I’ve been writing about Disney — and specifically FOOD at Disney — for 15 years now!
A classic!
It’s been quite awhile since I started holding up my treats in front of Cinderella Castle and sharing them with the world (and believe me, I got SO MANY weird looks when I started). Over the years, I’ve spent THOUSANDS of dollars trying every restaurant and every new menu item in Disney World — and now we have a whole team reporting 365 days a year (yes, we’re even working on the holidays), and millions of followers! I’m taking a minute today to look back, and I need to tell you that it all started with a not-so-great (at least it SEEMED not so great at the time) day…
When I started DFB, I was working as a grantmaker in a small foundation. And, well, I got “downsized”. I sat in my car and sobbed (I’d never been fired before…turns out there are lots of reasons that people get let go, and it’s not always because they’re necessarily bad at their jobs). But when I called my husband to tell him the news, he was ecstatic (???!). DFB had been gaining ground, and as an entrepreneur at heart, he was excited to see what could happen if I focused more of my time on it.
Mickey 50th Anniversary Popcorn Bucket
DFB began because it was a website I wanted to read, myself. At the time, in 2009, I was deeply embedded in Disney message boards and info sites. But there was nothing that focused on food. There was nothing that was visually represented — with big pictures and a focus on showing people what they would get when they ordered certain items in the restaurants.
Bread Service at Sanaa
Even Disney didn’t publish pictures of their food back then! And they also didn’t have menus on their website. It’s hard to imagine that today, but it was HARD to find information about what to expect when you made reservations for Disney’s restaurants!
So, knowing that I always planned my trips around where I was going to eat — that I spent hundreds and thousands of dollars on food in Disney World and I wanted it to be GOOD — I figured there were others out there like me…even if it’s not something people really talked about. (There was almost a stigma attached to talking about liking the restaurants in the parks and resorts back then. It was weird.)
Martini Flight at Hollywood Brown Derby
I started to plan three and four night trips just focused on going to as many restaurants as possible. Sometimes I would visit five or six restaurants in one day, plus snacks, so that I could share pictures and show people as much as possible. I wanted everyone to be able to make good decisions for them and their families when they were booking those restaurants (at the time 180 days in advance!!!). I’m a completionist, so my goal was to get to every single restaurant — to help people by showing as many dishes as possible.
Butterfinger Cupcake from the (now closed) Starring Rolls Cafe
So my giant DSLR and I would trudge into restaurant after restaurant, begging for a table with good lighting at each one, and ordering as much as my budget and stomach would allow. I got VERY weird looks — remember, nobody talked about food in Disney World and DEFINITELY nobody was taking PICTURES of their food there.
Breakfast Totchos in Animal Kingdom
As luck would have it, social media started to take off, and smartphones became the norm. So while DFB was getting popular — it very slowly stopped being weird that I was talking about food and taking pictures of everything I ate. When Instagram began, visual content became the future of the internet. Suddenly our HUGE pictures on the blog were setting the standard, and our food photography was inadvertantly training legions of future influencers.
Wookiee Cookie
When I first held up a food item to take a picture (a slushy at the Little Woody’s Snack Stand — which is where Neighborhood Bakery is now in Hollywood Studios), I’d never seen it be done before.
Frozen Mint Julep Lemonade from Casey’s Corner
When the EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival rolled around, I knew I had to cover it in full — buying and trying EVERYTHING on every single menu. It was critically important to me to make sure I didn’t leave anything to chance. I didn’t want any of my readers or followers to be in the dark about the items that were available.
Pickle Milkshake at the 2023 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival
And even though I was not culinarily trained, I could at least show people pictures of what they would get and let them know what I thought of it — since I was a huge Disney and food fan just like my readers were. While this was exhausting to do on my own — so much so that I’m pretty sure I started hallucinating by the end of the day — I knew there were plenty of people out there who would count on it. So after the first day of the festival, I headed over to Jellyrolls to listen to live music (because I would have fallen asleep if I went back to my hotel room), edit photos, and get everything up on the site.
