Giada Pamela De Laurentiis, really?

[shepherd really]

Oceania just announced her as co-chair (with Jacques Pepin) of the Oceania Culinary board as well as Brand and Culinary Ambassador.

 

Oh well.  Pretty thin credentials. 

 

 

[clo]

We used to know someone who worked for her and said she wasn't fun to work with. I'll leave it at that.

[Kay S]

I thought they just dropped Jacques Pepin.  I'm confused.

[osandomir]

Looks like Oceania is in the middle of the road for something more modern. In this case, I would think there were a lot more choices to bring the new cuisine on board as well.

[PhD-iva]

I like Giada a lot and used to follow her. Now I’m more into Nigella, Jamie Oliver and Christopher Kimball (Milk Street), as well as America’s Test Kitchen.

[njhorseman]

4 hours ago, Kay S said:

I thought they just dropped Jacques Pepin.  I'm confused.

He wasn't totally dropped. Pepin is now "executive culinary advisor".

Two new chefs were appointed "executive culinary directors".

[rebeccac]

Jacques is 88 years old.  I imagine he is more than ready to take a step back.  

[kibutzer]

Truly disappointed. So many talented new chefs, guess they are not going to keep the mantle of best cusine. Unimpressed with her suggestions for Toscana.

[MEFIowa]

27 minutes ago, kibutzer said:

Truly disappointed. So many talented new chefs, guess they are not going to keep the mantle of best cuisine. Unimpressed with her suggestions for Toscana.

Though have you read the cognitive dissonance groupthink of the Vista Cheerleaders and Ember, a glorified Applebee's!

 

And the praise for the on-board "Pizza Hut". (I enjoyed a pizza on Riviera in Nov 2023, but that isn't what I'm looking for when it comes to fine dining or interesting cuisine when a couple is paying say $350-500 per couple per day.)

 

Now all they need is a Denny's, a Burger King, and a DQ to complete the culinary triumph of modern American "cuisine"? 😞

[basor]

Just now, MEFIowa said:

Though have you read the cognitive dissonance groupthink of the Vista Cheerleaders and Ember, a glorified Applebee's!

 

And the praise for the on-board "Pizza Hut". (I enjoyed a pizza on Riviera in Nov 2023, but that isn't what I'm looking for when it comes to fine dining or interesting cuisine when a couple is paying say $350-500 per couple per day.)

 

Now all they need is a Denny's, a Burger King, and a DQ to complete the culinary triumph of modern American "cuisine"? 😞

Have you sailed on Vista and eaten at Embers, Aquamar and the evening pizza at Waves ?

[DOJO466]

She Is also Godmother of Vista right?

[MEFIowa]

6 minutes ago, basor said:

Have you sailed on Vista and eaten at Embers, Aquamar and the evening pizza at Waves ?

I ate the evening pizza at Wave's on Riviera 11/2023. Oh boy, the joy. Pizza. Like we can have every Friday night in America.

 

I have NO desire to pay more and get less on Vista. Even on the Extraordinary Saving Sale from 2023, we're paying $350-400 per day per couple. So, do I want "Ember", a glorified Applebee's? No! And I'm not seeing anything wowing me about Aquamar, either. Cost cutting moves for O. The "pay more, get less" program for Vista, for those who want to be on new ships at any price.

[basor]

So your bashing of Vista, Ember, Aquamar, pizza in the evenings on Waves based on no first hand experience - thank you for clarifying.  

[shepherd really]

18 minutes ago, DOJO466 said:

She Is also Godmother of Vista right?

correct

[MEFIowa]

No, I have pizza experience. Every Friday and on Riviera. I do NOT pay to cruise on O to eat mere pizza.

 

And I'm NOT paying hundreds of dollars a day as a couple to DROP something like Jacques to tell my friends afterwards, "I ate at a glorified Applebee's".

 

Tell me, what does Aquamar bring to the experience that I'm not already truly enjoying at the TC daily? We love the buffet. All the choices.

 

And IIRC, you can't even get the Mahi-Mahi on Vista at Waves in the afternoon. I forget if something else was dropped from that menu, too.

 

What is "clarifying" is how easy it is for cheerleaders to accept a decline in a product and make excuses for it. I prefer a tablecloth and a place setting that isn't suitable for crayons!

[Vallesan]

10 minutes ago, MEFIowa said:

I ate the evening pizza at Wave's on Riviera 11/2023. Oh boy, the joy. Pizza. Like we can have every Friday night in America.

 

I have NO desire to pay more and get less on Vista. Even on the Extraordinary Saving Sale from 2023, we're paying $350-400 per day per couple. So, do I want "Ember", a glorified Applebee's? No! And I'm not seeing anything wowing me about Aquamar, either. Cost cutting moves for O. The "pay more, get less" program for Vista, for those who want to be on new ships at any price.

At $175-200 per person per day cruising on a ‘premium’ small ship with three meals a day plus afternoon tea, 24hr room service plus all the ‘parties’, captains returners etc. That’s dining 24/7! Plus maybe SimpyMore drinks and trips. And you’re still complaining!

 

Where on earth would you find that sort of deal anywhere else?? Definitely on a land based holiday

 

Wish we in the UK could find that deal full stop!!

[shepherd really]

I've traveled to Italy for "mere pizza" and "mere pasta", it was well worth the price (which I will not bore anyone with).

 

I also won't comment on expensive mediocre wine and beer on Oceania, since I haven't actually seen any that would retail for $2.00/ bottle for wine or $.65 for beer.  I enjoyed many of the selections offered on my recent cruise under Simply More. but what is actual firsthand experience worth unless you repeat it 200 times?

