Cruise & cuisine
GOURMET GETAWAYS
Franck Garanger, Head of Culinary at Explora Journeys, on his stellar career at sea, designing culinary concepts and his favorite onboard restaurants
Above from left: Explora II at sea; chef Franck Garanger; Explora II’ s lobby
Can you tell us about how you became a chef? My passion for cooking started at an early age, helping my father in the family patisserie-boulangerie in the Loire Valley in France. At the age of 16, I started my career as an apprentice at the Michelin-starred restaurant Le Vert d’ Eau in Angers with French chef Jean-François Piers. It was there that my culinary proficiency began.
How did you come to work with a cruise line? After several years working in some prestigious hotels in the French Riviera, like the Hotel de Paris in Monaco and Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, I became part of the team that launched Silversea Cruises in 1994. I was then promoted to Corporate Chef in 1998. In 2003, I moved to open Oceania Cruises and stayed there for 19 years, developing the food concept. In 2021, I started creating beautiful food products for Explora Journeys.
What does your work involve? A full commitment to offering the best food at sea, sourcing great products from all over the world and designing the perfect restaurant concepts for our very demanding guests. The most important aspect of working on a cruise ship is to transmit that excellence to our young chefs, ensuring our recipes are perfectly executed.
What special meals or onboard dining experiences do you recommend? It’ s hard to say because all of our dining experiences are unique and deserve to be recommended. It depends on what kind of a day you’ re having or how you’ re feeling. There are plenty of dining options: enjoy à la minute cooking at the all-day Emporium, discover French brasserie inspiration at Fil Rouge, tuck into Mediterranean cuisine at the relaxed Med Yacht Club, try mouthwatering aged meat at Marble & Co, or savor fresh Asian food at Sakura, where the menu is inspired by Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese and Malaysian flavors. If it’ s a special occasion, I’ d recommend trying our Italian restaurant Anthology for a journey through exquisite Italian creation.
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