2021 Food and Wine Boston Cream Pie Donut
This became my MO for festivals for years — and for restaurant openings, events, Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.
Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
Eventually, the blog was doing well enough that I could hire helpers. At first, I hired one writer and one in-park reporter to supplement what I was already doing. This was HUGE, and we suddenly were able to do a lot more. Plus, I was able to sleep sometimes. As the years went on, we brought on more team members, launched our YouTube channel and other platforms, gained millions and millions of followers, and the rest is history.
Kakigori in EPCOT
I have — OF COURSE — made mistakes and learned SO MANY lessons along the way. But there are two things I’ve learned that continue to be the central values of DFB — and the keys to our success. If you’re starting anything, these two items are my absolute best advice!
First, always (we don’t like to use too may absolutes like “always” or “never” in our writing, but here I really do mean ALWAYS) add value. Always add value. If you’re not solving a problem for someone, or making their life better, then re-think what you’re doing. Whatever we’re writing at DFB — be it a script for YouTube, an Instagram caption, or a blog post — the writer is expected to go back through the content after they’ve finished and look for additional places to add an extra tip, or extra background, or a link to something else that’s informative to help our audience.
Pineapple Glazed Pork Belly at Nomad Lounge
And finally, don’t skimp on quality. Great content will always find its way to the top of the pile. Phoning it in is NOT an option when you’re building a brand amidst fierce competition. So be ready for a long, hard slog…and know that it will be worth it!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for following us here at Disney Food Blog. I — and my team — would absolutely not be doing this without you! Whether you follow us here on the blog, on YouTube, on social media, or on new platforms we haven’t even dreamed up yet (so MUCH about content creation has changed in the past 15 years and continues to!), we LOVE to hear from you, we appreciate you, and we’ll keep working hard (and losing sleep when we have to!) to help you and your family plan the BEST Disney World vacations by adding value and creating great content every single day.
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WE KNOW DISNEY.
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Thank you for sharing your origin story, and thank you for all of your hard work! You have to love a lemons to lemonade story.
Thank you for all the great content! You are my go-to source for all things Disney.
AJ, I love your story of how DFB began. As I have told you before, you and your team are great. I am always well informed on everything Disney. Keep up the great content.
Congrats on 15 Years! DFB is our Go-To for the latest Disney news, not just food reviews. If we catch wind of a rumor, but haven’t seen it on DFB, we remain skeptical until we do.
AJ’s greatest gift to America: Lifting our spirits during the Covid lockdown by keeping the YouTubes in production, and somehow remaining positive and uplifting. We all wanted our “normal” back. For my family, we wanted to go to WDW and forget about Covid for a little while. During the lockdown, DFB kept the spirit alive, until we could return safely. Thank you, AJ! We will never forget what you did for us.
Congratulations AJ for giving us the opportunity to explore Disney parks with our taste buds. Do you realize how many of us have planned our vacations around your reviews and photos? My husband and I only dine on AJ approved snacks and meals and never once been disappointed ! It’s a standing joke between us, after devouring a recommended meal, we say “thank you AJ”! You were the first foodie…long before it was cool. Your gamble paid off. You followed your heart and we thank you for every photo, tip, and review. Now, if you could only help us rid ourselves of the ten pound weight gain after every trip!
What a wonderful husband you have AJ for him to be so supportive & see the silver lining- even though it probably didn’t feel like it then. Thank you & the team for your hard work & dedication all these years. DFB is my first stop for Disney news not just food news. I’ve shared articles with friends & family. My newsletter catch up on Saturday afternoon is one of my favorite ways to relax. Thanks again!
Thank you AJ for all the work and photos of food over the years. We moved to Florida in 2007 and were Passholders for ten years. Your work helped make our Disney trips so much better. I’m so grateful! We live in Texas now, far away from the magic, but I still read your site and follow on social media because Disney Food Blog is amazing!
