Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup Recipe from Le Cellier Steakhouse

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Dining, Epcot

Disney has shared some of our favorite park eats like the Mickey beignets and churros. Fans of the Canada pavilion and of the famous Canadian cheddar cheese soup recipe served at Le Cellier Steakhouse and the Food and Wine Festival can now enjoy this delicious dish at home.

From a Disney Cast Member;

You won’t have to travel around World Showcase to try the famous Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup from EPCOT – you can now make it at HOME!

Although featured in many Disney cookbooks, we’re releasing the recipe for this classic soup you’ll find on the menu at Le Cellier Steakhouse in the Canada pavilion. It’s one of our most popular recipes and also a favorite of mine (of course, I love anything that involves cheese!) It serves as a great appetizer or even a warm dish for a cozy afternoon and you can pair it with pretzel bread for dipping for a magical meal!

Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup from Le Cellier Steakhouse at EPCOT

Serves 10

Ingredients:

1/2 pound of bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium red onion, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
3 celery ribs, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken stock
4 cups milk
1 pound white cheddar cheese, grated
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Coarse salt, freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup warm Canadian golden lager or any pale lager-style beer
Chopped scallions or chives, for garnish

Directions:

  1. In a 4- or 5-quart Dutch oven, cook bacon, stirring, over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until lightly browned.
  2. Add red onion, celery, and butter and sauté until onion has softened, about 5 minutes.
  3. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 4 minutes over medium heat.  Whisk in chicken stock and bring to boil for 1 minute. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Add milk and continue to simmer for 15 minutes. Do not boil after milk is added.
  5. Remove from heat and add cheese, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Blend with immersion blender until cheese is melted and soup is smooth. Stir in warm beer.  If the soup is too thick, thin with some warm milk.
  6. Serve the soup hot, garnished with chopped scallions or chives.

Click here for a print-at-home version of this recipe!

Note: This recipe has been converted from a larger quantity in the restaurant kitchens. The flavor profile may vary from the restaurant’s version. As a reminder, while preparing this recipe, please supervise children who are helping or nearby.

Bob Chapek Doesn’t Like Being Thought of As a “Cost-Cutter”

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

To say that Bob Chapek’s tenure as CEO of The Walt Disney Company has been tumultuous might be an understatement. Chapek has dealt with massive unpopularity — which includes a petition to get him fired that has amassed over 75,000 signatures — as fans see Disney eliminate free programs like FastPass and replace them with paid ones like Disney Genie+, as well as increase prices for something they feel is declining in value.

In his defense, Chapek became CEO right before Disney — and the world — experienced an unprecedented disaster, the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic forced Disney to shut down all of its theme parks across the globe, and the company laid off and furloughed tens of thousands of employees. The Company has stated that COVID had a massive impact on them as they lost hundreds of millions of dollars, but fans are seemingly fed up with that excuse.

Chapek continued to gain the ire of Disney fans when Black Widow star Scarlett Johansson sued the company, claiming that they violated her contract when they chose to release Black Widow on Disney+ the same day they released it in theaters. Johansson and Disney went back and forth, but eventually came to an amicable settlement and Johansson will be returning to the company to work on the new Tower of Terror movie.

Disney fans around the world are constantly referring to Chapek as a “bean-counter” — someone who places extreme emphasis on controlling budget and expenditures — and they also see him as a cost-cutter who is creating a company that is charging more while continuing to give less. Chapek likes to think of himself as having his eye on all parts of The Walt Disney Company and dislikes the “bean counter” and “cost cutter” reputation he is gaining.

According to a recent article in Financial Times:

The notion that he is merely a bean-counter irks Chapek. “I’ve seen creativity in this company through every lens possible,” he says in an exclusive interview. He compares running the theme parks with observing “a focus group every day” that gave him a unique perspective on “what makes the Walt Disney Company so different from any other media company”. He adds, “It ties us to our ultimate constituent, which is the consumer.”

In addition to Disney fans not being the biggest fans of Chapek, there have also been reports about tension between Chapek and former Disney CEO Bob Iger — who recently warned that Disney may face trouble for what he perceives as the current lack of innovation and lack of strategy.

Bob Iger Bob Chapek galaxy's edge

Iger recently fully stepped away from The Walt Disney Company, where he was Executive Chairman after stepping down as CEO in 2020. His departure saw Susan Arnold — who has been with the company for almost 15 years — take over as Chairperson of the Board.

