Andrew Sutton, Culinary Director of Signature Dining at Disneyland Resort, and Disney have parted ways. At this time we don’t know if this was a mutual or one-sided decision. The move comes just over a month after Napa Rose reopened at the Grand Californian. By most accounts, that signature restaurant was very personal to Sutton. In this post, we’ll share the news and offer our commentary.

Details of this story are still emerging. A couple of days ago, a well known member (Nonsuch) of the Disboards added a rumor that Sutton was no longer working at Disneyland, citing Cast Member sources. He also pointed to changes going on at Victoria & Alberts in Walt Disney World. Today, Mickey Visit reported on the same subject after confirming the news with Disneyland Resort.

This news comes as a surprise, in large part because of the timing. Napa Rose reopened on February 6th and Sutton was very visible during that stretch. We dined at the flagship restaurant roughly 20 days later and Sutton was in the kitchen, again very prominent. There was a real sense of pride in the place and, based on the interviews from that time period, that feeling came from the top.

On top of that, Napa Rose has been successful since reopening. Dining reservations are extremely difficult to come by and the general consensus has been positive. The restaurant shifted to an even more expensive, romantic and exclusive experience in the reopening, with many (including me) believing that Napa Rose was aiming for a Michelin Star. Roughly 40 days since that reopening, Sutton is no longer executive chef there.

For what it’s worth, Sutton’s bio is still up on the Napa Rose website. It includes everything he was in charge of at Disneyland Resort, as you can see below:

“At Napa Rose’s inception, Chef Andrew collaborated with Disney experts from various fields to create his vision of an upscale restaurant. As a result of this gathering, he established the award-winning Napa Rose at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa—featuring renowned international wines and delectable dishes that reflect his extraordinary artistry in both regional American and European cuisine.

In addition, he created dishes inspired by the freshness of Asian cuisine and the earthiness of Latin cooking. He encouraged the chefs that followed his lead to expand their imagination and incorporate ideas for their own gourmet creations, based on menus from all over the world, into their repertoire—so that Napa Rose would be known for its ever-growing culinary masterpieces.

Chef Andrew’s journey began with formal French roots and then transformed into a passionate exploration of American regional cooking, which led him to the Culinary Institute of America.

Prior to serving as executive chef at the Ivy Award-winning Auberge du Soleil in Napa Valley, California—where he achieved 2 Chef of the Year awards—Chef Andrew was sous chef with Dean Fearing at the 5-star, 5-diamond Mansion on Turtle Creek in his hometown of Dallas, Texas.

He is now the Culinary Director of Signature Dining at the Disneyland Resort. He mentors a team of over 100, and his culinary leadership is evident across the acclaimed Napa Rose, the elegant Carthay Circle Restaurant and Lounge, the legendary Club 33 and the exclusive, luxurious 21 Royal. His stewardship has resulted in critical acclaim and multiple awards for all the Disney restaurants.”

This news comes on the eve of major Disney leadership changes. That starts with Josh D’Amaro as CEO and works its way down to Chairman of Disney Parks, Disneyland President and so on. We do not know at this time if Sutton leaving is correlated or not but the timing is suspicious.

Frankly, if that timing is merely coincidental then this story is really strange. No matter how things shake out, whether this was a one-sided decision or mutual, Sutton leaving right after a generally positive reopening doesn’t make a lot of sense. If the rumors of a Victoria & Albert’s shakeup are true then that would point to Disney just going in a different direction. Without those rumors being confirmed, I’ll stay away from adding conjecture on that front.

I haven’t seen or heard any rumors about a potential replacement for Sutton. That will be interesting to watch, as Disneyland Resort has collaborated with several well known chefs in Downtown Disney. I wouldn’t expect a huge name in the culinary world to fill this opening but I’m hoping that the recent Downtown Disney changes will push the company to aim high.

As for Andrew Sutton’s restaurants in Disneyland Resort, we’ve always enjoyed them. Our recent review of Napa Rose was glowing and my experiences in Carthay Circle have always been strong too. I like Chef Sutton’s California style with Asian flair. It kept the restaurants feeling distinctly Californian while still being inside of a massive theme park resort. Maybe he departed on his own terms and will go open a restaurant somewhere else. That would be exciting to see.

For now, we’ll wait and see who fills his shoes. I’m not against change and would be interested in seeing what would be done with the signature restaurants at Disneyland under someone else’s watch. But the timing has left me confused on this news and it will be hard to replicate Chef Sutton’s success. We’ll be watching closely over the next few weeks to see what changes are announced.

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