Norwegian Cruise Line shares secrets from its kitchen

Delivering craveable cruise desserts is a work of passion and art for Norwegian Cruise Line pastry chefs, and it shows.

Jun 13, 2025 - 18:30
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Norwegian Cruise Line shares secrets from its kitchen

The job of a Norwegian Cruise Line pastry chef is a well-known one.

Dessert is the literal icing on the cake of the cruise skills for varied passengers, and it takes devotion and artistry to ideal the recipes that place cruisers dreaming about cruise ship treats lengthy after they return to land.

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Along with many a vogue of candy menu objects, Norwegian Cruise Line serves about 12,000 of its passenger-authorized OMG cheesecake dessert every single week across its mercurial. Each day, a pastry chef's job involves making ready about 1,000 candy treats internal the cruise ship galley.

Leading this candy cruise ship operation as a main pastry chef requires about eight to 10 years of coaching and a vital ardour and dedication for the art of increasing edible masterpieces.

Within the cruise line’s latest “Meet the Crew” video, Norwegian Cruise Line President David Herrera offers a gradual-the-scenes glance at valid what it takes to consistently elevate these craveable cruise treats day in and day out as a pastry chef aboard the cruise line’s ticket-new ship Norwegian Aqua.

As he gets within the galley with the mercurial’s govt pastry chef and learns put collectively and plate a few of the cruise line’s most standard desserts, Herrera shares insights into a few of the crew’s secrets for pastry perfection.

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Norwegian Cruise Line President goes gradual the scenes with the pastry crew

Transcript:

David Herrera: Welcome to Meet the Crew, the set we demonstrate you how Norwegian's mercurial stays in ideal shape while making determined every customer is experiencing their best vacation on board.

I am David Herrera, and I scoot gradual the scenes with the crew participants who gain every crusing spectacular. Please join me as we meet the crew.

David Herrera: Hi there each person, here is David Herrera at Norwegian Cruise Line, and we've received a obvious one for you as of late.

We're on Norwegian Aqua, and we're headed correct into the galley, the set your complete meals is made, the set all these tantalizing pastries, your complete deliciousness that we've at Norwegian Cruise Line.

And with us as of late: Christian Pratsch, Vice President of Food and Beverage Operations for Norwegian Cruise Line. Hiya, sir. How are you?

Christian Pratsch: Thank you. We're so cheerful to have you here.

David Herrera: You spent a complete lot of time on the ships. Now you are on the shore aspect. You provide a complete lot of leadership for the total mercurial. How lengthy were you on the ship, sir?

Christian Pratsch: I am with NCL for eight years now. I started with the dazzling Norwegian Pleasure in China. I solely as of late, terrified of a year, transitioned into the characteristic of vice president, overseeing meals and beverage operations. The galley is to my heart, due to that's the set I grew up.

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Norwegian Cruise Line’s pastry crew fuels the candy aspect of every crusing

David Herrera: So, you are coming motivate dwelling to the galley.

Christian Pratsch: Poke.

David Herrera: And we will draw some special stuff as of late. Let's draw it.

Christian Pratsch: Let's scoot.

David Herrera: We're deep within the heart of the galley, the pastry fraction. This is the set the magic occurs, from demonstrate-stopping desserts to refined garnishes. This crew fuels the candy aspect of every Norwegian Cruise Line crusing.

David Herrera: K, so who are we going to meet with and what am I going to be doing, sir?

Christian Pratsch: This day, we will fulfill Chef Ryan. He's our mercurial govt pastry chef. He has been on the ship for varied, an extended time, and he is going to illustrate you draw some customer favorites.

David Herrera: Chef Ryan.

Chef Ryan: Nice to meet you.

David Herrera: Good to meet you, sir. How are you?

Christian Pratsch: You're in good palms. Good luck.

David Herrera: So, you are going to depart and we're valid going to... Why no longer?

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Leading the Norwegian Cruise Line pastry crew requires years of dedication

David Herrera: Chef Ryan has been a part of the NCL family for 15 years.

