LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – They say it all started with a mouse, but for Amanda Lauder, it started with a cookbook in the third grade and that’s when she realized she was meant to be in the kitchen.
“I did ten years at the Grand Floridian Bake Shop, so I got to do banquet desserts and plated desserts and the gingerbread house there,” she said.
Lauder is the first and only chef chocolatier at Walt Disney World Resort.
[TRENDING: Did teen’s big size factor in Orlando thrill ride death? | This is the No. 1 excuse speeding drivers use to get out of tickets | Become a News 6 Insider (it’s free!)]
She runs The Ganachery shop at Disney Springs along with her baking team, who work around the clock.
The Ganachery opened in 2015 and Lauder explained she didn’t think she was the right fit for the job, but still took the opportunity anyway.
“It’s a daily motivational thing. It doesn’t happen with the next promotion, it doesn’t happen with the next challenge you overcome. To me, it’s still going to be there every step of the way when you get asked to do the thing you’re most uncomfortable with,” Lauder said.
A native from New Jersey, Lauder thanks her mother for supporting her dreams in the culinary world, so when the doors open every day at The Ganachery, guests can get a taste of love and of course, magic.
“My message to women is to take a deep breath, and then go for it. Just go for it! Jump in, dive in, you’re going to get it, don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it,” Lauder said.
Check out the Florida Foodie podcast. You can find every episode in the media player below: