Behind the scenes kitchen tour

We were treated this afternoon to a tour of the kitchen, where every single day, 190 meals are prepared three times a day!!  Eleven staff under the direction of Executive Chef, Michael, all work in a tiny space maybe 20 x 40 feet.  There are 140 passengers and 50 crew on board for this 15 day cruise.  Most pastries, breads, and desserts are prepared on a daily basis.  Meats, fish, chicken and vegetarian dishes are prepared to order for dinner.

Cold foods are prepared on the left and pastries on the right.

This area might be 12 x 15 feet if you feel generous.

Breakfast and lunch are buffet service, but there are also standard items you may order from the menu. For dinner, we have appetizers, soups, salads, main dishes and desserts.....all to order from a menu each day.  Menus are established from corporate offices, but once onboard, the chef makes the final decisions relative to presentation. Suppliers are also contracted by corporate in order to maintain a certain level of consistent quality for all Avalon cruise ships. Local wines, breads and sometimes vegetables are used.

This is one of the meat preparation areas.  There are two.

All of us will agree that the food is excellent and the service superb.  We are eating way too much and exercising too little, and we still have 8 days to go!! We have tried foods we never thought possible as well as many wines and cheeses, too.  

Meet Executive Chef, Michael from the Czech Republic. 

This lovely setting greets us every single meal.  We have no assigned seating, and often mix it up and meet other passengers not in our special group.  There is one other more informal eating area that passengers may choose, but most of us love to be pampered by the staff in the dining room.