Brent’s nautical culinary journey: a chef’s career on cruise ships

Foodservice Rep talks to Brent Bonnette, Director of Culinary Operations for P&O Cruises Australia, about the rewards of a culinary career on board cruise ships and the unique challenges of working in this environment.

Brent Bonnette in the galley

Brent grew up in South Africa and decided upon a culinary career after a sports injury curtailed his rugby ambitions. “I love food and I always associate it with good times, families and friends coming together. I have four brothers and one sister and meals were always a time for us to bond in my family, so I decided to make it my profession.”

Brent undertook his apprenticeship at the Royal Hotel in Durban – “I was trained in all aspects and worked my way through with on the job training and culinary exams from an accredited organisation. Once I got my Distinction from City and Guilds, I moved to Cape Town where I spent a year at the Vineyard Hotel. The owner there sent me to Biarritz in France where I worked just shy of eight months, then I found my way to the UK.”

“I was able to diversify so much, working across many different outlets and operational styles.”

L-R: MANGESH, ROGER, BRENT, PRABHAKAR AND JAYSON In THE PACIFIC ADVENTURE’S GALLEY

“The greatest event of my life”

It was in the UK that Brent’s career took a nautical turn. “I joined Seabourn Cruises and was there for 2002-3, then I left to join Cunard for the opening team of the Queen Mary 2 in 2004. I have to say that was the greatest event of my life – it was amazing, in the sense that I was able to diversify so much, working across many different outlets and operational styles.”

As live cooking demonstration chef, Brent designed and presented menus and then cooked each course for guests and celebrities. He was also sous chef for the QM2’s Princess Grill and Queen’s Grill teams, and eventually became chef de cuisine for her specialty restaurant Todd English, founded by the American celebrity chef. “I was able to work with some great products across Todd English’s restaurants in New York and Boston for short stints, then bring dishes from those menus on board,” Brent recalls.

rear deck view of the pacific adventure

“One of the drawcards was certainly to see the world.”

Brent moved from Cunard to Regent Seven Seas to run their Signatures restaurants which offered a modern take on classic French cuisine. “It was Cordon Bleu accredited, which meant a return to classical French cooking for me.”

Then in 2009 came a call from P&O’s culinary director, giving Brent the opportunity to revamp and modernise their culinary offering. “I moved there and I never left – working my way up to executive chef, then hotel stores inventory manager, F&B director and a couple of corporate traveling roles and eventually hotel director.”

In July 2022 Brent came to Australia where he transitioned to Director of Culinary Operations for P&O Cruises Australia in February 2023.

“I wanted to challenge myself and try something new”

Looking back on his decision to work on cruise ships, Brent acknowledges “One of the drawcards was certainly to see the world, rather than be stuck in land-based kitchens – especially if you’re in fine dining, it’s a very demanding job and even on your days off you’re coming in to do mise en place.”

On moving up the corporate ladder, he says “I wanted to challenge myself and try something new. I think my ultimate goal is the same as ever - I love being a chef, it’s my passion and my best life, but I wanted to see what else I was capable of, because the stigma was that chefs would always be chefs, they couldn’t grow – so I and wanted to see how far I could take myself in a different organisational structure. So for me travel is a big part, but also personal growth and development.”

“It’s certainly not a one-person show – there are multiple aspects to putting this all together.”

Naturally managing culinary operations aboard cruise ships brings its own particular set of challenges. “It’s certainly not a one-person show – there are multiple aspects to putting this all together,” Brent says “I work closely with the supply chain team, we have an operational liaison in our department for my specifics I need for menus, what direction I want to go in, anything new I want to try for next season’s run and so on. The challenge is not only on the procurement side – Australia’s biosecurity laws are particularly stringent, which means once food is on board our vessels, it’s on board – and there’s no way to just stock up by loading at will at various ports, because that’s eventually brought back to Australia as well.”

one of the casual dining options Aboard the Pacific Explorer

Another challenge is the ever-changing demographic of guests on board each vessel. “One week you might be doing a shorter cruise for a middle-aged group, the next you might have a 10 day cruises with families and grandparents – so you need to get your mix of menus and offerings in tune with your guest demographic.

