Cooking up something new with Stephen from Hong Kong Disneyland!
Who knows where a career can go?
Working at Disney is a true journey full of unexpected turns. Meet Stephen! Last year, he accepted the role of manager with the newly created Food and Beverage Environmental Sustainability and Safety team, after spending 20 years climbing the ranks as a chef in the kitchens of Hong Kong Disneyland.
At the beginning of his career, Stephen started as a sous chef helping create delicious dishes around the resort. Throughout this time, he prioritized teamwork and curiosity, always making sure to connect with his leaders to find professional development opportunities while building a solid network. “Disney cares about cast members and there are so many opportunities. Disney supports young chefs. Leaders know how to recognize cast members,” he shared. Eventually, Stephen was promoted to Executive Chef and became a leader himself.
During his time as an Executive Chef, Stephen worked in every restaurant in Hong Kong Disneyland and had the responsibility of overseeing menu development and execution. He takes pride in being involved in creating the menu for the park’s newest and wildly popular land, World of Frozen. “We held countless meetings from the kitchen to the menu design, all aimed at providing guests with the perfect experience!”
After an illustrious career in the kitchens of Hong Kong Disneyland, Stephen almost hung up his hat, as he said he was ready to try something new and wanted to give more opportunities to the young chefs starting their careers. To his surprise, this “something new” brought on an exciting opportunity in his familiar Food and Beverage business but with a twist!
His leader approached him with the offer of joining the new Food and Beverage Environmental Sustainability and Safety team as a manager, knowing that his years of experience well-equipped him for this transition. He felt confident and ready. He was able to take his culinary experience from the kitchen to implement his skills in the environmental, safety, and conservational perspectives. “Even as a chef I was working with safety, it was a natural fit. I was leading younger and newer chefs every day in these areas.”
In this role, Stephen has stepped away from the chef’s table to see through a new lens, as well as put on a hard hat. On the Environmental Sustainability and Safety team, he still works closely with the culinary team but now his responsibilities have shifted to promoting environmental awareness, researching best practices within sustainability, providing cast member training, and much more. “In the field of F&B environmental work, I initially faced significant challenges. However, together with my team, we continuously improved and established recycling facilities and programs within food and beverage.” He has enjoyed being a part of Hong Kong Disneyland in a new way and helping drive the success of sustainability programs and targets.
With a 20-year career with Disney and counting, Stephen is excited to continue learning and growing within Hong Kong Disneyland in ways beyond his imagination. He wants to see the next generation of cast members leave their mark at Disney and encourages them to take chances and stay curious! “Disney is very different from anywhere else. There are so many stories, so many characters. Embrace the happiness and magic. Trust each other. Leaders are there to help. We know that cast member success equals team success.”
To learn more about opportunities at Hong Kong Disneyland, head to https://www.disneycareers.com/en/hk-disneyland.
