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Cruising to Alaska with Holland America - Day Two: Cooking with a celebrated chef
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The Pinnacle Grill is the Westerdam's premier dining room. Photo by Sue Frause.
On Sunday night, the ms Westerdam passed by Estevan Point on Vancouver Island. Monday was a day at sea, cruising past the west side of Moresby and Graham islands of British Columbia's Queen Charlotte Islands.
Since it was a full day at sea, it was all about on-board activities. After breakfast, I went on a behind the scenes tour of the Westerdam's galley. With a kitchen crew of 134 preparing and serving food to 1,950 passengers (plus 800 crew members), it's a huge operation. Sort of like cooking for a small city. Take a look at these numbers, which is the average consumption for a week-long cruise:
- Meat and meat products - 11, 830 lbs.
- Poultry - 3,814 lbs.
- Fish - 3,000 lbs.
- Fresh vegetables - 13,750 pounds
- Potatoes - 7,750 pounds
- Ice Cream - 1,150 gals.
- Rice for crew - 6,000 lbs.
After the tour, I went to the ship's Culinary Arts Center where guest chef Chris Salans was giving a cooking demonstration on The Flavors of Bali. The American chef, who now lives in Indonesia, is Executive Chef at Mosaik in Ubud, Bali. He's the recipient of Food & Wine magazine's Best Restaurant in Indonesia, which was also named one of the top fives restaurants in Asia by The Mele Guide.
Chef Salans prepared two recipes: Sesame Crusted Tuna and Lemon Grass Sorbet. We were all treated to a taste of the sorbet -- yummy! Here are some of the chef's culinary tips:
- Be gentle in the kitchen
- A beautiful dish includes flavor, color and texture
- It's about technique, not recipes
Bon appetit!
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