BoardWalk’s Gingerbread “Deli” Now on Display Through December 27

 by Beth Keating

Lifestyle

DisneyBizJournal.com

November 24, 2023

 

Depending on how you count them, there are more than half a dozen gingerbread displays around the Disney World parks this year, from a room-sized gingerbread house selling tasty holiday goodies from one of its windows over at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, to a brand new gingerbread rendition of the Crescent Lake lighthouse at the Yacht Club Resort. Really unique displays have also popped up, including the life-sized baby gingerbread giraffe and zebra at Animal Kingdom Lodge. 

 

At Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, their intricately detailed gingerbread will be on display through December 27, and it is set up in the main lobby by the registration area, alongside tons of sparkling holiday decorations. The tabletop creation by Pastry Chef Alex Vacher and his team is a miniature replica of the BoardWalk Deli. The real deli is just outside the Resort’s sweeping lawn, along the boardwalk promenade.    

Taking a peek in the windows of the tiny gingerbread deli, you’ll see a 7-inch tall Mickey and Minnie hard-at-work in their kitchen, along with shelves of supplies to create their itty-bitty magical treats (Some of them are Mickey shaped! You’ll even recognize the Mickey dome cakes you can order for your own celebrations in the Resort’s actual restaurants.) Minnie is baking her own scaled gingerbread house, and diminutive rolling pins and oven mitts are scattered about. The windows of the shop flicker with lights and shadows – even the “oven” appears to be dancing with light.

Red-and-white-striped awnings adorn the building, and petite trees, fully decorated with edible bakery goodies, complement the exterior of the display. A purple and white decorated tree gives a nod to the Disney100 celebration.  Don’t forget to look for the 100 hidden Mickeys in the décor honoring the 100th anniversary of Disney this year, and you’ll also find the shadows of a few other members of the Fab 5 hanging about. There’s a working clock on the top of the façade as well!

The BoardWalk’s Gingerbread display is no lightweight when it comes to ingredients – it took more than 210 hours of decorating by Disney’s bakery elves.  Reportedly, there’s also 184 pounds each of whole rye flour and light rye flour, 170 pounds of bread flour, 168 eggs (!), 142 pounds of granulated sugar, 42 pounds of powdered sugar, 22 gallons of honey, 6 pounds of Ammonium Carbonate, 11 pounds of Lebkuchen, 4 gallons of egg whites, 1 pound of Cream of Tartar, 30 pounds of fondant, a heaping spoonful of magic, and a sprinkling of pixie dust!

  
If it’s not enough to just visit the gingerbread, and you suddenly feel the need to munch on the spicy delights as well, the BoardWalk can accommodate those cravings. During the afternoon, the BoardWalk Inn has a number of offerings for sale, including Mickey and Minnie Sugar Cookies ($4.79); Mickey Caramel Corn Cookies ($6.49); Christmas Tree Pops ($4.49); Peppermint Bark ($7.99); and regular Gingerbread Shingles ($4.99) and Gluten/ Wheat-Friendly and Plant-based Gingerbread Shingles ($4.49) versions that look just like the ones on the gingerbread building itself.  Add on a cup of warm drinking chocolate for $5.79 if you’d like.

The BoardWalk Inn is a Deluxe level Resort, and is located on Crescent Lake between EPCOT and Hollywood Studios.  Friendship boats traverse the lakefront, ferrying guests back and forth between the Resorts and parks.

The BoardWalk’s whimsical, turn-of-the-century Atlantic City theme especially comes alive at night, when carnival games, streetmosphere entertainment, jugglers and more light up the area to entertain guests along the Coney Island-style boardwalk.  Christmas decorations, including brightly lit trees, are also on display both inside and outside the Resort, making it a festive place to visit for the holidays.

 

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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.

 

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Happy Thanksgiving to All DisneyBizJournal Readers!

 by Beth Keating

Lifestyle/News

DisneyBizJournal.com

November 24, 2022

 

At our house, we are a divided family when it comes to the holidays. A few family members have been playing Christmas music since late October, while others do not consider the Christmas season ushered in until Santa makes his way to Herald Square at the end of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York.  Then, it is permissible to start putting the tree up.

 

However, as a Disney family, it takes some adjusting to the fact that the “Disney Holiday Schedule” is a few beats off from the rest of the world.  Halloween starts in August, Mickey’s Christmas parties have been firing off for several weeks now, towering trees and snowflakes have graced the parks since November 1st… you get the idea.  In the past few weeks, the holiday gingerbread displays have also begun assembling.

We’ve enjoyed the Gingerbread House at the Grand Floridian in past years, and the themed carousal at Beach Club is always fun, but this year we were especially impressed by the gingerbread building at the BoardWalk Inn.  The BoardWalk display had been missing for several years, and in addition to being glad to see it back, we offer up a hearty round of applause to the culinary team who created the new confection.  It is incredibly detailed!

