MSC CRUISES ADDS MICHELIN STARRED SPANISH CHEF RAMÓN FREIXA TO LINE-UP OF WORLD-RENOWNED CHEF PARTNERS

Geneva, Switzerland, 21st March - MSC Cruises, the world’s largest privately-owned cruise line and market leader in Europe and South America, announces a new partnership with award-winning Spanish chef Ramón Freixa, commencing in April. Chef Freixa embodies excellence in Spanish cuisine with his innovative and modern style and is a further enrichment to the MSC Cruises fine-dining offering. 

The partnership was launched at an exclusive event held at Freixa’s two Michelin Star restaurant in Madrid, and will see exceptional main dishes and tapas developed by Chef Freixa being introduced across the fleet*, as well an exclusive selection of dishes designed especially for the Christmas and New Year menus. Plans are also underway to launch a gastronomy cruise for gourmands across the world in search of the ultimate food and travel experience.

Working with MSC Cruises’ own team of elite chefs, Ramón Freixa will complete in-depth, interactive training, passing on his skill and expertise to enable all MSC Cruises’ chefs to recreate his signature dishes on board to the highest possible standards.

Gianni Onorato, CEO of MSC Cruises commented: “We are delighted to welcome Chef Freixa to our already impressive line-up of international chefs and restaurateurs, representing some of the world’s most famous cuisines. With their own distinct styles, flair and vision, together they create a unique fine-dining experience for our guests. We seek to work with world-class experts in their field and to collaborate with partners who hold the same core values as us. Ramón Freixa is the perfect partner for us, sharing our strong Mediterranean heritage, the desire to innovate, a commitment to excellence and a real passion for food.”

Freixa is known for his ability to create a balance between tradition and avant-garde, taking his inspiration from his Mediterranean roots. As well as being awarded with two Michelin Stars and three Sol Repsol for his eponymous restaurant in Madrid, he has also been recognised with awards for culinary excellence as best chef and best restaurant. With two restaurants in Madrid, one in Columbia, appearances on Spanish Celebrity Masterchef and author of four books, Chef Freixa holds international appeal.

Ramón Freixa commented: “My cuisine is based on three elements: produce technique, feeling and a search for magic, in which each dish is conceived to tell a story in sequences of flavour, texture and colour. I have incorporated this approach to the recipes that I have created exclusively for MSC Cruises, reflecting our shared passion for the Mediterranean.”

All of the ships in the MSC Cruises fleet offer fine dining each evening in the main restaurants. A different menu is offered nightly featuring the very best choices of Mediterranean and International specialities, providing sophisticated dining in elegant surroundings.

As part of the Elegant Night celebrations, guests in the main restaurants will be able to enjoy Freixa’s signature dish, a mouth-watering Duck Royal with cream of foie gras and onions.

Guests in MSC Cruises’ exclusive MSC Yacht Club will be treated to a sumptuous Glazed Pluma of Iberian pork with sautéed vegetables or for a lighter bite, will be able to enjoy a tempting choice of tapas. The private restaurant within the MSC Yacht Club offers a whole host of gastronomic delights in chic and stylish setting.

Mr Onorato continued, “At MSC Cruises we design experiences for our guests so that they can discover new cultures and create unforgettable memories, not only through the places that they visit but also through the exploration of new cuisines, with the incredible choice of dining options on board our ships.”

Chef Freixa joins five other internationally renowned chefs who are currently collaborating with MSC Cruises. Most recently, Roy Yamaguchi’s Asian Market Kitchen on board MSC Seaside welcomed its first guests in December 2017. This innovative pan-Asian dining experience features three distinct restaurants– Teppanyaki, Sushi and Asian Fusion. This popular concept will also be available on MSC Seaview which will be the next MSC Cruises ship to launch in June this year.

MSC Cruises also recently announced that Joe Bastianich the award-winning restaurateur, author and TV personality will create a dish especially for MSC Seaside, appealing to the North American market. Guests on board MSC Meraviglia can discover the joys of chocolate through award-winning Chocolatier and Pastry Chef Jean Philippe-Maury and plans are well underway for the development of this partnership on board MSC Bellissima, launching in March 2019. Acclaimed Chinese chef Jereme Leung has continued to work with MSC Cruises and has developed a new hot pot restaurant for MSC Splendida, the Sea Pavilion.

These are just a few of the fine-dining highlights on board the MSC Cruises fleet, which offers something for every taste with a wide range of dining styles from casual and on-the-go through to more formal haute cuisine.

For more information about MSC Cruises’ dining options, please visit here.

*For summer 2018, dishes will be available across the MSC Cruises fleet excluding ships out of the USA and China and for winter 2018-19, these will be available in the Mediterranean, Caribbean and Emirates