AJ , my family and I will always appreciate DFB and your efforts to bring to us , the Disneyphiles , all the info needed to plans our next Disney trip. Also to keep us entertained and excited between those trips. Thanks so very much Tim
Congratulations, AJ. This is an amazing feat. 15 years! I remember stumbling across DFB when I was taken on my first trip to WDW in 2013; the rest is history. So, thank you for all the food information you have provided, the tips and tricks, and the ups and downs of being a content creator in a space that can now seem daunting and overwhelming. It’s been a blast over the years watching the site evolve (gosh, during the pandemic I used to religiously watch DFB like it was water!) and I can’t wait to see how you all continue to grow as a blog.
And thank you for being an inspiration as well. 🫶🏾
Hello, I’m a big Disney fan (I grew up 20 miles from Disneyland). I’m taking my first trip to Tokyo and we’re going to Disneyland and DisneySea. How is the meal at the Blue Bayou? Always wanted to go. Is it worth the cost?
Started watching videos and getting your newsletters years ago when going thru a horrible time in my life. Disney has always been my happy place! Truly enjoy everything you put out there. Thanks so much for all your whole team does.
Earlier this year I started training as a travel agent but slow process. I’m retiring from my regular job at year’s end. Anxious about doing travel; trying to teach myself. HARD.
Looking forward to all your future information and upbeat posts/videos.
Again THANKS!
Thank you for this, AJ! I’d always wondered how you got started. Sometimes life throws you a curveball, but with luck, you catch it and throw it right back. You’ve had more than luck, though. You had a great idea and serious DETERMINATION, always a winning combination.
I’m 74 and have the absolute privilege of going to Disney parks since my first trip to Disneyland in 1961. My family now goes to WDW about twice a year and because we know the parks so well, like you, our focus is on the food. The rides don’t change often (or at all 😉) but the food just keeps getting better and better.
I discovered the DFB after I retired ten years ago and I read it daily. I almost always learn something from you. And there are still so many people who diss the food! We’ve had some incredible experiences, a few disappointments, but now have many favorites, largely thanks to your blog.
I had a little curveball myself yesterday which meant having to cancel not one, but TWO scheduled Disney trips – SOB!! But we have one at OKW in early January, plus my daughter became an agent for Vacationeer a few months ago, so I’m counting on joining her on “research visits” in the future. “Think happy thoughts!” (I had a crush on Peter Pan as a little girl.)
You do a wonderful job and thank you for so many years of being there when we need advice.🥰 Stay well
Thank you for DFB. Don’t always agree with you but your effort is greatly appreciated.
I’ve seen your blogs around for the past 6-7 years but started really following along the past 2-3 years. Everytime I want to see what new foods or packages Disney has, I come running straight to your blog! Thank you, AJ and the rest of the DFB team, for your commitment and dedication in bringing us the latest and greatest in all things Disney ❤️
First, Congrats on 15 great years. I’ve been around for many of them. Second, thanks for all the work you do to help us all enjoy our Disney vacations. Lastly, your keys to success are perfection. As a fellow entrepreneur I admire how you have grown DFB to be the best of the best. I will only add one thing to your list, love what you do, and you obviously you do. Thank you for all time you and your staff take to give us the information we need to have great trips!
AJ rocks. Whether it is the email blasts or your you tube episodes, you always make me feel like there is a great big beautiful tomorrow waiting for my next Disney trip. Your content and photography are superior and your approach is always spot on. Your guide books are almost too much info but they sure help me plan every time I go.
Thanks for taking that leap of faith and know that there are so many of us who will always consider you an honorary Mouseketeer, the highest honor we can bestow.
AJ, wonderful article. Congratulations on a great ride and making us feel like part of the element when we can’t be there.
Hi Vern! We did a review of Blue Bayou last month that you may enjoy reading here.
Dear AJ,
My wife and I have been to WDW several times since our first trip in 1972. And since 1983, a few more times with our daughter, but not a lot after 2001. In 2010, we were blessed with our first grandson, and in 2012, our second. At that moment I knew we’d be heading back to WDW in about 5 or so years to share the experience with our enlarged family. Thankfully, The Disney Food Blog had to be, and I could rely on the expertise contained therein to plan those trips in 2018, when the newest addition (a granddaughter) was only 1, with the boys being 8 and 6. After that we all went again in 2023, in April and again right after Thanksgiving, and each time the DFB and your YouTube videos were essential parts of my planning agenda.