 

The gingerbread building is a replica of the Resort’s newest restaurant, the BoardWalk Deli. 

 

A large window allows a peek into the deli, with Chefs Mickey and Minnie hard at work on teeny tiny little samples of the BoardWalk Deli’s menu offerings in a kitchen so sculpted that the itty bitty appliances and cooking utensils seem ready to start baking.  The petite dishes lined up on the deli counters are adorable, and we particularly got a chuckle out of the miniature Mickey Ear cakes lined up on a bakery shelf. (Not saying that we’ve ordered those cakes for family birthdays in the past or anything…) 

 

Outside the “building,” the deli’s red striped awnings overlook tiny Christmas trees and a selection of benches, tables and chairs for hungry guests to enjoy Chef Mickey’s culinary treats. There are even miniature ornaments on the trees!  Talk about attention to detail!

 

Like many of the gingerbread spots on Disney property, there’s a pop-up shop to purchase some yummy gingerbread goodies and other treats and libations (and themed holiday merch, including BoardWalk ornaments and collectible pins, as well).

Just outside this enormous gingerbread construct is a sign that lists all the hard work and sweet ingredients that went into baking this beauty, with 200 hours of decorating time by the bakery “elves.” In all,  21 gallons of honey, 182 pounds of whole wheat rye flour, 182 pounds of light rye flour, 168 pounds of bread flour, 168 eggs, 3 gallons of egg whites, 30 pounds of powdered sugar, 0.5 pound of Cream of Tartar, 140 pounds of granulated sugar, 20 pounds of fondant, 5 pounds of ammonium carbonate, 10.58 pounds of Lebkuchen, a “heaping teaspoon of magic,” and “a sprinkle of pixie dust” went into this enormous replica.

And if you have the time, you’ll find 26 different hidden Mickeys throughout the gingerbread.  It could be a nice Thanksgiving… or Christmas… scavenger hunt for your family.

 

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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.

 

Thumbs Up at the New Boardwalk Deli

 by Ray Keating

Review

DisneyBizJournal.com

August 25, 2022

 

As a former New Yorker who escaped to Florida recently, there isn’t much I miss from the Empire State, certainly not the insane taxes and the snow. However, there are a few items on the food front, such as real New York pizza, a good bagel, and the morning egg-bacon-and-cheese sandwich from a deli.

So, I was kind of excited to read my lovely wife’s DisneyBizJournal piece – “Disney World’s New BoardWalk Deli To Open Soon?” by Beth Keating – about a Northeast-style deli opening in Walt Disney World. I visited the BoardWalk Deli at Disney’s Boardwalk one day last week – the first week it was open – for both breakfast and lunch. Hey, sometimes research and writing requires sacrifice.

 

First, the Bagel Breakfast Sandwich gets a thumbs-up. The bagel was quite good, with a combination of being chewy and soft, with a little crispness on the outside. A true New York deli bagel would be slightly chewier and have a touch more crunch on the outside, but this was darn close.

 

The egg was fresh. With a traditional New York egg sandwich, the fried egg would have been a little less done, but once more, this was darn close. The bacon and cheese are essential, and were nicely represented here. Interestingly, there was a surprising touch of sweetness thanks to the caramelized onions.

 

So, my breakfast selection got a thumbs up.

 

What about lunch? The Warm Pastrami Reuben sandwich was appropriately thick. It was full of flavor, with the pastrami done just right. The cheese, pickles, sauerkraut, and Thousand Island dressing all worked well together. And yes, the marble rye bread was soft and thick. When the bread is off, it can kill a sandwich. Thankfully, that definitely wasn’t the case here. Be warned, though, you’ll need plenty of napkins. 

The Pastrami Reuben sandwich also gets a thumbs up.

 

Also, the Italian Sub hero presented nice combination of meats and cheese – sliced capicola, sopressata, pepperoni and provolone, with arugula, tomato, pesto, and mayonnaise on ciabatta bread. The key is that the flavors came through strong, as opposed to one of those fake heroes where it loses whatever it might had had because of sitting around in a refrigerator. The bread was soft, and the dressing fit. 

 

Yes, another thumbs up.

It’s also worth noting that the store-made chips made for a far better lunch accompaniment than the vinegary cole slaw. The chips were big and crunchy.

Finally, I have a suggestion as a former New Yorker. Make a small addition to the breakfast menu. Offer the classic bacon, egg and cheese deli sandwich, which features one or two fried eggs (perhaps a little runny), bacon, cheese, and – here’s a key point – on a poppy seed roll (salt, pepper and/or ketchup are optional). Nail that and the line will be long, and quite profitable.

