supervised the dishes featured in our photographs.


Dean Carosella is the calm yet taciturn


Executive Chef, with an eye on all four venues and a beady eye on this important boutique restaurant. Starting at the age of 16 in Vancouver as a dishwasher, Caro- sella worked the full gamut of restaurants, hotels and other culinary venues before joining Holland America seven years ago. He has been in charge of four-year-old Noordam for the past two. Carosella, who somewhat resembles


Bill Murray’s shy, younger brother, enjoys meeting his clients and is frequently out and about conversing in the dining rooms. Yet he is not quick to speak about his work, nor is he anxious to be photographed. But the result on the plate speaks for his skills. In his tiny office in the corner of the main galley, he has an eclectic range of music at his disposal, perhaps to stifle the din from the galley. When not out on the


56 WORLD OF CRUISING I Winter 2010 / 2011


floor, he is at ‘The pass,’ where dishes are surrendered from the cooks to the floor staff and where final checks are made for appearance, temperature and taste. And, when not doing any of the above, he likes quiet shore days in foreign ports where he can sample local food. Four months on and two months off is the regimen for many cruise line personnel, and so it is for the Executive Chef.


E


xecutive chefs on cruise liners have little direct, creative input to the menu, they are there to supervise and execute the signature dishes created by the line’s creative master chef. This is not in any way to diminish their skills or importance to the overall product. Carosel- la has close to 100 cooks and chefs under his command, enough to keep anyone oc- cupied without having to handle a skillet. In the main galley serving the Vista restaurant, a large computer display


indicates what will likely be required at the next service, based upon the ordering profile established by guests on the current voyage. Again, it’s a guess-timate, but an educated and important one. The screen is located not far from Carosella’s office.


So who creates all these dishes? The Executive Master Chef for Holland America is Rudi Sodamin, a member of the Academy Culinaire de France, Maîtres Cuisiners de France and Honoree Member Club des Chefs des Chefs. He is also the author of numerous cookbooks. Sodamin certainly has his work cut out, with 15 ves- sels to supervise. Also, as each one passes through its seasonal position, the passenger profile and culinary mood shift accordingly and thus the menu must shift accordingly.


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