Crystal & Alajmo Brothers: A Culinary Dream Team
By Tully Luxury Travel | 10-17-2024 |
There are a multitude of reasons why Crystal enjoys its stellar reputation as a gastronomic titan at sea. There’s the expertise of the top-rated culinary teams, the innovative and often elaborate dishes, the locally sourced ingredients, the beautifully appointed spaces, the list goes on. In the same vein, Crystal has recently taken its ultimate Michelin inspired dining experience one step further, introducing a collaboration with renowned Italian chef Massimiliano Alajmo and his brother Raffaele Alajmo, co-owner of their celebrated Italian restaurants.
Together, Crystal and the Alajmo family will offer menu items created by this Michelin-star chef in specialty restaurant Osteria d’Ovidio aboard Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony, cementing the cruise line’s standing as a culinary leader at sea.
Noted for his unique interpretation of Italian cuisine, Massimiliano (Max) Alajmo was the youngest chef ever to receive three Michelin stars at age 28. Along with his brother Raffaele (Raf), culinary expert and maître des lieux of the Alajmo Group, Max, now 50, oversees the kitchens of 14 restaurants: in Padua, Venice, Treviso and Cortina, in the north of Italy; Paris, France; and Marrakesh, Morocco. He works from his flagship kitchen at Le Calandre restaurant in Padua.
Osteria d’Ovidio, Crystal Symphony
Osteria d’Ovidio, Crystal Serenity
It’s a palate-pleasing match made in heaven
The culinary expertise of the Alajmo brothers and their passion for Italian cuisine are perfectly aligned with the refined vision of Osteria d’Ovidio, which is named after Crystal owner Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio. This new partnership also underlines the importance of the restaurant to the Crystal fleet, with revitalized offerings that set Crystal even higher atop the industry’s culinary field.
The Alajmo team will be working with Crystal’s culinary experts to produce signature dishes and collaborating with the sommeliers to include specialty wine pairings for the Osteria d’Ovidio menus. Limited reservations per sailing will further underscore the exclusivity of this exciting new gastronomic alliance. Guests of the Serenity and Symphony can expect perfect traditional Italian meals in very elegant yet relaxed rooms.
Joining forces with the Alajmo family is yet another association perfectly in line with Crystal’s already brilliant culinary partnerships. The Tully Travel Designers are always keen to match their food-loving clients with Crystal to see them enjoying contemporary Japanese-Peruvian fusion at Umi Uma, a restaurant created with renowned chef Nobu Matsuhisa.
And in December 2024, Crystal will be the first cruise line to bring the Michelin-starred modern steak house beefbar to the fleet. The concept of Chef Riccardo Giraudi, beefbar is a celebration of diversity and creativity, a stylish global street-food scene brought on board by Crystal, as it continues to present unmatched dining experiences at sea.
It’s time to experience it for yourself
If you’ve been thinking about experiencing the elegance of Crystal, now is moment to indulge. The experts at Tully Luxury Travel have the insider knowledge you need to tailor your Crystal sailing to your exact specifications.
On select itineraries, Crystal guests will also be able to dine at the Alajmo brothers’ restaurants Le Calandre in Padua and Grancaffè & Ristorante Quadri in Venice via Abercrombie & Kent shore excursions in Italy.
Finally – and fittingly – this is your chance to not only live the dream of a Crystal voyage, but also to surrender to the kind of homespun Italian taste sensations that only Chef Massimiliano Alajmo can deliver.