Celebrity needs a Celebrity Chef

[Dylandude]

In light of norn iron's suggestion that, Celebrity needs a Celebrity Chef, who would you want to see employed as Celebrity's Celebrity Chef.

 

My vote goes for Thomas Keller.

[Banditdoggy]

Gordon Ramsey to straighten them out. A few F bombs in the galley might do wonders.

 

Hubert Keller or Michael Chiarello to prepare menus.

[travlnblueberries]

My vote goes to Gordon Ramsey. You know you would get nothing less then the best!

[Robinhill]

I would like to see Rocco Dispirito

[gem lady]

My vote for Thomas Keller.

[librarylady19]

I'd like to see any of the Iron Chefs work their magic under pressure!

[TorontoSailor]

Thomas Keller would be great. But that remains truly in the realm of fantasy. LOL. Plus, I think the price of the cruises would go up substantially. I ate at the French Laundry in Yountville a couple of years ago, and the bill for two, with wine pairings, was over $650. Good thing it was on expenses :).

 

Alice Waters would be another fine choice. Chez Panisse in Berkeley is superb.

[emeraldcitycruiser]

Thomas Keller would be great. But that remains truly in the realm of fantasy. LOL. Plus, I think the price of the cruises would go up substantially. I ate at the French Laundry in Yountville a couple of years ago, and the bill for two, with wine pairings, was over $650. Good thing it was on expenses :).

 

Alice Waters would be another fine choice. Chez Panisse in Berkeley is superb.

 

Both would be fabulous choices, but I'm afraid Alice Waters' food philosophy may lead to eliminating Celebrity's policy of "order as much as you like." If you think posts about dress codes get out of control, just imagine what would happen if guests could no longer order two or three entrees and one of each dessert per meal. Portion control is not exactly a concept that many Americans embrace.

[bardstowntraveller]

Give me the Naked Chef. Not only can he cook, he's easy on the eyes!

[hcat]

Food has been excellent lately so let's not rock the boat again with a new Celebrity llike Elizabeth Blau!

[KODA C]

No women chefs, you know women can't cook as good as a man.;)

 

KC

[Denny01]

We do realize the special Chef we want running Celebrity culinary issues will be making up menus and setting receipts, and not running the actual ship preparation don't we?

 

More then a few of these posts are talking about how their pick would straighten up and upgrade the actual preparation and so on.

 

So, I'd think they are always looking at options for a diverse business effort, not a single 'kitchen'.

 

But I'm sure, once Celebrity brought anothere big name on then all would be OK, and all our personal tastes will be satisfied, and we won't have any more of these threads and 'experts' telling us what is wrong.

 

Oh, forgot... subjective opinion.... that's why we have a ton of restaurants in each town that open and close constantly, and why our good friends who we have so much in common with hate our favorite restaurant. But all would be OK if we changed Chefs.

 

Denny

[dzcruisers]

Thomas Keller

[babyorca]

who is Thomas Keller??

[awsmpa]

Tom Colicchio

[Dylandude]

who is Thomas Keller??

 

Thomas Keller owns The French Laundry in California and Per Se in NYC

Both have 3 Michelin stars, the same as Michel Roux has at The Waterside Inn in Bray, England.

 

Or what about Michel Roux Jr he has 2 Michelin Stars in The Gavroche in London

[Andy]

Hi Everyone !

 

I'm sorry to throw ice water on this thread, but I feel that Celebrity does not need to waste their money looking for another "Celebrity" Chef. My opinion - I do not care about what the Person's "name" is. I care about what they can bring to the table - pun intended.

 

I'd much rather they spend their money on excellent management, who completely understand the F & B industry - especially on a Cruise Ship, who can execute wonderful cuisine, and please as many of their passengers as possible. Let's face it - the topic of food has, and always will be very subjective, and it is impossible to please everyone.

 

IMHO, I feel that Jacques Van Staden is doing a fantastic job. I also know several others who work with Mr. Van Staden at Celebrity. I am very confident that Celebrity has a great team in place, and is on the right path. I hope they do not look to add any other "names".

[Denny01]

Hi Everyone !

 

I'm sorry to throw ice water on this thread, but I feel that Celebrity does not need to waste their money looking for another "Celebrity" Chef. My opinion - I do not care about what the Person's "name" is. I care about what they can bring to the table - pun intended.

 

I'd much rather they spend their money on excellent management, who completely understand the F & B industry - especially on a Cruise Ship, who can execute wonderful cuisine, and please as many of their passengers as possible. Let's face it - the topic of food has, and always will be very subjective, and it is impossible to please everyone.

 

IMHO, I feel that Jacques Van Staden is doing a fantastic job. I also know several others who work with Mr. Van Staden at Celebrity. I am very confident that Celebrity has a great team in place, and is on the right path. I hope they do not look to add any other "names".

 

Completely agree. Setting up the dining for a cruise line is a completely different requirement then being a 'Top Chef' at a restaurant under the direct control of one person. Many of the meals we get at top restaurants wouldn't 'travel well' to a cruise line where you are preparing meals for 100's at one sitting. Nature of the beast.

 

Denny

[Karynanne]

Andy, I'm in complete agreement with you. Let the food speak for itself, not a well known name that can be blamed for a poor meal.

 

It can't be easy preparing 6000+ meals per day. And it takes a team to produce the product.

 

In the past 10 yrs. we've been cruising with Celebrity we've seen the product diminish, especially the quality of meats. But all in all, it's very good. I never try to compare a land based restaurant to a cruiseship. It isn't a fair comparison. But I have never had to leave the table onboard hungry either. There is always "something" that is tasty and filling. All you have to do is ask your waiter, and they will be happy to get something to your liking.

[JanineM]

Count me with Host Andy as well.

 

I am not a foodie. I enjoy good food, but we live far from a major city with any "name" chefs and other than Gordon Ramsay, I couldn't tell you the name of any other "celebrity" chef.

 

Perhaps to keep the gourmets happy they could have a celebrity chef do the menus for the specialty restaurants, but then that would also probably increase the price so much that fewer of us would eat in Normandie, Murano, Ocean Liners, etc.

[sealover155]

A celebrity chef, whose fame may or may not be fleeting, may have some effect on marketing but in reality I believe that most guests simply want quality ingredients, well prepared. It's important that meals reflect current trends, (healthier, ethnic, etc.) and must appease dietary restrictions. We have never had issues with choice or quality on our Celebrity cruises even though we frequently dine in serious restaurants with serious chefs both here and abroad. We do not count the number of shrimp in a cocktail or measure the size of a lobster tail. The way to satisfy that craving is simply to visit a quality American steak house.

 

Yes, a few entrees have been returned but we've always been pleased with the replacements. Out of 125+ days/dinners at sea, maybe 3 fall into that category.

 

So, I vote for quality ingredients, prepared by well-trained chefs/cooks reflecting modern tastes.

[Albert Ross]

:confused: Confused! Sorry who is the chef - is it Elizabeth Blau or is it Jacques van Staden?

[txsloth]

:confused: Confused! Sorry who is the chef - is it Elizabeth Blau or is it Jacques van Staden?

 

It's Jacques van Staden. Ms. Blau's tenure was very brief (edited to add: I don't think she is actually a chef, but served as a 'consultant'). Mr. van Staden's menus have just recently been rolled out (to quite mixed reviews it seems).