Garde Mangers or “cooks” on cruise ships are responsible for preparing the cold foods on the ships. These include salads and hors d’oeuvres as well as cold seafood and fish. The Garde Manger also prepares relishes, jellies, stuffings, and garnishes. He chops, dices, grinds meats and he also slices cheeses. The Garde Manger must be meticulous, precise, and have a passion for all kinds of foods. In addition to preparing cold foods and sauces, the Garde Manger may supervise pantry workers and help prepare meals.
According to Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL.com), if you are interested in becoming a Garde Manger on cruise ships, you should have:
-Strong knowledge of all cooking techniques
-Strong knowledge of all cooking equipment, tools, and supplies
-Comprehensive knowledge of cold food production including handling, identification, salad, dressing, sandwich, and hors d’oeuvre preparation
-Ability to prepare and train others to prepare aspics, chaud fraud, pates, terrines and galantines.
-Ability to prepare showpieces, utilizing vegetables, fruits, butter, mirrors, and ice
-Ability to provide leadership, motivation and training
-1+ year supervisory experience on cruise ship or high volume hotel/restaurant
-2+ year experience in a bakery
-3+ years of culinary experience (may be combined with formal culinary training)
-High School Diploma or Equivalent required
-Culinary School 2-4 year degree or foreign equivalency preferred
Attributes include:
-Proactive, Team Player, Problem Solver
-Passionate about hospitality and customer service driven
-Must have a professional appearance and good hygiene
-Respect for all co-workers and guests
-Pride in your work by creating positive energy, excitement and fun
-Able to work 7 days a week
-Demonstrate positive behaviors; smiling, being polite and courteous
-Able to develop a camaraderie with team members
-Ability to live in close quarters, share limited space with other cabin-mates
If you think you have what it takes to become a Garde Manger on cruise ships and you have a specific cruise line in mind, locate the cruise lines’ OFFICIAL website. Visit the Ships and Cruises Directory for official listings. Once you have located the site, visit the website and search around for job postings. Most cruise line websites have a career center or job postings page. If the cruise line lists job openings, be sure to follow the application procedure to the letter. Applicants that do not follow directions are typically passed over in favor of those that do. If the cruise line does not list job openings on its site, send a polished cover letter and resume to the cruise lines Human Resources Department. The Human Resources Department is typically located at the cruise lines headquarters. This information is usually listed on the cruise line website. It is important to include the position you are interested in so that it can be directed to the appropriate department manager.
For more information about jobs on cruise ships visit Cruise Ship Jobs online. Here, you can download the 2010 cruise ship employment guide; you can read through cruise line profiles; you can find out which ships are hiring and for what positions — and you can even apply for a cruise ship job right online. Please note that this website charges a fee. You can apply for a job on your own, free of charge, sign up with a placement agency, or use Cruise Ship Jobs’ service.
Cruise Ship Job Perks
Cruise ship employees will enjoy more than free travel to exciting destinations. Cruise ship employees receive free accommodations and meals. They also receive health insurance and free air travel to and from the ship. Entry-level Garde Mangers earn around $30,000 annually. The average salary for Garde Manger jobs is $40,000 per year. On the high end, a Garde Manger may earn $50,000+ per year.