When I ask Disney’s global public relations manager Karen McClintock about the evolution of diet around this iconic realm, she tells her that it wasn’t really an evolution.
“It was a revolution.”
And I heard that Shot “travels the world.”
The “innovative” restaurant celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2025. McClintock, who started his company in 1992, was first there.
There was also a restaurant space that opened in 1971 at Disney’s Modern Resort, the world’s top restaurant.
But by the 90s, the show had evolved into “top Broadway.”
“It was very popular,” she says, but by then the company was trying to do something different with food, bringing in Dieter Hannig, who previously worked at Disneyland Paris.
“Up until then, food and drinks were a bit amenities at Disney,” she explains. “But then things started to change. People were watching the food network. Celebrity chefs were becoming more popular.”
Hannig’s background was perfect for her job, she says.
“He had this vision of what he wanted to do and that was great,” she says. “He wanted an open kitchen, a sushi bar and a wood burning grill. No one knew what “California cuisine” was, but he curated a 100% California wine selection. ”
Hannig tapped a young local guy on George Miliotes, a member of the team.
Master, now the owner of Disney Springs’ Wine Bar George, the Master Sommelier, was 30 years old at the time. He is proud to be part of the restaurant heritage.
“It was one of those things that pushed Orlando up,” he says, recalling that part of the machine had his arms up with the idea of serving the whole wine, the glass and the whole bottle.
“It was unprecedented,” he laughs.
So, he was also a farm-to-table ideology, but that wasn’t what he called it at the time.
Since 1979, Farmstead Goat Cheese by Sonoma Artisan Producer Laura Chenelle was the center for the famous goat cheese ravioli on California Grill (still does).
“We’re bringing this appetizer to something really special,” says California grill chef Danny Rogers.
He works daily with chef Cuisine Matthew Birch, the restaurant’s current menu creator.
3 Course Prix Fixe Experience – A generous plate with a generous $89 per person offering incredible value – offers a new take on grilled pork tenderloin. A colorful and flavorful addition of Noah French with blueberries and yuzu cards.
“We’re most excited about the market-inspired items we create seasonally for our guests,” says Rogers. “We need traditional products for non-adventurous diners, but we need to be willing to open our guests to new and different flavors and ingredients to expand our culinary journey.”
Rogers uses summer take as an example to push boundaries and create new experiences.
“The guests are familiar with salmon, but the other components aren’t that familiar, especially with salmon.
For some of my adventurous and experienced palate tables, the beautifully cooked King Ora Salmon was a perfectly seasoned fall favorite. The homemade mango kimchi in particular was a unique complement to the fish richness and coconut-infused black rice, a sweet and creamy.
We arrived at the opening (proteip: the best time of luck to the walk-in table), and the scenery was shining. The late night sun provided watercolors over the Seven Sea Lagoon and Magic Kingdom. The summer squall was blown away and the venue above the clouds was covered before the spectacular sunset became an exhibit of fireworks of its own.
It’s an underrated seating time for a place known for nightly fireworks, but guests in every seating of the day are always welcome to watch the show. I offer it to another venue to ride the after-dinner monorail – Polynesian coffee? A drink after dinner at the Grand Floridian? – It could act as a digestivist before returning to the explosive restaurant.
You can visit the Classic Disney venue, which rents its own impressive tenure at California Grill.
“It was innovative,” says Miliotes, who stayed for eight years. “It’s easy to forget how it started because so much has happened since then, but the California grill was that. Without that Quenticos wouldn’t happen without it, it wouldn’t happen without it.
He added that although two makeovers have been made since 1995, the open kitchen is still the norm.
“It’s probably the most open kitchen in the world,” he laughs. “It was cutting edge back then, and so is today.”
They also fake people like cast members who continue to shape the Disney culinary landscape, former California Grill Chef, now a director of cuisine, or McClintock, who led a small crew known at the time as the Food and Wine Association.
“We held a four-day food and wine festival every day with 1,000 people a year with 1,000 people,” she says. Hannig’s California Grill Vision is considered the steam that drove the burgeoning wine fest.
Today, Epcot International Food & Wine Festival has been operating for over two months, attracting millions.
However, many may leave the crowd for a dinner reservation, located on the 15th floor of Disney’s modern resort.
Before the California grill, guests just grab something or eat to wait in line for Space Mountain, skip. McClintock said.
“Now they’re off the line and going out and eating,” she says. “Food has become a big part of the way people spend their time at Disney. It all started with the California grill.”
Do you want to reach out to me? Find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram @Amydroo or the Osfoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com. Join Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook Group for more foodie fun.
