Believe it or not, DFB has been around for 15 years. We know, we can hardly believe it ourselves! We’re celebrating with a HUGE event — DFB Megafest!
MEGAFEST!
Over the years, the Disney Food Blog has grown, changed, and evolved — and some pretty epic things have happened in the process. Whether you’ve been a fan since Day 1 or if this is your very first time reading the blog (welcome!) we thought we’d share the biggest “pinch me!” moments from running DFB over the years.
DFB Mega Fest is two weeks full of giveaways, fun content across all of our social media platforms and blogs, YouTube scavenger hunts, and MORE! Head over to the Mega Fest Hub to see what’s planned!
Right now, we’re sharing some of the most unbelievable things we’ve experienced over 15 years of DFB!
That time AJ was profiled in the New York Times
We’re starting off strong by talking about one of the biggest pinch-me moments in DFB history — when AJ was profiled by the New York Times. She spent the entire day at Disneyland with a New York Times food writer, trying all sorts of treats and walking the writer through our process.
Mickey Premium Bar
Eventually, the Times put out a piece on Disney fans, the phenomenon, and of course — snacks, and AJ was featured as an expert on all things House of Mouse. You can read the article here!
The first time we covered an entire EPCOT Festival
Ah, 2010. Things were much simpler then. Well, unless you were Disney Food Blog covering an entire EPCOT festival for the very first time! The EPCOT Food & Wine Festival is kind of like our Super Bowl, and since 2010 we’ve been covering it all. And, while we have a team of people to handle it all now — back then it all fell to one person.
2023 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival
That’s right — AJ used to be the one to eat every single item we tried and reviewed during the festivals. Talk about a commitment!
Launching the DFB Guide
Disney Food Blog officially started in 2009, but it wasn’t until a couple of years later that the DFB Guide — our e-book on how to plan a Disney World vacation and provide our hottest insider Disney World tips gathered over decades of travel — was launched.
DFB Guide
The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World® Dining is packed with more than 900 pages of tips and information, but it begins with a 5-step guide designed to get all your major worries out of the way.
Hiring Our First Writer and Reporter
Eventually, AJ couldn’t do it all herself and hired a writer to help out. Then she hired another writer, and another, and then a reporter, and well, here we are 15 years and countless employees and contributors later!
Hollywood Studios
Of course, DFB wouldn’t be what it is today without this team and we’re so grateful to every person who has made that a reality!
The first time Disney PR noticed us
Sure, now Disney knows who we are and is kind enough to invite us to media events, but there was a time long before we got the inside scoop and Disney didn’t know us from Adam. Luckily, that all changed one day a while back.
We know!
AJ got an email from a Disney Public Relations person that essentially just read, “Who are you?” and the rest is history.
Going into the cranberry bog
Back in the day, Ocean Spray had a HUGE Cranberry Bog at the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival. It wasn’t exactly open to parkgoers, but AJ and Heather Sievers had a dream they were determined to have come true — and they did.
Cocktail Party set up INSIDE the bog!!
They not only got to put on waders and go into the bog, but they even got to enjoy some eats and drinks at a reception while they were in there! Talk about dreams coming true.
Covering two major Disney events on the same day for the first time
Disney really loves to keep us on our toes by making multiple announcements at once and having huge events on the same day these days, but that wasn’t always the case. But, on one ill-fated day in 2019, that all changed when Disney decided to open Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Hollywood Studios on the same day the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival kicked off.
Galaxy’s Edge
August 29th, 2019 is a day that will live in infamy — at least amongst the DFB team and hardcore Disney World fans. We were in both parks covering everything you needed to know and we’ll continue to do that for years to come!
Hitting 1 Million Followers on Instagram and YouTube
From our lowly beginnings as a blog about Disney food to a media company with multiple social media channels and more, it’s no secret that DFB has grown. But, breaking one million followers on Instagram was definitely a huge milestone for us.
EPCOT
And, not too long after, we also hit one million subscribers on YouTube — another huge milestone we’re pretty darn proud of.
DFB Megafest!
Just the sheer fact that we’re able to do an event like Megafest is pretty mind-blowing and we wouldn’t be here without you, so thank you! Make sure you stay tuned for giveaways, fun content across all of our social media platforms and blogs, YouTube scavenger hunts, and MORE!
MEGAFEST!
DFB Megafest is just getting started and we’ll be sharing our best memories, tips, and things we’ve learned from doing this for fifteen years! Make sure you stay tuned and follow along at the link below.
Get ALL the Latest DFB Megafest Updates Right HERE
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Congrats! Thanks for the fun article and the walk down memory lane!
Congratulations to you all. That is an amazing success story. I so enjoy reading the DFB everyday. It’s my Disney FIX.
Félicitations from Montréal! Thank you for the walk down memory lane!
AJ and the Crew,
Job well done. Happy you are celebrating 15 years and many thanks for your time and insight to help make our Disney trips better and more enjoyable
Eric Lapham