“And since coming back from our operational pause during Covid, I’ve noticed our ethnographic profiles have changed – we’re seeing much more diversity in our guest demographics, which brings a further set of challenges, because you want to be able to offer something for everyone for the duration of the cruise. It’s not like a land-based restaurant where if the guests are unhappy I can refund their bill and they might come back another night – our client base is on board, dining consistently across multiple days and I have to meet their expectations every single day.”

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With that in mind, Brent and his team strive to include as much variety as possible within the scope and space of the ships’ dining rooms. “You want to be able to cater for as many people as possible. Each quarter I re-engineer the menus, looking at what the previous quarter offered, what the outlook is for the next in terms of supply issues – we know Australia has an abundance of food, second to none in any market I’ve ever worked, but we also have to allow for unforeseen circumstances, such as weather-related supply challenges from floods and cyclones. So in a sense we are constantly innovating what we do. 

L-R: Jowen, Anoop, Sheeraj, Abishek and Gopi working aboard the pacific adventure

“Each person brings their own culinary background, skillset and expertise into the mix.”

The diverse mix among the ships’ culinary crews also contributes to the success of P&O’s multifaceted menus, and has broadened Brent’s own repertoire. “Our primary workforce is a majority mix of Indian and Filipino cooks, and we’re fortunate to also have a Sri Lankan contingent, some Indian and Nepalese, Fijian and some Ni-Vanuatu. Each person brings their own culinary background, skillset and expertise into the mix.

 “Cooks are the world’s best thieves, we steal with our eyes – I can make a curry, but nowhere near as good as our Indian chefs in the galley. So I just sit back and watch to see which spices they use, how much of each ingredient and so on. I can teach the guys classical French or European style, but in return I’m learning the intricacies of their specialities, their national dishes and the finesse that’s passed down from generation to generation – you won’t find that in a recipe book!

dining lounge on the pacific adventure

“You might think that when you bring large groups of different nationalities together there’d be personality clashes and cultural differences – but we put it all aside on board. People ask what it’s like working in a galley kitchen and I tell them, no matter what’s happening in the world, all the wars and complications, I work in the most peaceful place in the world. Don’t get me wrong – it’s intense, when it’s on it’s on, but it’s harmonious, and that’s the culture we create.  

“We blend in different cultural mixes and add that to our offering – and it’s authentic cuisine.”

“We have the right team for our customer base – I might not be able to cook every guest’s specific cuisine, but we have a skillset where we can diversify and that feeds through to our menu creation. We blend in different cultural mixes and add that to our offering – and it’s authentic cuisine. For example we have a large Indian client base that cruises with us, and we have the perfect back of house mix to meet their requirements and put out some really authentic homestyle food that they might not be able to get ordinarily in Australia.”

“We don’t work in silos”

Brent also enjoys the support of a strong management team. “I think we have a unique blend of people who have spent time working on board ships – they understand the on-board culture and the food requirement, as well as the guest service aspect – and people who bring insights into operational management and how we can be our most efficient. In that sense P&O is a family – whether on board or shoreside, everyone knows everyone, we don’t work in silos and it’s not a culture where you’re scared to table a subject or to understand different people’s thought processes. That’s how we work all the way down and it’s the same on board – I’m able to grab a coffee with one of the stewards or a galley pot washer and we’ll have a chat.”

Asked what advice he’d give to chefs aspiring to a career on ships, Brent says: “First decide what sort of vessel you’d like to work on – some start on yachts and work their way up to cruise ships. There are many agents online whom you can apply through and I think that’s the safest way to go. The key thing to consider is that as glamorous as it sounds, it’s hard work too – you’re not getting off at every port like a tourist, which is the biggest misconception. You sign a contract and you’re required to work – of course you get downtime, don’t get me wrong, but it’s a job not a holiday.

“It’s also important to come on board and really immerse yourself in the experience – some of these ships have two to three hundred people in the galley, so to stand out you need to show your strengths from day one. People are watching to see what you can do – so don’t just be a number, dive in!” 

pacific explorer - retired in 2024

Last month, P&O Cruises Australia was absorbed into Carnival Cruise Line – marking the retirement of the longstanding brand name. The workforce is transferring across to Carnival, while P&O’s vessels Pacific Adventure and Pacific Encounter are to be rebranded Carnival Adventure and Carnival Encounter and will join Carnival’s fleet, taking it from 27 to 29 vessels.