Below Deck’s Chef Ben Offers Unique Luxury Fan Ocean Encounter (Exclusive)
Chef Ben Robinson from Below Deck will literally be at his guests’ “bloody service” this spring when he embarks upon a luxury fan encounter aboard Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady. Robinson dished exclusively with Showbiz Cheat Sheet about the upcoming excursion, sharing that the cruise will be an ultimate fan encounter packed with plenty of personal interaction with the fan-favorite chef. Robinson will travel with 300 special guests and the package includes an intimate cooking demonstration, special meal, personal interactions, and a sweet swag bag.
When does the ‘Below Deck’ Chef Ben cruise set sail?
Below Deck fans will get the charter guest treatment without paying the charter guest price. The cruise sets sail on March 23, 2022, from Miami for four fun-filled days. The “At Your Bloody Service: Chef Ben Restaurant Take Over” package includes a $400 bar tab and a four-course meal by Robinson. He also plans to host a cooking demo. Fans can ask Robinson their burning Below Deck and cooking questions during an exclusive cocktail party.
Robinson told Showbiz Cheat Sheet the experience will be extremely immersive. “I’m going to be right there with [the guests],” he explained. “I think everyone’s chomping at the bit to get on a boat. And I think people who would not even ordinarily cruise, you know, are thinking … they’re thinking big.”
Robinson wanted to do what he could to make the fans’ experience on the boat extra special. “Our group will be dining in luxury,” he said. “A gorgeous four-course lunch made by me. I’ll obviously be there for prep and execution. And walking around, making sure everyone’s having a good time. I really want everyone to feel like they’ve spent a good amount of time with me. And I’ll be available at certain bars and restaurants throughout the four days.”
Chef Ben promises a unique cooking demonstration
Robinson is especially thrilled to offer an in-person cooking demonstration. The Instagram Live pizza demos he did during the pandemic exploded as more home cooks’ fascination with the culinary arts grew. “We’ve also got a wonderful ceviche demo that we’re going to be doing,” he dished. “So I’ll be breaking down a big fish.”
“And it’s fun!” he exclaimed. “I think ceviche has a really beautiful story behind how we can safely eat fish on the Peruvian shoreline. No refrigeration, no salt curing … it’s just literally fresh from the water onto a plate with these beautiful fixings. I love citrus, I love spice. And I just love the stories behind it. It really captures my imagination, other people’s imaginations, because obviously citrus is an antibacterial.”
“So it’s just a lot of fun and it just links in a lot of ties into the science of cooking.” Robinson also hopes fans will take the knowledge they glean from the cruise and apply it at home. In fact, he is giving each guest a special gift that will help them with their home chef endeavors.
‘Below Deck’ fans will receive an exclusive gift
Robinson revealed that every guest will receive a specially crafted Chef Ben 7″ Nakiri Knife and a signed Chef Ben apron. The knife will arrive at the guest’s home prior to the cruise. “We want every cabin to have a Chef Ben knife,” he said. “Which is a really wonderful $125 beautiful knife that I spent two years in development for.”
“We’re going to start mailing them just as a sign of our appreciation,” Robinson added. “And it’s something they hold onto and look forward to for their next experience.” Because the first cruise only has 300 spots, Robinson said he’s open to hosting more fan encounters in the future. He added, “We’re just going to have a lot of fun and I plan to spend time with everyone. And make myself available when I’m not doing my on-stage stuff or cooking. I just want to meet everyone and I hope that this gives us something to look forward to many, many times.”
For more package and cruise details, click here.
