When Bjoern Wassmuth got here on as the brand new culinary director for Windstar Cruises on the finish of 2022, he knew there could be lots to study.
With greater than 25 years of culinary experience, together with 5 years managing culinary operations at a luxurious cruise line, Wassmuth has been round lengthy sufficient to know there’s all the time one thing new to study.
“Right now, I’m learning more about alternative eating and fulfilling different dietary restrictions. We want to have something for vegetarians, vegans, flexitarians, and those who restrict sugar, have no oil or salt, or are gluten-free. I’m ‘digesting’ it all, and we’re learning how to respond to that demand at Windstar with thoughtful and tasty choices,” Wassmuth stated.
The excellent news for Wassmuth is he has loads of acquainted faces round. He had labored with Windstar president Chris Prelog whereas at Seabourn, and knew loads of Windstar’s F&B employees from earlier jobs as nicely, he stated.
“The way Chris is, he tends to get your attention, and of course Windstar has a stellar product. The team is great, and I’ve worked with so many of them in the past. Really, they all convinced me to join,” he stated in reward of the shoreside group and the crew at sea. “What the culinary team onboard produces on a day-to-day basis is impressive.”
As culinary director, Wassmuth is accountable for menu and recipe growth and general supervision to take care of Windstar’s high-quality eating program.
The challenges of the job, potential modifications, even the alternatives to make are nonetheless too new to touch upon, Wassmuth stated.
His philosophy about coaching entails being hands-on.
“You have to depend on yourself but still work closely in a team,” Wassmuth stated. “I put my chef’s coat on and show and teach them on the job through hands-on training. It’s all about getting in the kitchen. I view it as knowledge you can give them. Get them engaged. If you don’t live it, then you will never have success. Hospitality can become boring if you don’t bring an attitude of growth and exploration to the process.”
Wassmuth spent the primary a part of 2023 on back-to-back Windstar cruises, soaking all of it in.
“I’ll be taking apart all the menus and evaluating what’s working and what isn’t; it’s a long process. I’ll be looking at adding local ingredients and dishes in our sailing regions, for example, in the Middle East, where we will begin sailing this fall,” he stated. “I’ll also be further implementing more plant-based dishes across the fleet. Much to do and much to taste.”
Wassmuth stated cultural exchanges between worldwide group members was one among his favourite elements of the job. He praised each the crew and the cruise line’s top-tier culinary expertise, cooks Anthony Sasso and Steven Raichlen, and Peter Tobler, Windstar’s director of resort operations.
Excerpt from the Cruise Industry News Quarterly Magazine Spring 2023