Disney’s Grand Floridian Easter Egg Display Interview & Tour with Pastry Chef Ally Rogers (Photos, Video)

Hi everyone!

Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort is now offering its Easter Egg Display for 2024! And yesterday, we had the opportunity to tour the display with Pastry Chef Ally Rogers. These eggs are conceived and created by Bakery team Cast Members, and the results are always so impressive. The Bakery team Cast Members pitch their personal ideas in August, many months before designing and displaying their egg.

Here is our video tour first, followed by photos.

Chef Ally took over recently from Pastry Chef Kristine Farmer, who spent the last five years overseeing the Grand Floridian Easter eggs and the iconic Grand Floridian Gingerbread House. Chef Ally has been with Disney for about 10 years, and has other aspects she oversees in addition to these displays (including the dessert menu at Victoria & Albert’s restaurant).

Our tour started at the Cocoa Butter Painting demonstration table. Last year, a Cast Member demonstrated painting an egg with Disney characters. This year, the egg has Pixar characters, including Buzz Lightyear from “Toy Story”, Miguel from “Coco” and Dory from “Finding Nemo”.

Disney’s Grand Floridian Easter Egg Display features eggs from both this year (2024) and some from last year. There aren’t any eggs from earlier years. Our tour with Chef Ally focused on the new eggs.

Chef Ally was excited for the Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway egg, inspired by the attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. “This Cast Member always includes lights in her eggs. Three years ago she did a Figment Epcot egg.” The Cast Member named Mary Rose also created the Main Street Electrical Parade egg that returned this year.

The egg also features fireworks and the “perfect picnic” scene from Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway with Mickey, Minnie and Pluto.

The Cast Members paint chocolate bunnies each year. I had always thought that the same bunnies were brought back, but they are all new.

New for 2024 is a koi pond by Cast Member Aurora. Rogers says,  “We also let our cast kind of step out of the Disney realm as well and make eggs that were really personal to them”.  She said that this Cast Member has a passion for koi fish.

One of Chef Ally’s favorite eggs features Snow White, Princess Aurora and Cinderella impressionist art. “On the base is the artists that actually created those characters.”

I did ask whether the Bakery team Cast Members had any direction on what eggs to create. Chef Ally said, “We let every Cast Member do personal eggs. We let them choose the movie, we let them choose the theming. That way, it’s the best piece of artwork that we can get for them.” She continued, “They really enjoy putting their hearts in it. Our Cast really work at the Grand Floridian Bakery for this moment even to create this showpiece.”

There is an egg carton this year of mini-deviled eggs – because they are all villains. The villains are Ursula, Lotso, Scar and the Queen of Hearts.

Next on the tour is an “Aladdin” inspired egg. Chef Ally said, “We have Princess Jasmine and all of her glory with her palace.” This was the first egg ever designed by Cast Member Monica. “It’s her first egg, extremely impressive. She came with a sketch and we’re so happy to see it really come to life.” A hidden Mickey is even on the palace!

One relatively new addition is a tent card that gives the name of the Cast Member and a backstory, with what the Cast Member wants to convey about the egg. As the egg is personal to the Cast Member, it is nice to have that information. Every egg has a card.

Next is a revolving “Beauty and the Beast” egg. Guests lined up to photograph and view this egg yesterday! “The story behind this egg is that the Beast is protecting the rose.” The Cast member wanted guests to see the full 360, which is why it is spinning. “He’s protecting his memories that are painted on the back”. Belle is in 3D as this exquisite egg turns, and all of these memories are there.

Al’s Toy Barn from “Toy Story” is the next egg. Chef Ally said, “I have to read this tent card because I think it’s just great. It says, ‘This is my third egg and I’ve always done a book theme. I started with a cookbook, then a children’s book, and now a Toy Story'”.

Chef Ally showed us the live painted egg from the demonstration last year. “This is all the Disney characters. So at the end of our season, which is just four weeks away, that Pixar egg will look like this one. It will be fully on display and painted.”

The hit animated film “Elemental” is included here as well, with a fire and water abstract design “to convey those two top characters”.

Chef Ally says that the Pixar film “Onward” is one of her favorites, and there is an egg with great details on the front and back.  “This Cast Member really fell in love with this movie and just wanted to give the whole piece to life.  I just think it’s just one of our most beautiful pieces that we have”.

About the eggs, she says, “This really gives them (the Cast Members) an opportunity to share their strengths that you might not always see on a day to day operation”.

Next is Yzma as a cat from “The Emperor’s New Groove”, a first egg from Chef Allison. “We have Yzma…in the movie, she holds an acorn. We made a little twist on it, now she’s holding an Easter egg.”

There are a lot of first-year eggs from Cast Members. Chef Ally says it is really wonderful to give them that opportunity. They start the process in August each year, and the Cast Members come with a full plan and design – plus a reason behind it. The “Beauty and the Beast” egg was inspired by EPCOT International Festival of the Arts in 2023. “Last year they (the Cast Member) saw a painting that was like this one, and they felt that they wanted to convey it into the egg.”

Another favorite egg for Chef Ally is the Disney Parks snacks egg. If the chocolate didn’t already make you feel hungry, there is this one with popcorn, churros, turkey legs and Mickey bars!

Also new and a Cast Member first-year egg is a whimsical dragon hatching out of an egg.

“James and the Giant Peach” is a solid chocolate egg created with all of the characters around. The characters are all made out of modeling chocolates. The egg is about 65 pounds (the heaviest of all the eggs) and is on wheels.

An incredible “Moana” themed Kakamora display was last on our tour. Chef Ally says, “I don’t even know where to begin. I think that this breaks the record at the Grand Floridian for the most eggs on one display piece.”

The piece is created with solid chocolate, the rafts are all dark chocolate. It sits on top of fondant and royal icing.

She continued, “What is so wonderful, if you can see this blow dart at the top. It’s made with corn silk that’s been dyed, so even that is an edible piece for it.”

The “Moana” piece took “three strong Cast Members” to lift it!

When Disney’s Grand Floridian Easter Egg Display 2024 concludes, some eggs will be kept for 2025. Others can go home with Cast Members. Whether the eggs return has to do in part with the structural integrity of the egg.

Thank you to Pastry Chef Ally Rogers for the tour of these incredible works of art at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort that guests can enjoy through the month of March. There are tasty treats for sale as well at the Grand Cottage!