Already Australia’s record-breaking cruise celebrity chef after a decade with P&O Cruises, Luke Mangan has signed on for another five years putting him on course for an incredible 15-year association with Australia’s pioneering cruise line. As the popular cruise line’s first celebrity chef, Luke has been an integral part of P&O’s development and its leadership of the resounding resurgence of Australian cruising in one of the biggest success stories of Australian tourism.
Since the amazing partnership began more than one million Luke Mangan-inspired meals have been served in his signature onboard Salt Grill restaurants, seven course degustation menus at a Taste of Salt and the relaxed dining offering at Luke’s.
And the long association of chef and cruise line began with a chance meeting between Luke and Sture Myrmell, who in the years since their first meeting, moved from leading the cruise line’s hotel operations department to becoming President of P&O Cruises Australia.
The two began chatting at the 2008 Young Australian Chef of the Year Awards, a program that Luke Mangan had been driving for years as a way of encouraging Australia’s up and coming young chefs.
As it turned out, Luke harboured a secret ambition to have a signature restaurant at sea at the same time that Sture was looking for a celebrity chef with P&O on a quest to redefine and upgrade the cruising product to heights never previously known in Australia.
“I was on the lookout for a celebrity chef and Luke seemed to offer what we were looking for in a quintessential Australian chef offering a dining experience that made the most of the best Australian produce with his own unique combination of ingredients and tastes,”
Sture said.
“We followed up after that first encounter and set up a meeting that laid the foundation for what has become a record 10-year relationship that is now sailing towards an incredible 15-year association.
“There is no doubt that Luke’s contribution in delighting thousands of our guests with his signature outlets, menus and dishes has played a very big part in P&O’s success in redefining contemporary cruising in Australia.
Sture Myrmell President P_O Cruises Australia and Luke Mangan Celebrity Chef
“Luke’s dining concepts have been incredibly popular with our guests even inspiring restaurants on land in cities around the world. It has been a pleasure to work with Luke over the past decade and we can’t wait to see what the next five years will bring.”
With the 15-year milestone now on the horizon, Luke Mangan said he has always been delighted that P&O guests have had the opportunity to experience his signature offering in the perfect setting of a relaxing cruise holiday.
“It is really a case of being able to savour the taste and the journey all at the same time,” Luke said. “I have really enjoyed creating our Salt Grills at sea and developing other dining opportunities for guests over the past 10 years.
“So, I am looking forward to the association with P&O over the next five years especially the excitement surrounding the ships that will be joining the fleet including Pacific Adventure next year.”
Now, as cruising continues to grow in Queensland, P&O flagship Pacific Explorer is set to relocate next year to her new homeport of Brisbane giving Queenslanders an opportunity to enjoy additional Luke Mangan onboard dining experiences with A Taste of Salt and at Luke’s.
More than one million Queenslanders have cruised with P&O since 2012 with Queensland regarded as one of the cruise line’s heartland states. In Pacific Explorer’s first year sailing from Brisbane, it’s expected that P&O will increase their sourcing of a large range of local produce including meat, groceries and dairy items from the Queensland market.
P&O has also confirmed that Pacific Adventure will have a Luke Mangan dining offering when she joins the fleet and makes Sydney her home from October 2020 with a host of new features, itineraries and experiences.
Bookings for cruises onboard Pacific Explorer in 2020 are now available. Cruises include a seven-night cruise departing Brisbane on 28 November 2020. Fares start from $649 per person for a quad share cabin.*
For more information visit pocruises.com.au, call 13 24 94 or see a licensed travel agent.
*Subject to availability, terms and conditions apply.
.jpg){kind=tracking}