pixar, princesses and more.