Disneyland Resort Ambassadors Nataly Guzman and Mark E. King Jr. recently toured Central Bakery’s magical kitchen with Pastry Sous Chef Christina Orejel, who also offered a lesson in how a passion for baking creates memorable desserts.
“My dad used to be a chef Christina shared. “There’s a photo of me and my sister on a chair in the kitchen whisking eggs, and my love for baking just took off from there.”
Christina’s grandmother, who is from Spain, also fostered her kitchen skills. “I remember I would watch my grandmother cook, and she would use an orange-colored bowl and wooden spoon, and she could do everything with those two things.”
After the tour, Christina taught the Ambassadors how to make a few of the resort’s famous recipes, including an item at this year’s Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival: The Blueberry-Buttermilk Pie at Berry Patch.
“This is near to my heart because it’s my grandmother’s recipe,” Christina said. “She used to allow me to put the blueberries in the pie shell, and I thought that was the most important part of the whole recipe. I love bringing something [to the resort] that I knew in my past, and to this day, it gives me a thrill to see guests trying and enjoying something that I made.”
Christina’s tips for would-be bakers? “Everything should be room temperature because it comes together and emulsifies better,” she said. “Also, read the recipe all the way through before making something new, and most importantly, just have fun!”
Check out the video below to watch Nataly and Mark shadow Chef Christina as part of the “Food Crawl” series on the Disneyland Resort Ambassador Instagram account.