Chef Ryan Alcantara Agustin: I started at NCL as assistant in pastry, assistant pastry chef, now pastry chef.

David Herrera: He's the ingenious drive gradual the desserts company crave, and the chief of a crew that's consistently delivering excellence, one candy bite at a time.

David Herrera: So, you solely were a main pastry chef 300 and sixty five days longer than I in actuality have.

Chef Ryan: Poke.

David Herrera: So, or no longer it's almost like we're peers, like identical stage almost, correct?

Chef Ryan: Poke, sir.

David Herrera: Cool. So, this may well be easy for both of us.

Chef Ryan: Yeah.

David Herrera: It's implausible to appreciate the stage of care, precision, and craftsmanship that goes into every dessert. Observing this crew in action makes it sure that pastry is an art that takes ardour, talent, and years of dedication to grasp.

David Herrera: What are we going to attract first?

Chef Ryan: OMG cheesecake.

David Herrera: OMG cheesecake. How device after I employ it, it does no longer glance like that? There is always diversified stuff on it.

Chef Ryan: We are going to position some decorations earlier than we attend it.

David Herrera: The OMG cheesecake is one in all the most standard desserts on board. It's a long way a effectively off cheesecake layered with caramel and butterscotch. Let's watch if I'm capable of draw it justice.

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Norwegian Aqua’s pastry operation is a 26-member crew

David Herrera: What number of folks are there within the pastry crew?

Chef Ryan: On Norwegian Aqua we've round 26.

David Herrera: 26?

Chef Ryan: Poke, sir.

David Herrera: Making pastries?

Chef Ryan: Poke, sir.

David Herrera: That is a complete lot of pastries, toddler.

Chef Ryan: A lot of pastries.

David Herrera: All correct. What can we draw first?

Chef Ryan: We're going to attract the plating, sir.

David Herrera: Vanilla.

Chef Ryan: Poke, sir.

David Herrera: Striking on vanilla. I watch you are going with the spinning the plate as in opposition to...

Chef Ryan: Poke.

David Herrera: I mediate or no longer it's higher whenever you gain a tiny bit extra aggressive, a tiny bit bit faster.

Chef Ryan: Butterscotch sauce.

David Herrera: Butterscotch. Ooh, correct on the orderly, huh?

Chef Ryan: Poke, sir.

David Herrera: Oh, your complete skill round.

Chef Ryan: Poke, sir.

David Herrera: Let me demonstrate you put that. I mediate that appears to be like a tiny bit extra ideally suited.

Chef Ryan: Then we will position the chocolate sauce, sir.

David Herrera: , aspect to aspect.

Chef Ryan: Poke.

David Herrera: It's just like the electrical scoot. I received you. Let me demonstrate you put that. I favor, once but again, to scoot circular after which, reverse it, after which tumble a level within the center.

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Preparing cruise desserts takes precision and tempo

David Herrera: Let's be right. I would favor a few extra years of note to support up with the talented pastry crew. My aim? Proper don't screw up the whipped cream.

David Herrera: Let me demonstrate you put that. You scoot in actuality swiftly. Boost. Oh, man.

A tiny bit further. Boost. There it's. That wasn't my best work. I'm higher with desserts.

Chef Ryan: K, sir.

Chef Ryan: Sunless wooded space cake. This we've to cut.

David Herrera: Are you kidding?

Chef Ryan: Poke, sir.

David Herrera: K. Is there a medic on responsibility? Let's hope for the correct. Oh, yeah.

Take a look at that. Woo. Like butter, toddler.

Chef Ryan: Then we will position some syrup, sir.

David Herrera: Sugar syrup. You appreciate, or no longer it's like washing a canine.

Chef Ryan: Then, we will position whipped cream.

David Herrera: With your hand or with a spoon?

Chef Ryan: With a spoon, sir.

David Herrera: Oh, okay.

David Herrera: For the file, I saw your spoon does no longer have holes. I mediate you made mine more challenging.

Chef Ryan: No, no.

David Herrera: I'm capable of nonetheless draw it, no disaster.

