Cruise Ship Kitchens Cast Off

By Howard Riell -- Foodservice

Equipment & Supplies,
10/1/2002

With larger ships, more passengers,

increasingly diverse menus and far-flung
satellite outlets, major cruise lines are getting
more E&S savvy than ever before.

Galleys aboard commercial cruise ships are

just like most kitchens found in onshore
Increasingly, food production aboard
restaurants, foodservices and hotels - only
Norwegian Line's cruise ships is being
more so. In which ways is this true? There are
handled outside labyrinthine galleys
more guests. More attention to detail in
like the one above, in satellite locations
design. More from-scratch and exhibition
throughout the vessels.
food preparation. More varied cuisine,
generally speaking. More dining rooms, satellite kitchens, employees, storage and hours
of service. And more of an expectation that everything passengers ever see will be just
right.

It's an expectation that foodservice departments at the best cruise lines do one heck of a
job in satisfying. Cruise lines today are broadening their menus, adding casual, ethnic and
themed outlets throughout their ships, improving food safety standards, operating more
action stations in front of appreciative guests and varying their tabletop presentations to
reflect the changes they've been making.

To support their innovations, cruise ship foodservice managers are also insisting on
equipment that is built to spec, multi-functional, saves labor and space, is safe and easy to
operate, can stand the beating it receives during normal use and meets exacting United
States Public Health Service guidelines. Two cruise lines in particular - Norwegian and
Royal Caribbean - typify the seagoing end of the hospitality business' relentless push to
create and maintain galleys that are capable of fulfilling the immense - and growing -
expectations of international travelers.

Norwegian's fleet includes ships such as the

Norwegian Dawn, Dream, Majesty, Sea, Sky,
Star, Sun and Wind, and SS Norway.
Destinations range from Europe and Bermuda
to Alaska, the Caribbean, the Hawaiian
Islands, New England and the Canadian coast.

Royal Caribbean's ships include Legend of

the Seas, Splendour of the Seas, Voyager of
Galley staffers such as these aboard a
Norwegian Line ship, prepare a wide
variety of menu items, while adhering
to stricter standards of food safety than
ever before.
the Seas and Radiance of the Seas, with two more Radiance-class ships set to launch in
the near future: Serenade of the Seas in November 2003 and Jewel of the Seas in
November 2004. Another Voyager-class ship, still to be named, will set sail in January
2004. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., a global cruise vacation company, operates Royal
Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Royal Celebrity Tours. Royal Caribbean
International and Celebrity Cruises have a combined total of 24 ships in service and four
under construction or on firm order. Royal Celebrity Tours operates land-tour vacations
in Alaska and Canada, utilizing the world's largest glass-domed railcars.

Things Have Changed

"In the last five to 10 years, a lot of things have changed," confirmed Peter Hasselberger,
executive chef aboard Norwegian's Sun cruise ship and a 10-year company veteran. Huge
gains have been made in both employee safety and operating efficiency. The streamlining
of operations has been vital due to crew turnover, language differences and the occasional
lack of training or education.

"We need kitchen equipment that is made to handle our high-volume meal production,
but which is also easy to operate," he added. Alarms that remind staffers when to turn off
a convection oven, for example, have proven to be a valued advance.

Norwegian stresses what Hasselberger called a "freestyle" or exhibition cooking type of

service. "In the old days, when you had two seatings in two main restaurants you needed
only one large kitchen and that was about it. But now, of course, we all have different
restaurants on different decks," he explained.

Changes in kitchen equipment and design are seldom found now in a cruise ship galley,
explained Fran Anderson of Edward Don &
Co., this magazine's 2002 DSR of the Year
and a veteran cruise line specialist. "We're
going now throughout the ships into smaller
satellite kitchens; that's the big change. Cruise
lines are all trying to get more involved with
these new dining ideas and bring in
international cuisine. That's where the
changes are - how do we get those satellite
kitchens to work as well as a main galley,
especially when they're not serving
passengers during just one seating anymore." Norwegian's Hasselberger said that
galley equipment must handle extreme
For more than five of her 20 years in the high volumes and, because of turnover
business, Anderson has sold a full range of and language differences, remain at all
foodservice E&S to 65 cruise ships operated times simple for foodservice employees
by six lines, five of which are based in south to operate.
Florida. In all, she sells more than $2 million
in heavy equipment to cruise lines each year.
The heaviest pieces of equipment onboard are generally built into cruise liners while they
are being constructed in shipyards in Europe. Cruise lines then turn to American kitchen
E&S suppliers for items like carts and smaller pieces like blenders, induction ranges and
tabletop pieces.

