Ever wonder where your meals are prepared whilst sailing across the ocean? Well, thanks to the generosity of Ron van Vliet, Zuiderdam’s Culinary Operations Manager, I was able to take a tour of the Zuiderdam’s galley and provision areas.
Ron first showed me to the provisions and loading area, where crew members were preparing luggage carts and food crates for our turnaround in Vancouver. We then moved along to the ship’s cold storage areas. In the huge, cold freezers sit the main portions of the ship’s meals. Fish, meat, chicken, fruit, and even ice cream – it’s all stored here. Next, we moved into the main food preparation area, where the Zuiderdam’s chefs were busy preparing fish and cuts of meat for the final night of dinner service. The food being prepared down in the preparation area was then sent up to the galley above to be cooked for the night’s dinner service . Once in the galley, we walked around observing each food station assembling and cooking delicious dishes for dinner in the Vista Dining Room, Pinnacle Grill, Canaletto, and the Lido Restaurant. It’s a tall order to create a meal for 2,000 some guests, but due to the Zuiderdam’s diligent and hard working galley crew, the Zuiderdam guests will never go hungry.
A full photo gallery of photos from the galley and provisions area can be viewed by clicking here.
