Jacques Van Staden: No longer with Celebrity

[Gonzo70]

Well said Cruiseerf & Librarylady!

 

I think some people just have unrealistic expectations. Celebrity cannot significantly increase their food budget without a similar increase in cruise fare - and they cannot do that and keep the ships full. As such they have created a nice variety of specialty restaurants so that cruisers that place a high value on quality food can pay extra to have the type of dining experience they seek. Those that are happy with the MDR fare are able to cruise without these added costs. Or people can pay up to sail on a luxury line if they want the better food "included" in the price of the cruise.

 

The spike in oil is deeply cutting into Celebrity's profits (especially during the coming months where the cheaper fuel they hedged starts to expire). The rise in oil has also led to a huge increase in the cost of food. Celebrity is going to be struggling to be profitable the next several quarters as is, so realistically cutbacks are more likely than increases. If people want better quality, it is there for you (specialty restaurants), but you need to pay for it.

[uktog]

They also cannot keep doing all the "off menu" requests customers who do not have recognised food allergies keep asking for. They are a commercial operation and they have to cut their coat to suit their cloth

As others have said, maybe they can buy more cloth but its at a price.

 

I still think he has been head hunted by a premium line with a higher per diem budget for food and as soon as he got to serious talking with these guys, he would have to declare his hand and leave

[Lady Jane]

Hi Gonzo,

 

I agree that Qsine is very popular, though I haven't tried it yet. I'm totally looking forward to it when we sail on Eclipse in 18 days. We are booked for Qsine early in our cruise. It should be a lot of fun !

 

Before I sail, I must search this forum to get tips on what to order :).

 

Get the 3 M's one...great!

[Bridge Maven]

After reading a number of posts I realized something. I thought most people who eat in specialty restaurants every night do so because the food in the main dining room has slipped, but it appears that many passengers no longer like the ambiance of eating in such a large venue where so many people are serviced at once. This probably didn't occur to me until I read this thread because I remember when eating in the main dining room was such an important component of the overall cruise experience.

 

So those who would rather keep cruise prices low and have mediocre food are comparable to people who would rather have low real estate taxes and inferior public schools because they plan to send their kids to private school anyway.

[Fixit2010]

Well put. You highlight some very valid points. It is not all on JVS, or whomever replaces him,. Quality of food varies depending on quality of ingredients and preparation, and even how efficiently it is served.

I would bet that those who hanker for the great food of years past do not want to pay extra for that now.

Cruise prices are reasonable IMO. I would rather pay extra - MY CHOICE - for AQ and specialty dining than have the baseline cruise price increase.

 

He may have had to work in tough conditions but he still had an attitude when talking to the public, you know the people that paid his wages. As mentioned he was not very friendly with guests. He is an ambassador for his employer, a figure head for all things food across the fleet. He has a duty to be friendly with guests, that is part of the role. I believe he was more obsesses in selling a pretty picture book than asking people what they would like to eat. I say good riddance and perhaps in his new role he will be asking customers if they want fries with their burger? Who knows? I still vote for the Swedish Chef to take over.

[Ma Bell]

He may have had to work in tough conditions but he still had an attitude when talking to the public, you know the people that paid his wages. As mentioned he was not very friendly with guests. He is an ambassador for his employer, a figure head for all things food across the fleet. He has a duty to be friendly with guests, that is part of the role. I believe he was more obsesses in selling a pretty picture book than asking people what they would like to eat. I say good riddance and perhaps in his new role he will be asking customers if they want fries with their burger? Who knows? I still vote for the Swedish Chef to take over.

 

Did you ever meet him? Why the hostility?

[uktog]

..... but he still had an attitude when talking to the public, .........he was not very friendly with guests.......... he was more obsesses in selling a pretty picture book than asking people what they would like to eat. .

This was not my experience - are you basing your comments on an actual meeting or a frustration because he still has not explained why he did not serve you British food on Christmas Day :confused:

 

..... I say good riddance .

 

Ouch

 

 

.....

and perhaps in his new role he will be asking customers if they want fries with their burger? Who knows? I still vote for the Swedish Chef to take over.