"Boy, there's a lot of competition now among suppliers of tabletop items," commented
Anderson. "Again, with main dining rooms being phased out and all these new
restaurants" the need for more and different pieces has increased. "Every Norwegian Line
ship, for instance, has an Asian-themed restaurant, so we see unusual Asian plates,
platters, tea cups and similar items that we've never seen before at sea."

Also growing is the use of themed plates. Stated Anderson, "I know Royal Caribbean
uses custom plates on each of its ships. There's an awful lot of custom purchasing going
on out there."

Rico Oprandi, executive chef aboard Norwegian's Norway cruise ship (although he was
transferred elsewhere in the fleet the day after being interviewed), pointed up the
difference in galley designs between older and newer vessels. The kitchen onboard the
Norway, he said, is "designed perfectly from an executive chef's point of view: It is very
easy to oversee, very easy to control. You make one round in the galley and you see all
the different sections - pastry, bakery, vegetable kitchen, sauce kitchen, soup kitchen,
roast kitchen and pantry." Foodservices on newer ships, with their more numerous and
scattered galley areas, are harder to manage,
so some lines provide centrally located video
monitors that allow executive chefs to review
all points of production. Noted Oprandi, "If
anybody touches food with his bare hands, I
have a report on my desk the next day
explaining the name of the crew member,
what he did, at what time and what he was
preparing."

Shedric Wallace, director of culinary

operations and development for Royal Rico Oprandi, executive chef aboard
Caribbean International, stressed that kitchen Norwegian's Norway cruise liner,
equipment design must pass muster with the pointed out that galleys aboard older
U.S. Public Health Service, which vigorously vessels (such as the one above) are
inspects each ship. "Inspectors not only check more centralized and thus easier to
to see that the equipment is clean, but that it is supervise. Production on newer ships is
cleanable," he emphasized, pointing to the more spread out.
door of a grill aboard the line's Voyager of the
Seas cruise ship. When such a unit is not designed properly, he said, it will cost a ship
two points on an inspection. His fleet has been averaging better than 95% in recent USPH
inspections.
Wallace's perspective - having come from the landlocked side of the hospitality industry -
is worth noting. "In the 20 years I've been in the business, I don't know that there's been
any revolution in equipment," he reflected, walking the ship's carpeted corridors while it
was docked at the Port of Miami. Instead, cruise ship galleys boast "very good quality
equipment throughout, and are well-maintained. However, you're going to get the
impression, 'There is an awful lot of stainless steel.'"

Weighing In On Induction

Wallace said that flat-top ranges remain one of the pieces of equipment that he and his
staff get the most use from. Their installed ranges include traditional radiant heat, as well
as induction units found on most new ships, which he called "great pieces of equipment
as far as getting a lot of things done."

Indeed, Wallace is quite high on the whole concept of induction heating. "I'm in love with
the induction cookers myself, not that they're a new idea," he said as the voices of pop
singers wafted through the labyrinthine corridors of stainless steel. "We've had them for
at least three years now," he continued. "I like induction range tops because even the
largest versions don't create an environment in the kitchen that is uncomfortable. It makes
for a much more pleasant working experience. The other thing is they heat so rapidly and
offer so much control over the heat source."

Sautéed items, such as veal or fish, he added,

are best-suited to be prepared via induction
heating. "We might sear a salmon filet then, at
the time of service, just finish it off in the
oven to give the food that nice, freshly
cooked texture and to keep the juices locked
in."

Royal Caribbean's soon-to-debut ship, the

Navigator of the Seas, represents the state of
the galley art, according to Wallace. An Asian
restaurant concept aboard was originally
A steady infusion of new equipment
designed with a single induction wok. After it
has kept Norwegian's older galley
was deemed insufficient for the expected
operations running smoothly. For a
volume, he saw to it that three more were
cruise line whose oldest ship, the
added.
Norway, has been in service more than
40 years, ongoing updates to the
Guenther Bartschte, an executive chef aboard
equipment package are essential. Still,
Royal Carribean's Voyager, added, "We use
said Anderson, most innovations in
20 induction cookers for breakfast prep and at
equipment design are showing up in
omelet stations. They're fast and very good
satellite kitchens.
for to-order cooking stations."
Other equipment specified for the Navigator includes a large number of impingement
ovens to prepare "freshly cooked appetizers," quickly, Wallace added. "You'll see those
menu items going in and coming out of the ovens in minutes. All together, we'll be using
impingement, induction and traditional heating equipment."