[JYDCruise]

1 hour ago, MEFIowa said:

I ate the evening pizza at Wave's on Riviera 11/2023. Oh boy, the joy. Pizza. Like we can have every Friday night in America.

 

I have NO desire to pay more and get less on Vista. Even on the Extraordinary Saving Sale from 2023, we're paying $350-400 per day per couple. So, do I want "Ember", a glorified Applebee's? No! And I'm not seeing anything wowing me about Aquamar, either. Cost cutting moves for O. The "pay more, get less" program for Vista, for those who want to be on new ships at any price.

Did someone force you to eat that pizza??

 

For me, luxury is the ability to eat what I feel like, not what my inner accountant claims I should. Sometimes that's bar en croute, and sometimes that's (hope you're sitting down) . . . a pizza. I know from experience that after a few nights straight of Michelin-starred dinners (to which I'm not equating the Oceania food, decent as it is), I want a break. Having the option to eat what many say is a pretty decent pizza (or burger, or butter chicken, or . . . ) when you feel like it is part of a luxury offering.

Edited April 6 by JYDCruise

[iowananny]

6 minutes ago, JYDCruise said:

For me, luxury is the ability to eat what I feel like, not what my inner accountant claims I should. Sometimes that's bar en croute, and sometimes that's (hope you're sitting down) . . . a pizza. I know from experience that after a few nights straight of Michelin-starred dinners (to which I'm not equating the Oceania food, decent as it is), I want a break. Having the option to eat what many say is a pretty decent pizza (or burger, or butter chicken, or . . . ) when you feel like it is part of a luxury offering.

Edi

I'm with you on this one.  On a 14 day cruise I get tired of all the "fancy" food and a pizza or something a little less fancy really sounds good.  We loved Aquamar and we're not health food nuts.  It was just decent fresh food served in a lovely setting.  We were always more than pleased with our food and apparently others were too as it got crowded as the cruise progressed. I didn't look at it as a cost cutting restaurant just something that obviously people wanted due to the crowds.

 

We both loved the food we got at Ember.  I didn't find it any louder than the Grand Dining Room.  There was no paper tablecloth and crayons were not provided.

 

All in all, we found the food on Vista to be very good.  Our next two cruises are booked on other ships, and we'll enjoy those too, but we'll miss Vista and hope to cruise on it again in the future.  

 

I like Giada's food.  I make a lemon pasta recipe of hers and it is really good.  I've used it over and over again and when served to guests they love it and don't realize how easy it is to make.  I don't know what kind of person she is but every recipe of hers I've tried has been good.  We also ate at her Las Vegas restaurant when it first opened.  I don't remember much about it except that we left happy.

 

By the way, not all of us in Iowa are know-it-alls although we have more than our fair share.

 

 

[FlyerTalker]

2 hours ago, MEFIowa said:

Now all they need is a Denny's, a Burger King, and a DQ to complete the culinary triumph of modern American "cuisine"? 😞

 

Well, Royal Caribbean has Johnny Rockets onboard.  Can Oceania be moving to match?  😀

 

 

[Snaefell3]

21 hours ago, clo said:

We used to know someone who worked for her and said she wasn't fun to work with. I'll leave it at that.

It's easier to say, "Chefs act like chefs".  😞

[Snaefell3]

21 hours ago, shepherd really said:

Oh well.  Pretty thin credentials. 

Let's check:

• Average O passenger says, "Oh!  I've heard of her." *

Sufficient credentials.  </snark>

 

* Which was becoming JP's problem.

[shepherd really]

"De Laurentiis had a range of products made exclusively for Target. In 2013, ceramic lasagna pans under the Giada De Laurentiis brand were recalled after they cracked and at least six people were injured.^[20] In 2022, Target only seems to carry her books, including a Target edition of Eat Better, Feel Better.^[21]"

 

Whoops, missed her target.

 

and this

 

"On February 10, 2023, De Laurentiis has signed a multi-year deal to create and produce unscripted programming with Amazon Studios."

 

Her connection to Amazon does not make her ready for PRIME time.

 

It seems to me she just doesn't have the gravitas for "the finest cuisine at sea".

 

Wiki also says that she "studied" at Le Cordon Bleu, but not what program she completed.  They have lots of short courses that won't make you a professional chef by any stretch of the resume. 

 

She just doesn't seem like the heavy hitter they should have courted to maintain, much less advance, their cuisine.  

 

 

[JYDCruise]

1 hour ago, Snaefell3 said:

Let's check:

• Average O passenger says, "Oh!  I've heard of her." *

Sufficient credentials.  </snark>

 

* Which was becoming JP's problem.

Not commenting about De Laurentis specifically but being a media superstar chef definitely does not preclude someone from having "sufficient credentials". Just because "Oh! I've heard of . . .", for example Emeril "Bam!" Legasse or Gordon "F!$k" Ramsey doesn't mean they don't have very legitimate cooking chops, because they most certainly do. IMO either would have been good choices for culinary advisors regardless of their popularity. And Jacque Pepin - what problem does he have? Pepin had/has quite the culinary background before becoming a media star, really before chefs became media stars at all. Sufficient credentials, indeed.

[Kay S]

You know, I'm an Oceania newbie, and I'm wondering if all this "snooty" talk is typical of conversation at dinner on the ship?  I sure hope not.  I want to enjoy my dinner (or slice of pizza)  in peace.