Carnival Names Emeril Lagasse Chief Culinary Officer

Carnival Cruise Line is cooking up something new onboard. The cruise line has announced famed chef and restauranteur Emeril Lagasse has officially been named its ‘Chief Culinary Officer’.  

In his role as Chief Culinary Officer, Lagasse will support Carnival chefs with guidance on food trends and techniques, as well as help craft future menu items and dining concepts. Lagasse will also provide input on the menus of main dining rooms fleetwide, including entrées designated as “Emeril recommends” picks.

Lagasse is no stranger to Carnival Cruise Line. The restaurant concept Emeril’s Bistro can be found on two of Carnival’s newest ships, Mardi Gras and Carnival Celebration. In addition, Carnival is announcing that Carnival Jubilee will also feature an Emeril’s Bistro when it makes its debut in December 2023 in Galveston. 

Food is key to the fun of a Carnival cruise,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “Emeril’s restaurants on our two new ships have been a great addition to our dining offerings and guests rave about the food, which will also be on Carnival Jubilee come next December. With Emeril’s culinary expertise and broader profile on our ships, along with our wildly popular partnership with Food Network star Guy Fieri, Carnival will feature two iconic talents in the food and dining industry across our fleet.”

To celebrate Emeril’s new role and extended partnership with Carnival, he joined Duffy and Times Square Alliance President of Countdown Entertainment Jeffrey Straus in New York City on New Year's Eve to flip the switch that lights the famous Times Square ball for the countdown to 2023. 

For these celebrations, the line invited revelers to “Choose Fun Together”. This is the theme of Carnival’s 2023 advertising campaign that can be seen throughout Times Square. The event also coincided with the cruise line’s line expansion of operations in New York City this year with departures from the Manhattan Cruise Terminal on board Carnival Venezia beginning in June.

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