Disney World's VP of food takes buyout

Dieter Hanning, Disney World's vice president for food and beverage new concepts, announced this past week his plans to leave Disney by the end of March. Hanning, who left Disneyland Paris in 1988 for WDW, has led the development of restaurants at Walt Disney World for more than a decade.

"I'm sad to say goodbye," Hannig told The Orlando Sentinel. "But you know, we must be willing to let go of the life we had planned in order to have the life we have waiting for us."

Hanning accepted one of the buyouts Disney offered to more than 600 of its executives across its U.S. in an attempt to mitigate the effects of the global recession.

Disney has thus far declined to comment on how many executives will be leaving Disney as a result of this buyout, only saying it received a "satisfactory response." An unspecified number of employees will also be laid off as Disney reorganizes its operations.

Hanning, 59, and his wife, Ursula, will be heading to Panama to open a mountain retreat focusing on a combination of yoga and organically grown tropical foods. This move is most fitting for Hanning who once earned the nickname "Tofu King" for his love of healthy cooking.

When asked for his thoughts on the retreat, "It's not what I would call a business. It's more a passion."