RANGE × OCEANIA CRUISES
down to people power. Half of Vista’s onboard staff is dedicated to preparing or serving meals, totaling 140 chefs — or one chef for every 10 guests. I mention my fabulous pizza from the night before and he nods: “We brought a chef from Italy on board to teach the cooks how to make pizza.” That’s the other secret behind Oceania Cruises’ culinary prowess: recruiting experts to train its culinary team. As we emerge at the other end of the galley in Red Ginger, the ship’s pan-Asian restaurant, Camonin tells me that Oceania Cruises also enlisted a Japanese sushi chef to coach its cooks on the art of preparing fresh fish. “We always get someone who knows the fundamentals to come and show us how to do it properly, and which products to use,” he says. When I dine at Red Ginger later that evening, I learn the culinary team also shares that knowledge with guests. I listen in as a server sets a bowl of edamame down at the table to my right while explaining the best way to pop the soybeans from their pods. Meanwhile, on my left, a sommelier is walking a couple through the origin and flavors of the albariño grape and how it will complement the zesty notes of their next course: bay scallops with makrut lime. While there are educational moments to be had at every meal, the ship’s Culinary
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ABOVE, LEFT TO RIGHT Oceania Cruises was the first cruise line to launch a culinary school at sea; Vista’s refined Polo Grill steakhouse wouldn’t look out of place in New York. OPPOSITE Crispy Apple Tart — a star of the dessert menu — is ably supported by a scoop of Humphry Slocombe Sweet Summer Corn ice cream.