 

Actually, he is a very talented individual, maybe time will tell if he was ahead of his time for Celebrity or whatever. Therefore, I doubt he will need to sign up for a paper hat in a local burger joint any time soon.

Personally, I did not like all he did, I have mixed views on Qsine, probably because the helpings were way too big and the staff far too keen to impose their idea of how to delight you aka bring you out even more food. However, I can see when working with banquet style catering as opposed to individually cooked to order items there are limitations on his talents.

 

One thing we all seem to be overlooking so far, when we think back to the days of the Roux influence, the maximum number of passengers on board was under 1500 - now the Celebrity ships have double that number. That has to impact on the overall dining experience

[gem lady]

When we were on Eclipse a few weeks back, the assistant dining room manager told us that JVS and an ex Celebrity guy had opened a restaurant in Miami called "Chop Chop". He told us it was a ten minute cab ride from the port. Perhaps he is going to devote his time to this venture. We met JVS on board and he could not have been more personable. I wish him well.

[uktog]

Yes that is with Nyazi, he has had that for some time now, maybe you are right

It has had great reviews

[Moeve]

I personally believe the biggest problem is a budget one. No chef reguardless of how good he is can only do so much on a shoestring budget. Look at todays cruise prices that should explain this problem completely.

[Gonzo70]

He may have had to work in tough conditions but he still had an attitude when talking to the public, you know the people that paid his wages. As mentioned he was not very friendly with guests. He is an ambassador for his employer, a figure head for all things food across the fleet. He has a duty to be friendly with guests, that is part of the role. I believe he was more obsesses in selling a pretty picture book than asking people what they would like to eat. I say good riddance and perhaps in his new role he will be asking customers if they want fries with their burger? Who knows? I still vote for the Swedish Chef to take over.

 

He was extremely cordial when I had the pleasure to meet him a few months ago. You seem to make a lot of condescending remarks about him; perhaps your attitude put him off. I did not find him to be at all obsessed about selling his book; to me that shows he is passionate about what he does that he made the book. Not sure why you see that as a negative. I am quite confident he left Celebrity because a better opportunity came along and wish him the best of luck. I for one will miss him, but am confident Celebrity will do a good job finding a suitable replacement.

 

[Gonzo70]

When we were on Eclipse a few weeks back, the assistant dining room manager told us that JVS and an ex Celebrity guy had opened a restaurant in Miami called "Chop Chop". He told us it was a ten minute cab ride from the port. Perhaps he is going to devote his time to this venture. We met JVS on board and he could not have been more personable. I wish him well.

 

It is actually called Miami Chop House. It has been open a while now; JVS' brother is the executive chef there: http://www.chophousemiami.com/

[Ma Bell]

He was extremely cordial when I had the pleasure to meet him a few months ago. You seem to make a lot of condescending remarks about him; perhaps your attitude put him off. I did not find him to be at all obsessed about selling his book; to me that shows he is passionate about what he does that he made the book. Not sure why you see that as a negative. I am quite confident he left Celebrity because a better opportunity came along and wish him the best of luck. I for one will miss him, but am confident Celebrity will do a good job finding a suitable replacement.

 

 

I met him once and found him very congenial as well.

[Fixit2010]

Well what ever he was or wasn't, he isn't now.

[uktog]

He is still now only somewhere else I am sure.

[We're The Groupnors]

Is Qsine exceptional food or exceptional entertainment? How about a real French restaurant or a bistro?

 

I think Qsine has good food and is an exceptional experience. If you want a real French restaurant perhaps they can hire Alain Ducasse as the new Executive Chef. Each passenger would then then have the option of eating once in his on-board restaurant for double the cruise fare. They could bill it as the first Michelin 3 Star at sea.

[negc]

Perhaps I am having a "senior moment" and if I am, someone will correct me, but I seem to remember that sometime last summer or fall, he claimed that by October, Celebrity would be introducing some new and innovative way in which guests would receive their meals in the main dining room but nothing ever occurred.

We were on Silhouette in February and the dining room experience was no different than it has been in the past or on other cruises.:confused:

[Beach Nut]

Please, if van Staden is gone, convert Qsine to Silk Harvest.

