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On May 17, 2018 • By Marcy Carriker Smothers

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A 1957 menu from the Disneyland Hotel’s Gourmet

A 1957 menu from the Disneyland Hotel’s Gourmet Restaurant was recently given to me. It was a keepsake of Cecile Van Antwerp (far right), who worked for Walt for six years. I met her daughter, Lin - who graciously gifted me the menu - while researching Eat Like Walt in 2016. It’s special, but not nearly as special as the unique relationship between Cecile and Walt. This previously untold story is a wonderful example of Walt’s benevolence and his commitment to the Feed the Birds philosophy:

Walt ate almost daily at the studio commissary (and always paid) for fifteen years. However, by 1956, a year after Disneyland opened and the Mickey Mouse Club debuted on television, it became apparent Walt would need a private dining room. The Coral Room menu was more upscale than the offerings at the Studio Restaurant and the Coffee Shop. In addition to soups and sandwiches, there were elegant daily specials. The waitresses wore long skirts, crisp white shirts, and tight coral belts along their waists.

Shortly after the Coral Room opened, Cecile Van Antwerp was hired as a waitress. She loved her job, which was evident by the testimonials from customers who raved about her winning smile and excellent service. In 1963 Cecile and her husband were in a horrific car crash near Las Vegas. After the accident, she was rendered a quadriplegic with a grim prognosis. Walt sent a plane to medevac her to what was then Van Nuys Presbyterian Hospital near her home close to Burbank, and later that December sent a limousine full of Christmas presents for her children.

Cecile was transferred to the Motion Picture & Television Country Home where she remained two years before her final rehabilitation at Rancho Los Amigos in Downey, California. After three years of hospitalization, all expenses taken care of by Walt, Cecile returned home. Upon this momentous occasion Walt made her an honorary Silver Retiree at Disney, a distinction that normally required twenty-five years of service. Any time she wanted to visit the studio or Disneyland, a chauffeured car was sent, and Cecile was given star treatment until she passed away in 1997.

Having lived in Sonoma County for 33 years, I assu

Having lived in Sonoma County for 33 years, I assure you that Sparky left his corner of the world a whole lot brighter ✨💛🌟
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I love tradition! And it’s a tradition to see Ch

I love tradition! And it’s a tradition to see Christmas with Walt Disney every December at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco. Produced by Disney Legend Don Hahn, it’s a gem - just like he is - and for the FIRST time, streaming on Disney+!!!💙

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

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Walt Disney images courtesy of the Walt Disney Archives

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