Career Spotlight: Cruise Ship Chef
September 13, 2009
•Le Cordon Bleu
•Miami
• 0 Comments
Imagine a kitchen that is staffed and equipped to handle the
24 hours a day and 7 days a week needs of up to 5,000 diners and another 1,500
staff and crew members. Now imagine being in charge of that kitchen. Sounds
pretty exciting, doesn’t it? Now what if we say that this giant kitchen is on
one of the biggest ocean-going vessels in the world and it serves beautiful and
exotic ports in the Caribbean, Mediterranean, and Baltic Seas? Sounds even
better, right?
These are the types of opportunities that are available to seasoned,
well-trained chefs who choose a career at sea as a chef on a cruise ship.
Florida Chefs are Headed off to Sea
Clearly the job of a chef on a cruise ship is every bit as
demanding as a chef in a posh hotel or resort with the added complication of
everything being done at sea.
Cruise ships are actually giant hotels at sea. Each year the
major cruise lines like Royal Caribbean and Princess try to outdo each other by
building the largest ships. Royal Caribbean is currently building the world’s
largest passenger ship. At 1,180 feet long and gross tonnage of 220,000, the Oasis
of the Seas will carry up to 5,400 passengers to various ports around the
world. Those 5,400 guests will need to be fed by an army of culinary
professionals ranging from entry-level crew cooks to executive chefs.
Cruise ship chefs must manage the operations of the ships
main kitchens plus the dozen or so smaller restaurants, grilles and snack bars
located throughout the largest ships. Guests are showered in luxury on most
cruise ships with meal selections that one would expect at the best 4- and
5-star hotel restaurants: beef wellington, roast duck confit, grilled sea bass
and desserts to please the most discriminating diner.
Chefs are responsible for the proper distribution and
portioning of the food stores so that no guests will go without. Executive and
sous-chefs oversee all food services to ensure the proper preparation and
distribution of meals. As you can imagine, it’s important that food is managed
efficiently to minimize waste and maximize what can be served from the ships
stores.
Flexible schedules usually allow crew members to get out and
explore the exotic destinations of the ship, making the job of cruise ship chef
not just a job but an adventure.
This article
is presented by Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Miami. Le Cordon Bleu
College of Culinary Arts Miami offers Le Cordon Bleu culinary education classes
and culinary training programs in Miami, Florida To learn more about the class
offerings, please visit Chefs.edu/Miami for more information.
The jobs mentioned are examples of certain potential jobs,
not a representation that these outcomes are more probable than others. Le
Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Miami does not guarantee employment or
salary.