Fire Engines Respond To An Emergency In The Magic Kingdom By Cinderella Castle

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Magic Kingdom

Guests in the Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort two nights ago have shared images of emergency crews making their way down Main Street U.S.A. Orange County Emergency Services has listed the call as a fire via a 9-1-1 call log, and early Guest reports on social media mentioned smoke near Frontierland or Liberty Square, but it has since confirmed that the fire was started in the kitchen of Cinderella’s Royal Table inside Cinderella Castle.

With the fire taking place inside Cinderella Castle at Cinderella’s Royal Table, Cast Members are currently evacuating Guests from nearby areas of the park. Guest John Keegan, who was in the area and took the above photo, also shared that emergency services brought someone out from the side doors of the Emporium to the doors near Tony’s Town Square Square Restaurant on a stretcher, however, this may have just been a precaution as Disney has since confirmed that no one was hurt during the accident.

Guests who were dining inside Cinderella’s Royal Table when the fire broke out were evacuated down the back staircase of Cinderella Castle into Fantasyland where Cast Members helped move them to a safe area as emergency crews arrived on the scene.

Scott Gustin on Twitter has shared a statement by Disney confirming that the fire was small and quickly put out by using fire extinguishers and that no one was hurt during this event.

Magic Kingdom Cast Members were quick to respond to the incident, and Guests onsite report that the Cast Members they interacted with all handled the emergency situation extremely well and were quick to move Guests out of the area and keep everyone safe.

Disney Announces Dates & Details for 2022 Flower & Garden Festival

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Epcot

Time to get out those calendars! Disney has announced the dates and details on the 2022 EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival.

The official start of winter is still a few days away, but spring is already in the air because our horticulture team at Walt Disney World Resort is busy producing topiaries, hanging baskets, flower towers and more in preparation for the 2022 EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival. This popular and fragrant festival springs to life March 2 and runs through July 4. That’s 125 days to enjoy fresh cuisine, colorful gardens, playful topiaries and vibrant entertainment.

Since the festival is taking place during the Walt Disney World Resort 50th Anniversary celebration, a new main entrance topiary display will feature Goofy and a 50th-themed birthday cake. Other favorite Disney Character topiaries will include Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the Germany pavilion or Lumiere and Cogsworth welcoming you to the recently expanded France pavilion.

Gardeners will marvel at thousands of blooms forming colorful, living panoramas all around EPCOT, and the entire family can experience the Health Full Trail presented by AdventHealth along the Imagination walkway to learn tips for staying well.

Fresh flavors are on the menu at the festival’s 18 Outdoor Kitchens as well as other food and beverage locations around EPCOT, offering a fresh selection of springtime fruits, vegetables, desserts and more.

The popular Garden Rocks Concert Series will return in 2022, featuring favorite tunes at the America Gardens Theatre. More details about the musicians playing at EPCOT during the festival will be released soon.

You’ll also find blooming keepsakes including vibrant apparel, drinkware, accessories and more with new merchandise collections launching just in time for the event.

To experience the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival, you must have both valid admission and a park reservation for EPCOT on the same date.

Imagineering the Disney Wish: Construction Updates

Posted on by Mathew Corn Uncategorized

Via Disney Destinations

Guest staterooms are truly a home at sea — they are peaceful, calming, functional and infused with enchanting details that make them uniquely Disney. The story of how the staterooms came to find their home on the Disney Wish is nearly as magical as the end result!

The design process begins with collaboration. Walt Disney Imagineering spent years working with designers and artists to examine every detail; carefully considering how color, light and shapes interact to ensure the environment we create is both restful and magical. Since the majority of the finished pieces for the Disney Wish were fabricated offsite, our team built hundreds of mockups prior to final construction in order to visualize how everything is coming together. It is all about the attention to detail!

Once the design is finalized, we hit “full steam ahead” on the production line! The 1,254 staterooms are manufactured on an assembly line, where each piece is carefully installed on a conveyor belt. That includes everything from furniture and walls to artwork and lighting.

The final magic touch is when the staterooms are placed on the ship. That’s right – a crane lifts each one and places it on the Disney Wish.

Staterooms are the perfect blend of what Imagineering does best: artistry and technical perfection. It is a priority for every aspect of our design to be both narratively beautiful and highly functional to provide Guests with the best experience! Everything we do is with our Guests in mind.

When the Disney Wish sets sail next June and Guests are finally at rest after a day of adventure and enchantment, we hope they can feel just a little more magic knowing each piece was carefully designed to bring Disney stories to life.