Make-A-Wish kid Connor tours Food & Wine with EPCOT chefs and earns his own chef coat

By entgrove · October 30, 2026

Disney chefs spent 10 months planning a Make-A-Wish food tour of EPCOT for Connor, a boy from Minnesota who dreams of becoming a chef. His day ran through four Food & Wine Global Marketplaces, a backstage kitchen with Chef Goofy, a cooking session at Connections Café & Eatery and dinner at Space 220 Restaurant.

Disney's EPCOT culinary team hosted a Make-A-Wish tasting day for Connor, a young foodie from Minnesota, during the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival. The chefs fed his family from four festival booths, gave him a personalized green chef coat and let him cook his own pizza at Connections Café & Eatery before dinner at Space 220 Restaurant.

Ten months of planning before Connor reached EPCOT

The Disney Culinary team started work about 10 months ahead and sent the first surprises to Minnesota before the family traveled.

• First phone call. Chef Eddie, EPCOT's Culinary Director, learned of the wish 10 months before the visit and planned the day backward from how he hoped Connor would feel.
• Why food mattered. Connor has a neurological condition that may affect his ability to enjoy food later in life, and he dreams of becoming a chef.
• The chef team. Chefs Eddie, Amanda, Tony, Daniel and Marco assembled a welcome package and mailed it to the family's home in Minnesota.
• Inside the box. It held World Showcase pavilion T-shirts for the family, a Disney Culinary crossbody bag, a cap signed by the team and Goofy merchandise.
• Cards from the park. Food and beverage locations across EPCOT sent welcome cards, a preview of how many cast members were waiting for the visit.

Goofy is Connor's favorite character, which is why he turned up in the package and again later in the day. The team picked the October date to line up with the festival's 30th anniversary year.

Four Global Marketplace stops at Food & Wine

Connor's morning ran through four festival booths, with chefs explaining how each dish was created.

• Morning welcome. The family met the chefs and EPCOT Vice President Matt Simon in World Celebration Gardens, then posed for photos near the Walt Disney statue.
• Four booths. The stops were The Fry Basket, Brew-Wing Lab at The Odyssey, Milled & Mulled and The Wedge hosted by Dairy Does More.
• Fry Flight first. The team picked up The Fry Basket's Fry Flight, which they called a guest favorite, and carried it to a waiting table at Brew-Wing Lab.
• Whole menu served. Chef Tony said the team set out one of everything on the menu and explained how each item was developed before the festival.
• Connor's picks. He gave a thumbs up to the Fried Pickle Spears at Brew-Wing Lab and the Cannoli Milk Shake at The Wedge.
• Executive visitors. Senior Vice President of Operations Jason Kirk and Food and Beverage General Manager Mike Driscoll stopped by while trying the festival's new marketplaces.

Cast members walked the festival route in advance, and booth staff stepped out of their marketplaces to meet the family as the group passed. Chef Marco described how the kitchens stayed one step ahead.

"As we walk from each marketplace, we're reaching out to team members to let them know we're on the way, so they can begin preparing everything for the family."

A green chef coat from Chef Goofy and Chef Eddie

After the booths, the group went backstage, where Connor was formally welcomed onto the Disney Culinary team.

• Backstage kitchen. The next stop was a kitchen guests do not normally see, where Goofy was waiting dressed as Chef Goofy.
• His own coat. Chef Eddie and Chef Goofy presented Connor with a personalized green chef coat after a round of photos.

Connor's mom, Jessica, said the coat was the moment that meant the most to her.

"It was my favorite part of the entire day. Seeing him in his very own Chef coat felt special because that's what he hopes to do in the future."

Pepperoni pizza and a Liège waffle at Connections Café & Eatery

In his new coat, Connor moved from tasting to cooking in one of the restaurant's kitchen pods.

• Pepperoni pizza. Chef Joey led a make-your-own pizza session, and Connor prepared a classic pepperoni pizza.
• Liège waffle. While the pizza baked, he made a Liège waffle with Chef Amanda, one of EPCOT's chefs de cuisine.

Dinner at Space 220 closes one of Disney's hourly wishes

The family ended the day at Space 220 Restaurant, where the culinary team had left surprise desserts.

• Surprise desserts. The chefs arranged desserts for the family's dinner at Space 220, the EPCOT restaurant themed to a space station 220 miles above Earth.
• A long partnership. Disney and Make-A-Wish have worked together on wish experiences for more than 45 years.
• Largest wish granter. Disney grants more Make-A-Wish wishes than anyone else, with a Disney wish granted every hour of every day.

Jessica described what the day meant against the backdrop of the family's medical journey.

"Our medical journey has been filled with many triggers, many things that have been sad, hard, and overwhelming. But it's also been full of many glamorous things that bring me hope, that bring me strength and courage. Today was probably one of the best days."

Our take. All four of Connor's stops are public Global Marketplaces, so festival guests can retrace his morning, and his two thumbs-up dishes make an easy starting order for a first visit.