Peanut Butter Playdough

In 1999, while working at Walt Disney World as Epcot's Pastry Chef of Special Projects, I created an interactive dessert program for kids. This idea was inspired by my daughter, Ashton, who was around five years old at the time and I was a single mom.

Jacqueline + Ashton Working together on a Disney Cruise

Going out to eat was one of my favorite things to do, so I would bring her with me to nice restaurants. I realized that kids eat fast and get bored quickly—well before I was able to finish my appetizer, entree, and dessert. These interactive desserts allowed the unique experience of letting the child eat and play at the same time. Each of the restaurants in the Epcot World Showcase had a dessert designed to keep them busy while their parents finished their meal and maybe even had time to order another glass of wine or dessert.

Peanut Butter Playdough was the first item to be tested and was showcased at Epcot's Coral Reef restaurant. A scoop of edible "playdough" that tasted like the inside of a peanut butter cup and served with a variety of yummy treats to decorate it with—chocolate chips, pretzel sticks, mini marshmallows, and vanilla wafers soon became one of their most popular items! - Jacqueline

Some of my old kids’ menus for Disney