Seatrade Cruise News is part of the Informa Markets Division of Informa PLC

This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726.

Culinary innovator Jacques Van Staden signs on with MSC Cruises

Jacques Van Staden
Jacques Van Staden has 28 years of experience including starting restaurant concepts, working with Michelin-star chefs and at Celebrity Cruises
Jacques Van Staden joined MSC Cruises as VP food & beverage in the company's Geneva headquarters. He will lead F&B efforts for the worldwide fleet.

'Jacques is well-known for his innovative and creative dining concepts and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome him to the MSC Cruises family as we strive to continue to elevate our culinary offerings across our fleet,' MSC Cruises CEO Giannia Onorato said.

Van Staden reports to Andrea Gangale, SVP product development and guest experience.

A hospitality expert with more than 28 years of experience across fine dining establishments and casual restaurants, hotels and cruise lines, Van Staden most recently was president and CEO of the Miami-based JVS Culinary Group, which provided F&B consulting services for a range of hospitality entities. He also is the founder of 2941 Street Food, an award-winning, modern fast-casual Mediterranean concept with five locations in Detroit.

New Solstice-class experiences

Prior to JVS Culinary Group, Van Staden served as VP food & beverage and master chef for Celebrity Cruises, where he was responsible for introducing a new array of dining and beverage experiences on the Solstice-class ships.

Earlier experience includes sous and executive chef positions at a number of restaurants across the US, including the late, legendary three-star Michelin chef Jean-Louis Palladin’s restaurant at the Watergate Hotel; three-star Michelin chef Gray Kunz’s restaurant Lespinasse in Washington, DC; the two-star Michelin restaurant Citronelle, featuring California-French cuisine in Washington, DC; the chic London Club in the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas; and Michelin-star award-winning restaurants Andre’s & Alize in Las Vegas.

Understanding the North American palate

'Jacques, with his passion for creating fresh and authentic cuisine from around the world and impressive history of working with top establishments across the US, is the perfect addition to our team as we continue to grow our presence in North America and increase the number of North American guests sailing on our ships worldwide,' said Ken Muskat, EVP and COO, MSC Cruises USA.