David Herrera: You appreciate what? A tiny bit further cream. Boy, that was swiftly. How'd you draw that? K. I received a bad feeling about this, nonetheless there it's.

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Norwegian cruise desserts are works of art

David Herrera: Subsequent up, piping. This is the set precision meets artistry.

David Herrera: At my pastry college, we did no longer employ this. We archaic extra cans. An everyday hand is every little thing.

David Herrera: Proper to illustrate you that I draw no longer mess round, I'm no longer stopping at eight.

David Herrera: And I am definitely feeling the strain. Nine. Boost. Mine has a tiny bit extra art deco than yours. Like, mine has almost like, an art fraction.

Chef Ryan: Yeah.

David Herrera: Yours seems like something good to employ, nonetheless mine's like something that you just can hang in your wall.

Chef Ryan: Poke, sir.

David Herrera: I in actuality have a feeling Ryan's in actual fact being somewhat style. I doubt my model would ever depart the kitchen. Every single dessert from this crew of 26 cooks has to no longer solely kind scrumptious, nonetheless moreover glance describe ideal. And they nail it every single time. In consequence of every customer deserves our glorious.

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Norwegian Cruise Line pastry cooks gain about 1000 pastries per day

David Herrera: So what number of pastries draw you gain a day, approximately?

Chef Ryan: A thousand pieces of cake, sir.

David Herrera: A thousand pieces of pastry every single day?

Chef Ryan: Poke, sir.

David Herrera: Time for my final disaster of the day: chocolate-covered strawberries. With a mountain of them to gain, it's a flee in opposition to time to gain everyone ideal.

David Herrera: This is 100% chocolate.

Chef Ryan: 64% darkish chocolate.

David Herrera: 64% darkish, and what's that?

Chef Ryan: It's white chocolate.

David Herrera: Oh, snap. Let me watch you scoot swiftly.

David Herrera: All correct, that's good. Step aside.

Chef Ryan: Always.

David Herrera: Oh, wait. You received to scoot swiftly, dude. We received of us to feed. We received of us getting hungry.

Christian Pratsch: David..

David Herrera: It turns out I'm in actuality good at this.

Christian Pratsch: You are a gifted man, and I'm capable of totally watch which cake you adorned.

David Herrera: I scoot to steal that as a compliment.

David Herrera: Compliments are great, nonetheless the job's no longer performed but. The relaxation of the strawberries are ready, and this galley does no longer gradual down for somebody.

David Herrera: How lengthy would it steal anyone to attract all of these strawberries and placed on a plate?

Christian Pratsch: Well, or no longer it's a extraordinarily good different for you to test due to we need all these strawberries carried out by the terminate of the day.

David Herrera: I draw no longer mediate or no longer it's going to happen, to be simply with you.

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The job of a cruise ship pastry chef takes extra than talent

David Herrera: Turning into a pastry chef is never always valid about talent. It's about years of coaching, dedication, and ardour for the craft. Only the most professional gain to wear the title.

David Herrera: Attain you mediate our company adore how worthy time and effort this in actual fact takes?

Christian Pratsch: They'll picture the incompatibility, and within the occasion that they prefer Norwegian Cruise Line, they've chosen it for a reason, and that is our meals providing.

David Herrera: Observing the stage of effort and ingredient that goes into every dish, and radiant company glance and love it, that's what makes this all rate it. It's extra than valid dessert. It's a part of the Norwegian skills.

Christian Pratsch: I in actuality have a shock for you. We're going to certify you as an assistant pastry chef, and I want to stare you for your glorious job effectively performed.

David Herrera: That is superior. Well, initially, thanks, and thanks, Chef Ryan, and thanks for spending a while with us on Norwegian Aqua, within the galleys, making pastries, some a tiny bit messier than others, nonetheless all of them scrumptious. Deem you next time.

(The Enviornment Neighborhood will originate a fee whenever you book a cruise.)

Build a free appointment with Design Cruise With Me's Poke Agent Accomplice, Postcard Poke, or email Amy Put up at [email protected] or name or textual instruct material her at 386-383-2472.

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