On those trips we had some glorious meals at a number of unique places within WDW. Our highpoint was a super-delicious lunch at Cinderella’s Royal Table in 2023, within hours of our (then) 6-year old granddaughter finishing her makeover at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. Seeing her all dolled up and meeting the Princesses – all of whom stopped at our 7-person table and made a special effort to pose with her and engage her in conversation – was the clear highlight of all our trips.
Due to recent health concerns, however, visiting WDW may not be in the cards for my wife and me in the “near” future, but our memories will be more than enough to carry us through.
Thank you, AJ, and to all of your “helpers” at DFB for providing me with incredible guidance, not only for food-related experiences but for anything else I cared to know concerning the parks. It was a daily thing back then for me to cast one of your YouTube videos to the flat screen in our family room so I could enhance my understanding. Despite not planning any trips in the future, I still consult every new edition of your blog. What can I say, I am hooked on DFB, and will be for life.
Congratulations on 15 years of helping people.
Congrats on 15 years!! 🎉🍾🎉
I started going to WDW in 1987, when I was 7 years old and went every year, or every other year until 2005. Disney was my home away from home and I knew it like the back of my hand. Due to getting married, having a couple kids and some complicated life stuff going on, we didn’t start planning our next trip in 2019 (for a Nov 2020 trip) So many things had changed! Magic Bands, MDE app, etc. I went from feeling like a Disney know it all to knowing nothing lol! Thankfully I came across across the DFB and before you know it, I was back in the know and feeling like a pro again! Of course the pandemic postponed our trip a bit, but again, thanks to DFB with keeping us all updated with closures, reopenings and all the pandemic related changes at Disney, we were confidently able to reschedule our trip for Nov 2021. We’re back to going every year and I’ve even turned my DFB loving husband into a full fledged Disney adult!
So again, congrats to AJ & the DFB team and THANK YOU so much for always keeping us in the loop! Our trips would not be the same without you 💖
AJ I just want to add to your 2 ingredients for success – sincerity, honesty and love. Your openness, vulnerability is so trustworthy and refreshing.
Omgosh
We could write paragraphs of praise and admiration and appreciation for you and your team.
Thank you so very much 😃
Thank you for sharing your story, AJ, and congratulations on 15 years! I always wondered how this was started and who was responsible. It was you, the voice in all of the videos! I shared my secret source of immense knowledge with all of my family and they are all followers of your site. I plan for the annual Disney pilgrimage and my day always finds time for your daily blog. I rarely post but I am always there. Keep up the good work for another 15!
AJ:
Just loved reading about ur personal journey to DFB etc. Ur hubby’s encouragement to pursu ur Disney focus on line was of course a gift to all of us.
I ( we ) thank him ;but mainly thank you for having the courage & stamina to go forth, fatigue be damned & create the wonderful world of Disney info so many of us enjoy.
Keep on keeping on!
Warmest regrds,
Rick
Thanks AJ for providing 15 years of awesome content! Your tips and advice have saved me thousands of dollars over the years and greatly enhanced my WDW vacations. Thank you and your team for all you do!
That was really interesting to read, many thanks to AJ and the team for all the info you have provided over the years. Watching the Videos and reading the blogs has really helped my family (from England) with our planning. Currently planning a drip to Disneyland California. Many congratulations on your 15 years! I hope you continue with your great work.
I read every word and look at everything. Love it and have learn a lot of tips from this site. Please keep it up. I take notes and put together a notebook before we go to DisneyWorld so I am prepared and know what to do.
Very interesting read, congratulations on all of your current success and future success. Just think back to that date 15 years ago, could you have imagined at that time that this would be your future? Congratulations.