Another innovation: Royal Caribbean is gradually doing away with steam tables and
opting to hot-hold foods via electrically conducted heat. According to Wallace, that
approach is more energy-efficient and saves time - staffers no longer have to fill tables
with water and wait 90 minutes for them to come to temperature. "That is an important
improvement, given that this is going to be in one of our highest-volume concepts," he
noted.

Not everyone in cruise ship foodservice operations, however, is as high on induction

cooking. Norwegian's Sun (in its Chinese restaurant) and Star (in five of its nine galleys)
cruise ships feature a limited number of induction stoves, something new Executive Chef
Rudy Breit said he won't have on the Norway.

"The danger of breakage is too great," he explained, uncovering one of Norway's

induction flambé carts with a smashed ceramic top sitting unused against a wall. "You
pick up a pot that has just been heated, the handle is hot, you let it go - and you've got a
broken ceramic top." Oprandi, on the other hand,
lauded induction cooking, calling it "unbelievably
fast and powerful."

Norwegian's Sun carries up to 2,250 passengers

and 950 crew members. Its main galley is
somewhat of a departure in that it has portholes
on both sides, which makes for a much brighter
work space, said Hasselberger.

According To Spec

Wallace said that one of the things that most

impressed him when he stepped into the cruise
ship business from shore-side hotels and
restaurants more than a year ago was the amount Michael Bourden, Royal
of space devoted to galleys. Caribbean's head pastry chef, is
charged with constantly trying to
Royal Caribbean ships, for instance, can include outdo himself. Many of today's
as many as eight separate galleys to service their passengers will accept nothing less.
far-flung, themed dining outlets. The line's
upscale, à la carte Italian concept, found on Voyager-class ships, is called Portofino,
while Radiance-class vessels include a concept similar to a Morton's steak house, called
The Chops Grille. Portofino does not have its own kitchen aboard the Voyager, but does
on other ships.
Custom equipment can be the rule rather than the exception onboard cruise vessels, said
Wallace. An example is a combi-oven Royal Caribbean had built to its own specifications
so that the door swings open as on standard units, but then slides back along the side of
the case. Additional space freed up by eliminating the "lingering" door from walkways is
much needed and a boon to worker safety.

Other kitchen pieces have been customized to fit specific spaces allotted to particular
concepts. On Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the
Seas, which will soon be launched, Wallace
helped design an on-deck operation that will serve
as a children's play area and host outdoor
barbecues. "We actually designed the serving
station there specifically for the area," he recalled.
"It's going to be a combination of stainless steel
and materials that create a facade that matches the
decor in that space. Essentially, it is a service
station with the flexibility to support a portable
grill and all the required elements, such as a built-
in hand sink and a holding space for cold and hot
items. What we did was make it very adaptable."

Wallace and colleagues specced this area's Colombia-born Edemidet Castro, a

dimensions so that the crew can simply push in roastman for Royal Caribbean
cook-and-hold units or refrigeration. When the cruise lines, exemplifies the
outlet is not in use, the equipment will be rolled increasingly international and
back into the main galley. multi-lingual makeup of many of
today's onboard foodservice staffs.
Handwash sinks are ubiquitous aboard Royal
Caribbean's ships, as are water-testing kits. So are lockable storage compartments for
items like knives, "so everyone feels comfortable that once they store something they can
go back and find it unmoved," noted Wallace. "It also discourages staff from carrying
knives in areas outside of the galley."

Bartschte selected a rotating pastry oven that can handle as many as 132 pies
simultaneously as the most efficient piece at his disposal. He said he is also looking
forward to the introduction of so-called shock freezers that will more quickly bring down
food temperatures - first on newer ships then, later, on Voyager, the largest cruise ship in
the world when it launched in 1999.

