Chef Curtis Stone On Board With Princess Cruises

While several Food Network A-listers and renowned restaurateurs left their mark on various cruise lines with fine-dining venues and special culinary programs, Australian-born and Los Angeles-based Curtis Strong (whose many television credits include Top Chef Masters and Top Chef Jr.) was approached by Princess Cruises executive Gordon Ho to consider putting his stamp on the food offerings.

After several years steering his nationally acclaimed L.A. restaurants Maude and Gwen (each named after his grandmothers), Curtis was initially concerned about how he could maintain a quality consistent with his restaurants on land and access the best ingredients — especially with a fleet of 17 ships that could be anywhere around the world. However, after getting to know Chef Pierre-Marie Leprince (director of guest culinary experience and Master Chef of France designate) and the team, he proceeded full-steam ahead with confidence.

Pierre Marie and Curtis Center Team © Princess Cruises

As he balanced running his L.A. restaurants and developing Princess Cruises’ marquee restaurant, Share, and Crafted by Curtis selections for the main dining room over the course of five years, he realized the family was long overdue for an extended vacation. Once that was decided, he ultimately went a step further by kid-testing the entire cruise experience with his wife and two energetic young sons this past summer on a 14-day cruise.

“My wife was beginning to threaten me to move forward with that family vacation or else,” he said with a broad smile during a media tasting of a new multicourse menu at Share with dishes informed by menu items at Gwen and Maude.

“I then suggested, ‘Let’s go on a Princess Cruise,’ and she went for it because she’s been doing cruises since she was a kid. We were not sure how our kids would behave on a longer cruise, so we opted for Southeast Asia, boarding in Hong Kong. It was the most fantastic trip, and the kids just loved the whole thing, being able to see what was on in the kids club and the pool, and our telling them interesting facts about where the ship was going to land that day. They swam at the beaches of Thailand and ate street food in Vietnam. One thing that sticks with me was that they were so interested in exploring and trying every new thing. When you’re their age, everything is a great adventure.”

While food was an integral part of the Curtis family’s adventure, the boys ultimately heard from other kids at the club about the buffet … a moment of truth for a father who makes his living in fine food. However, he knew from experience by then that on a Princess Cruises ship, “they do a mean buffet,” and the quality would be solid, even with the most kid-friendly options.

Pool Deck © Princess Cruises

“I agreed to take them to the buffet at breakfast while Mummy was getting herself ready for our day on shore,” he continues. “They just loved it. A buffet to a 6-year-old is like Heaven on Earth. It’s a busy, boisterous environment with so many things to choose from, and they want to try it all. I was a touch embarrassed when I saw them piling up their plates, and encouraged them to slow down and take just one thing at a time.”

Curtis adds when the family disembarked, he asked them about what their favorite activities were. They raved about the kids’ club, the pool and the buffet. While the buffet was the preferred choice for his kids, he appreciated the fact he could broaden their horizons and palates during their days touring cities and villages.

“What I love most about traveling is the opportunity to learn more about the things that interest you most,” Curtis said. “Those experiences will continue to inspire you, whether it is eating street food in Vietnam or a Michelin Star restaurant in France, you’ll always come back with a little something. That feeling is something we as a team hope to capture in Share. Furthermore, if you were to go into our kitchen and hear all the different accents and languages from around the world in planning the menus and dishes, we function a lot like family, and share the language of ‘kitchen.’ ”

Share is designed to feel like you could be in Curtis Stone’s living room, as he himself observed. In addition to an eclectic collection of cookbooks and decorative items throughout, the private dining home has some personal photos of Curtis’s life and times, including his first recipe for orange cake, written in crayon. Crafted By Curtis, a rotating selection of dishes, is available in the main dining room, and on ships that don’t have Share, so all passengers can have some kind of access to Curtis Stone and his culinary team. Family-friendly tours like the ones the Curtis family enjoyed can be booked when making reservations and planning itineraries throughout the globe.