I have to say, I want to thank you for doing this. It has ben very helpful to my husband and me! Please keep up the good work! Love DFB (and looking forward to as much info as I can get on the new Genie+ or whatever system 🙂 )
Congratulations to the entire DFB Team, both past & present, on 15 amazing years! I especially love the photos that are shared here. Your photos always seem to make my stomach growl and make me long for my next WDW vacation. Keep up the excellent, excellent work!
Keep up the great job you have done and continue to do.
Congratulations AJ! We love your YouTube and Blogs. We found you last year as we planned a return to WDW after 15 years with our whole family to celebrate our retirement. Thsnk you for guiding us to Small World agents as we have now started our Disney cruise adventures with our first (on the Magic last April! On to Alaska next month!
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
AJ, you and your team have made our Disney trips even more magical with all of the information and updates in the parks and certainly all of the information on the food and dining! We appreciate all of your efforts in putting this blog/YouTube videos together. I watch every week and love hearing your voice on each video.
THANK YOU!
Congratulations on 15 years! To this day you guys still are the best and most informative blog there is. Wish you guys great success and perhaps an expasion to international parks?! We sure need information and there’s still not a lot about them on the internet. Thank you for your hard work!
AJ:
Thanks for sharing your story. Congratulations to you and your team. My husband and I love all of the content that you share—we love your sense of humor! We’ve been DVC members since 2004 and we always learn something new from you and your team!🥰
Hi AJ and a HUGE thank you for your blog. Your’s was the first one I subscribed to several years ago. With all the negative things going on at. Disney for the past couple of years, you ALWAYS put a positive and hopeful spin on things. It’s easy to get upset when comparing the past to the present. I find when I read your and your team’s posts, I am always encouraged that things will get better. Disney will always be my favorite place to go, and my memories there are priceless. Again, thank you for your wonderful videos, posts, etc. I will never tire of reading and watching them.
AJ, I loved learning about your history and the evolution of DFB. It’s inspiring to see how your passion & Love for something created a powerful company that actually helps people. You paved the way for so many content creators. I feel like you should be teaching business start up strategy at a university! And kudos to your supportive husband who encouraged you- I find that level of “I believe in you” to be rare. Congratulations on all of your success!
❤️
AJ. Have followed you since the beginning and I may watch other videos but yours are the ones I have always relied on.
I started going to Disney World in 1973. I wish there was DFB then. I have to say though that the many cast members I spoke to in the 1970s and 80s were very helpful. Of course, there was no internet then either.
I have been back every year since that first trip. Sometimes twice a year. My next trip will be in early December and have been closely following your blogs for new and interesting food tips. Thank you so much for doing this for all these years.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for providing the most helpful and entertaining information on the web. We will be visiting Disney World in two days and your newsletters and blog have made our preparation so much more easier.
We loved your honest food reviews, especially with the personal anecdotes thrown in.
You are so fortunate to have found a career that brings you joy every day. We applaud your success.
AJ, congratulations on 15 great years! Our family always looks forward to seeing the content of your posts. The information and reviews you and your team provide to us are exceptional and informative. It is great to catch up on all the changes happening at Disney World. Keep up the excellent work! Here’s to another 15+ Magical years!
Congratulations on 15 years of sharing your experiences so that our experiences can be better! You and the team at DFB Food Guide rock!! Way to go, you trendsetter you!
Former grant manager here, who got downsized in 2013. I’ve been following you (and AllEars and Mouse Savers) for as long as I can remember. From websites and emails to YouTube these days. Can’t tell you how much I’ve relied on your reviews to make the most of my time and money in the Land and World parks. Love your content 💞💯🥰
Thanks for sharing your story. My husband and I have been to WDW ; 22-24 times since 1982, and while we don’t have plans to go any time soon, we LOVE your YouTube videos. We’ve also turned 1/2 dozen families (planning trips: some first timmers) to the site. Keep those videos coming…we love them! We’ll get back eventually.
I have wondered how DFB was started and you were on the mark! The Disney food is extremely important and so are the many other topics you post. They basically determine if I go or not. Now, if only someone could prevent bad weather…..