Candy apples are popular every fall, especially as a sweet nod to the Halloween season, but at the Candy Cauldron at Disney Springs, the iconic Evil Candy Apple is the best seller year-round. Merchandise hostess Joao Torres would know. She’s been making them here for over 20 years.
In fact, Torres and her son, Pedro Zarraga, are a legacy of Walt Disney World cast members.
Torres has worked here for 31 years. Seraga, 11 years old.
These days, Cerraga has a long title. Senior Manager of Merchandise Products and Integrations. But he started dipping candy apples with his mother.
“I was finishing my senior year of high school,” Salaga says.
Incredibly, his casting placement was completely coincidental. They didn’t know that his mother also worked there.
“My first thought was, ‘Are we even allowed to do that?'” he laughs, noting that their schedules were almost opposite in the early days.
“She would be the first pitcher in the morning and I would be in school and work the closing shift. A lot of times I was her ‘turn in’ and I was the one to come in and reassure her.”
Saraga started out at the top, but when she was selected for confectionery training, she became her mother’s trainee.
“It was very memorable,” he says. “And wonderful.”
Torres moved to Orlando from Puerto Rico in the early ’90s, landing in what was then known as the Disney Village Marketplace. After a few years there and a few more on Pleasure Island, she was assigned to the Candy Cauldron, a job she has loved since her arrival.
“I love doing this,” says the candy apple enthusiast. “We work in the show kitchen, and the best part is interacting with our guests. They see us making the treats, and we see the faces of the kids. It’s such a joy every day to have so many different people come in from everywhere and make their experience so enjoyable.”
The “Evil Candy Apple” is a copy of the poisoned apple made famous by the villain in “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” The Evil Queen has the perfect balance of sweet and sour, making it a delicious take-home treat for your guests.
“This is the most popular apple we sell, but I love making everything here. We also have a cake pop version with an evil face on it. It’s the same thing, but smaller. It’s so cute,” says Torres.
Saraga’s current job is to lead product projects that support all aspects of Walt Disney World, from back of house space and floor replenishment to conceptualization and integration.
Joao Torres rolls apples in boiling cherry candy coating while making a batch of evil candy apples at the Candy Cauldron at Disney Springs on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. (Rich Pope/Orlando Sentinel)
Joan Torres rolls apples in boiling cherry candy coating while making a batch of wicked candy apples at Disney Springs’ Candy Cauldron. (Rich Pope/Orlando Sentinel)
Joanne Torres drips extra cherry candy coating from a freshly dipped apple candy at the Candy Cauldron on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, at Disney Springs. (Rich Pope/Orlando Sentinel)
Candy apples cool on a tray before being displayed at the Candy Cauldron at Disney Springs on Monday, October 27, 2025. (Rich Pope/Orlando Sentinel)
Joao Torres carries several freshly dipped apple candies to a decorating station where she plans to add the signature skull of the evil Candy Apple on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025 at the Candy Cauldron at Disney Springs. (Rich Pope/Orlando Sentinel)
Joao Torres decorates an evil candy apple at the Candy Cauldron at Disney Springs on Monday, October 27, 2025. (Rich Pope/Orlando Sentinel)
Joao Torres decorates an evil candy apple at the Candy Cauldron at Disney Springs on Monday, October 27, 2025. (Rich Pope/Orlando Sentinel)
Joao Torres decorates an evil candy apple at the Candy Cauldron at Disney Springs on Monday, October 27, 2025. (Rich Pope/Orlando Sentinel)
A newly decorated evil candy apple cools on a tray at the Candy Cauldron at Disney Springs on Monday, October 27, 2025. (Rich Pope/Orlando Sentinel)
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Joao Torres rolls apples in boiling cherry candy coating while making a batch of evil candy apples at the Candy Cauldron at Disney Springs on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. (Rich Pope/Orlando Sentinel)
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“We launch new things that either make the guest experience better or make cast members’ lives easier,” he says. “My favorite part is watching it in real time.”
He never expected that summer job to lead to a career path that has been chronicled for more than a decade since then. “I never thought that just dipping a candy apple would give me so many opportunities. Thanks to the leadership team here, the possibilities seem endless. Find your passion, combine it with your work, and build a lifelong career.”
His mother certainly does. Although he’s no longer at the cash register, he often visits Disney Springs for his role, so he makes sure to stop by and say hi.
“As a kid, I remember thinking, ‘Mommy makes candy! It’s fun!'” As adults, we understand more about what parents do for their children and what they sacrifice to give them the best life possible. I came to understand that it is work, and it is hard work. ”
Metaphorically speaking, Torres is whistling. Life is sweet.
Find me on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram @amydroo or the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com, and for more foodie fun, join our Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group.
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