 

I heartily second this.

[Andy]

Perhaps I am having a "senior moment" and if I am, someone will correct me, but I seem to remember that sometime last summer or fall, he claimed that by October, Celebrity would be introducing some new and innovative way in which guests would receive their meals in the main dining room but nothing ever occurred.

We were on Silhouette in February and the dining room experience was no different than it has been in the past or on other cruises.:confused:

 

Hi Negc,

 

The new menus are currently being introduced. It seems many (but not all) of Celebrity's ships are using the updated menus.

[Gracie115]

On Qsine...interesting -- the current poll taking place here on this board has Qsine a DISTANT third to both Murano's and Tuscan Grill for "favorites" ..... interesting because when reading THIS thread you would assume a different trend.... I'm personally not a fan but don't begrudge anyone who is... my favorite Spec. Rest isn't even listed as I would have picked either the Lawn Club Grill on Silhouette or the Normandie on Summit above all the choices!!:)

[negc]

Hi Negc,

 

The new menus are currently being introduced. It seems many (but not all) of Celebrity's ships are using the updated menus.

 

But didn't the statement refer to a revolutionary new way of delivering meals to the diners in the MDR? Hard to see how new menus would meet that definition. Not sure whether or not the menus we saw on Silhouette were of the new or the old variety since it had been a few years since we last sailed with them. I must say that I enjoyed the quality and variety of items that were listed as always available, and frequently ordered more items from the left side of the menu than from the right side (which changed nightly). With the exception of the creme bruleé and cheesecake on the always available list, I did find that the portions of many of the desserts were woefully small:( and had I realized that when ordering, I probably would have ordered multiple servings.:)

[Fixit2010]

Qsine is a novelty, I could do it twice in a cruse, any more and it would lose its fun factor.

 

My other thought and this is not a dig, just an observation, but there seems to be a lot more top male chefs than female chefs. Yet more women cook domestically than men, so I know most women can cook, especially as most husbands like their dinner on the table when they come home after a hard day at work, (ok that was intended as a jovial wind up - don't take it personally)

 

So how about putting a woman in charge of food? Come on ladies of the forum not one of you has suggested a female head chef to take over from JVS.

[Orator]

I learned the news of JVS's departure while on the Eclipse last week, but was asked not to say anything. Naturally I honored the request of my source. I met JVS while onboard and he was extremely nice. We talked about the concept of the menu changes. There was a group picture taken of the Exec. Chefs after JVS left the ship. I was told by a usually reliable source that the decision to leave Celebrity was made by JVS so he could take advantage of other opportunities. I offered my opinion that I would hope that whomever was selected to fill the position would be very familiar with the Celebrity passenger and was assured that that would indeed be the case. I also asked about the new menu and Qsine and told that the vision of JVS would remain the Celebrity vision and no changes were planned. There were mixed reactions to the new menu on the Eclipse with more experienced and health concerned guests liking it and newer, younger cruisers not. There is a new menu, but not the Eclipse menu now being introduced on Millennium. Last night I was invited to taste a new chocolate cake and it was wonderful. Lobster and Chateaubriand on menu tonight. Food has been outstanding on Millie,

[hcat]

Perhaps I am having a "senior moment" and if I am, someone will correct me, but I seem to remember that sometime last summer or fall, he claimed that by October, Celebrity would be introducing some new and innovative way in which guests would receive their meals in the main dining room but nothing ever occurred.

We were on Silhouette in February and the dining room experience was no different than it has been in the past or on other cruises.:confused:

 

Please don't remind them-- the rumors were use of I pads in the MDR--not exactly in keeping with fine dining... keep the gimmicks in Q-sine if it stays!!

[ghstudio]

So how about putting a woman in charge of food? Come on ladies of the forum not one of you has suggested a female head chef to take over from JVS.

 

Noooooo! We would be cursed with a menu of healthy food..... The dessert choice would be a banana or a tangerine instead of creme brulee. No more ice cream...it would "I can't believe it's yogurt". Just a terrible idea......