Prinsendam’s Executive Chef Pedro Lontoc

‘Diners still favor many of the classic main courses’

Pedro Lontoc is a classic success story – rising with hard work and talent from an entry-level restaurant job to become an Executive Chef on a great cruise liner.  It is a story that brings credit to Chef Lontoc and also to the management of Holland America Line.  This is a company that recognizes talent and energy in picking the best of their human resources for the rewards of advancement and responsibility.
Chef Lontoc credits the cultural traditions of hospitality for the friendly disposition of the Philippine people and – in particular - at his family home in Pagsanjan. The town is famous for its charming water falls, and is not far from Manila, the Philippine capital. With a culinary career that started in hotels, young Lontoc saw an opportunity for international exposure when he had the chance to join HAL in 1982 and pursue a “world class” career—a goal he has most certainly achieved. His wife is a former HAL shipmate and their three children are still in school in the Philippines.
Holland America’s Volendam was his first assignment – and now 25 years later he is celebrating his signing-on anniversary wearing the toque of the Executive Chef de Cuisine on the charming Prinsendam. During his cruise, Contributing Editor Roger J. Ritchie met with Lontoc. Excerpts from their conversation:

ShipsandCruises: How do you keep the cuisine fresh?
Lontoc: Well, the two fresh qualities are fresh ingredients and fresh preparation. Fresh ingredients require good planning and a lot of cool storage and chiller lockers, for fish in particular. The experienced buying looks ahead to the time—in ten days—when we still must present fresh ingredients on the menu. Freshness in the cooked foods is, of course, also our ambition. It is an essential part of good service. We have a big galley to help in achieving the fastest practical stove-top to dining table service time

Are there any current trends you are noting?
Not too much. Our guests still like to choose from a selection of the classic dishes. The trends are quite slow in coming, and the diners still favor many of the classic main courses, which have been popular since Holland America first sailed the Atlantic. These days, however many guests require a monitoring of salt content.

What is your own favorite style of cuisine?
I personally favor French cooking and then branch out across the food spectrum. 

Is portion size a big question these days?
We are always mindful of our guest’s expectation on the size of their portions and the need to tailor the size of the courses of excellent evening meals to provide a balanced dining experience. Editing the amount on the plate is necessary to please the guest who likes to enjoy a full-menu dinner.

What is the best on the menu?
My favorite at any time is usually the selection we have just created from local ingredients from the last port. We try to reflect the regional cuisine of the area in which we are sailing. On longer cruises we introduce new items from the galley that will maintain that nightly excitement when surveying the Dining Room menu.

What is your “signature” dish?
I do like to prepare an elegant Crab Salad, including shrimp and lobster. And I do like to present Salmon with my own Horseradish Sauce, followed by my presentation of Lamb Chops.