Behind the Scenes: Galley Tour on the Celebrity Millennium

Ever wonder what the kitchen or galley, as it’s called on a ship, looks like?  In the “Heart of the Operation Galley Tour” on the Celebrity Millennium, cruisers were able to learn about culinary preparation at sea while touring the ship’s galley.

At the beginning of the experience, there was a brief introduction and welcome by Selin Bert, the Food and Beverage Manager from Turkey, and Jason Banyon, the Executive Chef.  According to Celebrity Cruises, Executive Chef, Jason Banyon,  “comes from a lasting family tradition of British Culinarians where he started to taste, develop, and enjoy the different flavors and rewards of the trade. “ He has worked in kitchens and galleys in respected hotels in London and New Zealand before enjoying Celebrity Cruises.

Interesting Facts

Jason Banyon, the Executive Chef, and Selin Bert, Food and Beverage Manager, answering questions from the guests

While we were waiting our turn to go to down the escalators to the galley, Bert and Banyon answered questions from the audience.  

The chef emphasized over and over again that they will work with any food allergies, preferences, etc. to let the staff know and they will do their best to accommodate everyone. 

Another interesting fact was that they will look at the demographics of the guests for each cruise, as it helps to judge the amounts of different types of foods needed using information gathered from previous cruises.  

In addition, all the food is brought on at the embarkation port and only very perishable items like fruits and vegetables might be added at other ports.  It was obvious that both Selin and Jason truly had a passion for their jobs.

The Tour

I’ve been on galley tours before but what I liked about this one was there were people prepping food and their areas for lunch, it helped me picture how bustling it must be during dinner. In the previous galley tours, the galley was just walking through looking at stainless steel. 

There were special preparation areas to handle the special requests, cold food stations, hot food area, as well as designated kitchen for Blu, the Aqua class specialty dining room.  

Images from the Galley of how each item on the menu should be presented

The Operation*

The culinary part of a cruise involves staff working 24/7 to make sure all the guests dining desires are met.  On an average day at sea, over 9,000 dishes are prepared for guests and crew.
-    4 Executive Sous-Chefs
-    6 Sous Chefs
-    122 Cooks, Chefs, and Cleaning personnel

By the Numbers*

Here’s a few consumption figures based on an average 7 day cruise.
-    Whole Chicken        10,000lbs
-    Lobster            800 lbs
-    Fresh Eggs        2200 dz
-    Potatoes        14,000lbs
-    Ice Cream        650 gal
-    Fresh Fruit        60,000 lbs

The tour was very early on in the cruise, which I liked as it gave me great insight.

Myself with Jason Banyon, the Executive Chef of the Celebrity Millennium

FreshCruiser Tip:  If you have allergies or special food considerations, make sure to notify the cruise line before your cruise.   

*Estimates provided by Celebrity Cruises while on board the Celebrity Millennium.

Comments

[Marian]

I agree that it is far better to go through the galley when there are actual people working there. Such a huge operation for what most passengers probably don't even think about when they sit down to a meal. Thanks!

[Janet]

I missed the galley tour on my last cruise - sounds like it's not to be missed!

[FreshCruiser]

Janet - I would definitely recommend going on your next cruise. I really enjoyed the Q&A with the Chef as well at the beginning of the program. As Marian pointed out, it gives you a whole new appreciation for the operation.