The Norway, Past And Present

The Norway is Norwegian Cruise's oldest ship, built in 1959 and christened as the SS
France (Norwegian purchased it 20 years ago and re-named it the Norway). An ongoing
infusion of new equipment, however, including, most recently, combi-steamers,
convection ovens, grills and mixers has kept production from skipping a beat.
In all, the Norway has four kitchen areas: a main galley, a crew galley, a bistro galley and
a satellite or finishing galley for an outdoor restaurant. These are operated by a staff of 60
cooks and dishwashers who tend its less than glamorous environs. The Norwegian Star,
christened in November 2001, is the newest addition to the company's fleet. Oprandi
spent three months working on its design before moving to the Sun, then to the Norway.
The cruise line's next ship, the Norwegian Dawn, is due to enter service this December.

A reminder of the Norway's advanced age, compared with its sister ships, can be seen in
its tilting pans, which require a wrench. Its counterparts are tilted electronically on ships
of more recent vintage. The half-dozen ovens still onboard the Norway from its days as
the SS France - two pastry, four bakery - still work like new, which Breit said he finds
"amazing." The Norway and the Star are both testing a new heating unit that can defrost
as many as two cases of frozen meat in about three minutes. Defrosting meat quickly has
always been a problem aboard cruise ships, noted Oprandi, not only due to the obvious
food safety issues, but also because of the space required for thawing products. The new
heaters not only thaw fast but, once the warming cycle is over, turn into refrigerators,
bringing the cabinet temperature down to 3°C. (approximately 36.5°F.). This feature
eliminates the need for removal and transport of thawed product, offering another
logistical and food safety benefit.

"These units are very good," said Breit, pushing through a heavy, oft-repainted steel door
leading into the small production space that houses the new heater and other pieces of
heavy equipment. "We've tested them for about a year and, now, we're waiting for U.S.
Public Health's input. Informally, they have told us they like it."

Having the units, he added, has meant that "we no longer have to defrost meat overnight."

Charting The Horizon

The future clearly holds even more exhibition

food prep in satellite concepts throughout
cruise ships, said Anderson - which should
mean an even greater demand for foodservice
equipment and supplies. In pursuit of this
trend, cruise ship companies are "all basically
going to the same place, but they're differing
in the style they use to get there."

Anderson said blast chillers are only now

coming into their own aboard cruise vessels,
and that "everybody is getting involved.
HACCP is such a big thing that it's the Royal Caribbean is one of many cruise
concern of the decade. If we can chill lines offering a wider-than-ever-before
products faster, that's great, and ship operators selection of casual and ethnic cuisines,
are looking for ways to do that." Maintenance with service stretching nearly around
is seldom an issue, as cruise lines routinely the clock.
carry entire staffs of engineers and electrical experts onboard. As Anderson recalled, "I
was on [Royal Caribbean's] Majesty of the Seas recently and I had the chief engineer and
chief electrician with me. They had probably 10 people around this one piece of
equipment while we analyzed its problems."

Trash removal is and will continue to be, a huge issue at sea, of course, which is why
pulpers and other devices aimed at minimizing the amount of trash are fixtures. Trash
removal in foreign ports, noted Anderson, is "so expensive it's unbelievable."

That same reasoning also accounts for the conspicuous lack of disposables, which are
rarely used outside of crew areas. Said Anderson, "Each one of the cruise lines has a
private island where you can get off the ship one day during your cruise if you're in the
Caribbean. That's the only place you're going to see disposable ware. You seldom even
see a disposable napkin."

The updating of galleys also goes on unabated. The Norway, now entering its fifth
decade, will soon install new ice machines and walk-in coolers, both of which take a
battering during daily operations. "The maintenance on the current units is getting to be
too much," said Oprandi. "In the end, it's cheaper to buy new ones than to have those
repaired all the time." Nonetheless, industry observers don't expect to see cutting-edge
technology on the high seas, either.

"Don't forget that cruise ships are generally two to three years behind the curve as far as
getting new galley equipment," said Bartschte. "We generally wait until equipment is
approved by hotels. Then, we'll start a pilot program and evaluate it for a year."

What cruise line aficionados will find, however, is the highest-quality foodservice
equipment, relentless attention to detail, rigorous maintenance schedules, adherence to
painstaking standards in order to pass fastidious inspections and a fervent desire to give
passengers anything foodservice-related - everything, really - for which they could ask.

Photos courtesy of Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.