Credit: DisneyDisney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa has appointed Matthew Sowers as the new executive chef, overseeing all 13 food and beverage locations, including the MICHELIN-starred Victoria & Albert’s. Sowers brings over 20 years of experience from Victoria & Albert’s, where he was previously chef de cuisine. Joining him is Miguel Santeliz, who will take over as chef de cuisine at Victoria & Albert’s after three years at the restaurant, which became Disney’s first MICHELIN-starred restaurant. Both have roots in Disney’s culinary scene, with Victoria & Albert’s opening in 1988 and maintaining its status as a premier dining experience at the resort. The restaurant underwent a refurbishment in 2022, updating its menu and environment while preserving its elegant atmosphere.
The Victoria & Albert’s Restaurant Experience
Victoria & Albert’s offers two curated tasting menus of exquisite culinary creations made with fresh, sustainable ingredients sourced from quality purveyors and reflecting seasonal availability and the culinary team’s artistic vision. The Victoria & Albert’s menu shifts seasonally, ensuring that returning guests always get a new, unique experience rather than encountering the same dishes they enjoyed during previous visits, creating an incentive for repeat dining at the premium-priced restaurant, which represents one of Walt Disney World’s most expensive and exclusive culinary experiences.
The courses are inspired by the culinary team’s travels, cultural backgrounds, and personal stories, bringing global influences and personal narratives to the tasting menu format that allows chefs to showcase their creativity and technical skills across multiple courses. The seasonally shifting menu and chef-driven approach distinguish Victoria & Albert’s from many Disney dining venues that maintain relatively consistent menus designed for broad appeal and operational efficiency rather than culinary innovation and seasonal evolution.
The Restaurant Leadership Transition
Matthew Sowers taking over as executive chef for all food and beverage locations at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa represents elevation from his previous role as chef de cuisine at Victoria & Albert’s to broader leadership position overseeing culinary operations across the entire resort property. The promotion of someone with more than 20 years of experience at Victoria & Albert’s specifically demonstrates Disney’s commitment to maintaining continuity and institutional knowledge at the flagship resort rather than bringing in external culinary leadership without deep familiarity with the Grand Floridian’s operations and standards.
Working his way through the ranks as a chef before becoming chef de cuisine and now executive chef reflects traditional culinary career progression where chefs gain experience at various stations and positions before ascending to leadership roles, with Sowers’ two decades at Victoria & Albert’s providing comprehensive understanding of the restaurant’s operations, standards, guest expectations, and the unique challenges of operating MICHELIN-starred dining within a theme park resort context.
Miguel Santeliz taking over as chef de cuisine at Victoria & Albert’s continues the pattern of promoting from within as Santeliz spent three years at the restaurant before ascending to the chef de cuisine role, with his previous experience at Trattoria al Forno, Yachtsman Steakhouse, and Topolino’s Terrace providing exposure to different culinary styles and operational contexts across Walt Disney World’s upscale dining portfolio. The chef de cuisine role places Santeliz in day-to-day leadership of Victoria & Albert’s kitchen operations while Sowers assumes broader responsibilities across all Grand Floridian food and beverage locations.
The Broader Grand Floridian Context
This leadership change at the 37-year-old hotel comes during period of comprehensive refurbishment affecting various areas of the resort with construction walls having surrounded the porte cochère entrance as refurbishment begins and is set to continue through early 2027. The lobby reopened in October 2025 with new carpeting and furniture, while The Perch lobby bar followed in November 2025, with the Garden View Tea Room scheduled to reopen on March 19, 2026 after being closed for six years since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ongoing construction creates challenges for maintaining the flagship resort experience as guests paying top-tier prices encounter construction walls and scaffolding, though Disney continues operating seasonal programming including Easter egg displays and maintains dining operations across all 13 food and beverage locations now under Sowers’ culinary leadership. The Mary Poppins fountain in the lobby of The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is also currently blocked off for refurbishment, indicating that even decorative elements are receiving attention during this renovation period.
Restaurant List at Grand Floridian
As executive chef for all food and beverage locations at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Matthew Sowers now oversees culinary operations at 13 distinct venues including the MICHELIN-starred Victoria & Albert’s, the signature restaurants Citricos and Narcoossee’s, the character dining venue 1900 Park Fare, the casual Grand Floridian Café, the quick-service Gasparilla Island Grill, and various bars and lounges including The Perch lobby bar that recently reopened following refurbishment. The breadth of culinary operations spans fine dining, casual dining, quick service, character dining, and bar service, creating diverse operational challenges and requiring leadership that can maintain quality standards across different service formats and price points.
The MICHELIN star at Victoria & Albert’s adds particular pressure and prestige to the executive chef role as maintaining the MICHELIN recognition requires sustained excellence that meets the rigorous standards of MICHELIN inspectors who evaluate restaurants anonymously and assess factors including quality of ingredients, mastery of cooking techniques, harmony of flavors, expression of chef’s personality in cuisine, and consistency across the menu and over time. The loss of a MICHELIN star would represent significant reputational damage for both Victoria & Albert’s and the Grand Floridian, making Sowers’ leadership crucial to sustaining the achievement earned during Santeliz’s tenure as chef de cuisine.
Historical Significance
The Grand Floridian Resort & Spa opened in 1988 as Disney’s flagship luxury property at Walt Disney World, with Victoria & Albert’s establishing the resort’s fine dining credentials from opening day. The 37 years since opening have seen the Grand Floridian maintain its position as Walt Disney World’s premier deluxe resort despite competition from newer properties like the Polynesian Village Resort, Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom Lodge, and the various resorts that have opened at Walt Disney World over subsequent decades.