 

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com; and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries, and the Alliance of Saint Michael novels; and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

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Disney World’s New BoardWalk Deli To Open Soon?

 by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

July 28, 2022

 

Shout out to all our former New York and New Jersey residents: The deli sandwiches you’ve been craving – and can’t find down here in Florida – will be arriving soon at the new BoardWalk Deli at Disney World!

 

Sometimes, Disney seems to take forever to complete an announced project. (Looking at you 2017’s Tron announcement!!!)  But in this case, the progress from announcement to slicing of the first sandwich seems to be speeding along.  Disney has posted operational hours for the new BoardWalk Deli beginning Monday, August 15, 2022.  We only got the news about the deli’s arrival in March! Obviously, the posted serving times are subject to change as construction chugs along, but the grand opening appears to be imminent.

 

The new deli will be located alongside the BoardWalk resort, and the BoardWalk Bakery has already closed so work on the new venue, as well as that of The Cake Bake Shop by Gwendolyn Rogers, can take place. Fans of the ESPN Club were disappointed to see the old barbells and signs had already been taken down to make room for the new eateries as well.  

 

Disney Parks Blog has shared the tentative menu for the new deli, and if, like us, you are missing some of these Northeast delights, you’ll be thrilled with the selections.  Disney says it’s “inspired by the delis of the Northeast region, with a menu that takes you on a road trip of classic sweet and savory flavors from New York to the Jersey Shore.” All of the breads will be baked fresh in-house, and the dill pickles, always wrapped up with sandwiches in New York delis, will be made in-house, too. Specialty coffees will be available to kick-start your park day.

 

Among the proposed selections will be the signature Italian Sub ($11.49) with thinly sliced capicola, sopressata, and pepperoni with provolone, arugula, tomato, arugula pesto, and mayo on fresh-baked ciabatta bread; a Pastrami Reuben ($12.99) topped with sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and Thousand Island dressing on marble rye bread (so iconic!); a roasted chicken sandwich ($10.49) with cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, and roasted garlic aioli served on ciabatta; a chicken salad wrap ($10.99) with rotisserie chicken, grapes, walnuts, and mayo in a spinach wrap; and a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato-basil soup ($9.99).  Plant-based diners can enjoy the Veggie Crunch Muffaletta ($10.49) with cured and pickled root vegetables, an olive-giardiniera tapenade and plant-based cheese, served on focaccia. Several salads will be offered as well ($9.99-$10.99).  

Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog

Looking for breakfast?  The deli will be serving house-baked bagels with “a choice of schmear;” sweet breakfast pastries ($3.79-$6.79); warm bagel sandwiches, including an everything bagel sandwich ($8.99) with cage-free eggs, sausage, and cheddar cheese, or a bagel breakfast sandwich ($8.99) with cage-free eggs, bacon, sweet caramelized onions, and cheddar cheese; or a plant-based ciabatta sandwich ($7.49) “egg” Florentine, plant-based cheese, tomato jam, and arugula.

 

As of this posting, it looks like the BoardWalk Deli will be open from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m.  That’s especially good news for our former New York and New Jersey friends who are looking for one of those very specific style of breakfast-time egg sandwiches from back home.  (I was wondering…it’s just eggs, bacon and cheese. Why is it so hard for local venues to duplicate that? Maybe we can convince Disney to offer the egg sandwiches on Kaiser rolls as well as bagels for a more authentic Northeast deli egg sandwich?  Just sayin’.) 

 

And while it may not be the BoardWalk Bakery any longer, there will still be plenty of sweet treats available at the new deli, including cannolis ($4.19) that will amazingly be filled to order in a crispy shell stuffed with mascarpone cheese, ricotta, shaved dark chocolate, lemon zest and an adorable Mickey swirl. Blueberry scones with crème fraiche; chocolate-dipped cream puffs; raspberry danishes; brownie cheesecake;  brownies; banana bread; the much-loved Disney “cookies & cream cupcake;” and the 50th Anniversary Celebration Cupcake will all be dished up for you as well.

 

In our house, we are particularly looking forward to what Disney is calling “New Jersey Crumbcake,” recognizable to those of us from the Northeast as the thick, moist yellow cake with sweet cinnamon-crumb topping that is just as thick as the cake, and is so often displayed in the glass cases of diners and bakeries across the tri-state area. And how about the “New York-style Half-moon Cookie, topped with rich chocolate ganache and buttercream,” which is what we former New Yorkers would call a “black and white”? We can’t wait to see whether it will live up to the cakelike consistency with firm frosting that we all knew and loved back home.

 

Here’s hoping that the posted start dates are accurate.  We’ve been hankering for one of those Pastrami Reubens!

 

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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.

 

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