Hinata has joined Disney Adventure’s opening team as a teppanyaki chef. There, he reunited with Lucio, his family’s server during a childhood Disney Dream vacation.
Hinata was 11 when his family traveled from Japan for that Disney Cruise Line trip. The crew’s guest service stayed with him long after the vacation ended.
During their Disney Dream cruise, Hinata and his brother looked forward to dinner with their dedicated dining team. The servers performed little magic tricks and told jokes, with Lucio helping care for the family.
That experience inspired Hinata to pursue work making other guests happy. He joined the Disney Cultural Representative Program at EPCOT’s Japan Pavilion at Walt Disney World Resort. With encouragement from mentors and fellow participants, he applied to become a teppanyaki chef.
“This is my dream job,” Hinata said.
Cooking hadn’t been part of his university studies, but the opportunity became a passion.
The Disney Adventure role brought Hinata closer to home and family. When he stepped off the new-hire bus, Lucio was there welcoming crew members.
Hinata recognized Lucio after 12 years. He kept a photo album from that childhood trip back home and said he looked at it almost every day.
For Lucio, seeing the picture brought back the brothers’ suit jackets and shorts.
Lucio said having that kind of impact is what makes his job so special.
When Disney Adventure sailed into Japan on its way to Singapore, Hinata’s family returned aboard. Lucio welcomed them again, this time as Hinata’s colleague.
Check current EPCOT wait times before you go.
Source: Disney Experiences
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