Celebrity Cruises' Modern Luxury Stars In "Top Chef" Episode

MIAMI, Jan. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Celebrity Cruises, the modern luxury vacation brand known for award-winning, fresh-from-scratch cuisine and innovative onboard culinary experiences, has provided the unique setting for an episode of Bravo Media's Emmy® Award-winning Top Chef culinary competition series, now in its 10^th season. Wednesday's episode (January 30), airing at 10 pm Eastern/9 pm Central, was filmed onboard the 2,158-guest Celebrity Millennium and the 2,170-guest Celebrity Infinity while sailing in Alaska.

During the episode, chef'testants were challenged to navigate the intricacies of Celebrity's trendsetting, top-quality culinary operation – with multiple galleys and diverse dining options – and prepare dishes served to guests onboard. Three Top Chef judges also were onboard to join in the action and assess the chef'testants' results.

This week, Celebrity is taking its own cuisine to the heart of Manhattan with "A Taste of Modern Luxury," an exclusive pop-up restaurant at The Kitchen NYC. Celebrity's own James Beard-featured chef, John Suley, will serve items from a three-course menu that includes several onboard favorites as well as dishes inspired by the culinary flavors of Manhattan. Divinely concocted libations from Master Mixologist Junior Merino, aka "The Liquid Chef," will be served from his concept, The Molecular Bar, featured onboard. Thoughtfully paired beverages -- from superior wines to local brews – and artful desserts round out the dining experience.

On Wednesday, Celebrity Cruises is hosting a private screening of the Top Chef episode at their pop-up location, with five talented former Top Chef chef'testants in attendance: Hung Huynh, Mike Isabella, Spike Mendelsohn, Hosea Rosenberg and Casey Thompson.

Tickets to all other lunches and dinners at Celebrity's Manhattan pop-up restaurant are available at www.celebritycruisespopupnyc.eventbrite.com. Proceeds from ticket sales go to the Celebrity Cruises Scholarship at The Culinary Institute of America.

Celebrity Cruises has been known since its founding in 1990 for providing the best dining experience in premium cruising. In 2012, Celebrity became the first cruise line to cook dinner at the legendary James Beard House in New York City, and the first cruise line to open a land-based pop-up restaurant, which debuted in San Francisco.

About Celebrity Cruises:

Celebrity Cruises' iconic "X" is the mark of modern luxury, with its cool, contemporary design and warm spaces; dining experiences where the design of the venues is as important as the cuisine; and the amazing service that only Celebrity can offer, all created to provide an unmatchable experience for vacationers' precious time. In addition to cruise vacations visiting all continents, Celebrity also presents immersive cruisetour experiences in Alaska, Australia/New Zealand, Canada, Europe and South America. With a fleet of 11 ships, Celebrity is one of the fastest-growing major cruise lines, and one of five brands operated by global cruise vacation company Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE, OSE: RCL). For more information, dial 1-800-437-3111, visit www.celebritycruises.com, or call your travel agent. Follow the brand socially at www.facebook.com/celebritycruises.

SOURCE Celebrity Cruises