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Get a taste of the islands at Disney's Aulani resort in Hawaii

The chefs at Aulani bring the magic of Disney to traditional Hawaiian dishes. Sponsored by Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa.

KAPOLEI, Hawaii — It seems you can't be a chef at a Disney property without knowing how to create food in the shape of a mouse with ears. That’s definitely the case at Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa in Hawaii.

“It’s part of the requirements here,” joked Nicolas Amoriello, Executive Chef at Aulani’s ‘AMA’AMA restaurant.

There are of course the famous Mickey and Minnie Mouse waffles. But there are also the ones that are harder to spot like the tiny hidden Mickey Mouse carved out of watermelon found in the Acai bowl at the Ulu Café.

"It's just fun little touches that we put into it just to bring the magic," Amoriello said.

The musubi also gets the Disney treatment. This spam and rice dish is a popular Hawaiian snack. It’s a great grab-and-go option after a day of swimming or snorkeling in Aulani’s lagoon. It’s also one of many traditional Hawaiian dishes you’ll find at the resort.

“It's representing the culture,” Amoriello said. “It's representing the flavors. It's representing the melting pot that the island is and very important for our food here."

Credit: KING TV
The musubi, which is a traditional Hawaiian snack made with rice and spam, gets the Disney treatment at Aulani.

At the newly reimagined ‘AMA’AMA restaurant, traditional flavors get an elevated twist. An excellent example of that is the restaurant’s pork belly appetizer.

"Really just a play on traditional smoked meat on the island,” Amoriello  said. “But we are using confit pork belly and then we have a smoked sauce that goes into it that's very traditional."

Credit: KING TV
The pork belly appetizer at Aulani's 'AMA'AMA restaurant is an elevated twist on traditional Hawaiian flavors.

You can also enjoy island favorites at Aulani’s KA WA’A Luau. Here guests can try poke, kalua pork, and poi.

Finally, no trip to Hawaii is complete without shave ice. This cool treat is topped with traditional syrups like mango, guava, and pineapple and then finished with sweetened condensed milk. And yes, at Aulani, It comes shaped like Mickey Mouse!

Credit: KING TV
The shave ice at Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa is shaped like Mickey and topped with tropical-flavored syrups and condensed milk.

Sponsored by Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa KING 5's Evening celebrates the Northwest. Contact us: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Email.

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