Thomas Keller to open floating restaurant with Seabourn cruises

Triple Michelin-starred Thomas Keller has become the latest master chef to take his star power and cuisine to the high seas.

In a collaboration with luxury cruise liner Seabourn, the chef behind The French Laundry, Per Se and Bouchon in the US will develop a new signature restaurant brand aboard the Seabourn Quest next spring, which will then be expanded to the rest of the fleet.

Guests aboard the Seabourn Odyssey, Sojourn and Quest will also be able to sample Keller’s award-winning French and American haute cuisine during their cruise itineraries this fall.

The partnership pairs two industry leaders. Gourmet magazine Saveur, for instance, named Seabourn the best culinary cruise line for two years running, while Keller is a household name in the culinary world for becoming the first and only American-born chef to hold multiple three-star ratings from the Michelin guide and the first American male chef to be designated with the Chevalier of The French Legion of Honor, the highest decoration in France.

Keller joins a string of top chefs around the world in expanding his empire to cruise liners.

After land and air -- or, rather Gatwick airport -- food TV celebrity Jamie Oliver teamed up with Royal Caribbean and opened his first floating restaurant on its titanic cruise ship the Quantum of the Seas, which launched this spring.

Likewise, Japanese chef Nobu Matsuhisa -- best known simply as Nobu --  is the star attraction aboard Crystal Cruises while Guy Fieri opened a pool-side burger bar on the Carnival Liberty.

Norwegian Cruise Lines also tapped US food celebrity chef George Zakarian, winner of “The Next Iron Chef,” to create a seafood menu aboard its Grammy-themed cruise line.

And the wildly popular competitive cooking show "Top Chef" has a cruise itinerary developed entirely in its honor.
Source: Relaxnews