Dishwasher at 15, Line Cook at 17, Sous Chef at 18, and Executive Chef at 21.
After 20 years in the profession, Michael Touranjoe, 35, readily admits several excellent opportunities have come his way. Among them was his 2021 hiring as an Executive Chef at American Cruise Lines.
Chef Michael stepped into the Executive Chef position ready to roll. “There wasn’t really an ingredient I hadn’t worked with,” he said.
After high school, he enrolled in university to pursue a career in engineering but left after two years. “I found culinary more exciting,” he said. “It had color to it.”
Chef Michael sees cooking as both art and challenge. “One of the most interesting things about my field is that it is subjective. I can cook two identical plates of food, and one person thinks it is the best dish ever while the other hates it…and they’re both right.
“Perfection is an impossible goal….I always have something to strive toward.”
Meeting Chef Michael Aboard the American Maverick
©Debbra Dunning Brouillette
I met Chef Michael during a Maine Coast and Harbors cruise aboard American Cruise Line’s American Maverick. As a self-confessed foodie, I was impressed by the variety of menu options available to passengers, the flexibility to swap out sides or order half-portions, and the opportunity for guests with special dietary needs to discuss them with the chef.
My first meal on board—an Atlantic Poached Seafood Salad of succulent Maine lobster, pink shrimp, blue crab, and scallops—was only the beginning. Every daily menu featured new fish and seafood options, including swordfish, Atlantic cod, salmon, tuna, scallops, and a memorable boiled Maine lobster dinner.
Atlantic Poached Seafood Salad lunch (left) and Boiled Maine Lobster dinner
©Debbra Dunning Brouillette
©Debbra Dunning Brouillette
Chef Michael was often seen stopping by tables in the dining room to make sure guests were enjoying their meals. I wanted to know more about the person behind the menus, so I asked him to share his story. It turned out to be quite a journey.
Executive Chef at Age 21
Michael Touranjoe’s first stint as Executive Chef was at Cuvée in West Hartford, Conn. “I was 21 when I took that job. Three years earlier, I was sous chef in Guilford, Connecticut, working under the head chef to oversee the kitchen staff and operations. Ironically, that’s where American Cruise Lines’ home office is located.”
Later, he worked with Max Restaurant Group, followed by four years as Executive Chef at Max’s Tavern, located at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.
“I was starting to hit my stride,” he said.
Earning a “Stage” at Alinea: A Taste of Molecular Gastronomy
Another milestone opportunity came his way in 2017 when he earned a stage (pronounced “stahj”) at Alinea, a Michelin-star restaurant in Chicago.
In the culinary world, a stage is a short-term internship at a restaurant to gain hands-on experience from experienced chefs and to master high-level cooking techniques.
The scientific approach to cuisine known as molecular gastronomy was a focus of his time there.
“While we were manipulating things by dehydration, distillation, spherification, gelling, and a slew of different techniques, I learned that the principal ingredient is still the most important. If we are making a dehydrated candy apple string for a sugar balloon, it better be a great apple first.”
He also learned the proper way to use various food-science ingredients — ultra-tex, agar, and soy lecithin — and the value of liquid nitrogen, not just as a fun presentation tool but as an ingredient. “I remember preparing a lamb gyro meal,” he added, “and needed to quickly cool the meat so it could be sliced properly. Liquid nitrogen to the rescue!”
A TV Appearance on Food Network’s Chopped
By 28, Touranjoe found himself on Food Network’s Chopped (Season 42, Episode 12, “Beef Cake Mistakes,” which aired in 2019).
(Credit: Food Network)
The premise? Four up-and-coming chefs face off against one another to prepare three courses (appetizer, entree, and dessert) in record time, incorporating ingredients the show provides.
His friend Adam Greenberg, owner of Sparrow Pizza Bar in West Hartford, Conn., and a four-time Chopped champion, encouraged him to go on the show. “Even though I came in second, it was a lot of fun.”
Learning From Chef Jeannie Pierola in Tampa
Before American Cruise Lines, he worked for Chef Driven Hospitality Group in Tampa, Florida, with Jeannie Pierola, a four-time James Beard-nominated chef. He calls her a pivotal person in his life who was integral to his growth in the kitchen. “I wouldn’t be as successful as I am at American Cruise Lines without her influence in my career.”
Touranjoe later cheffed at Edison Food and Drink Lab, where he opened a new concept for her called Counter Culture. He also helped introduce a smaller concept called “Swiggamajig” in Tampa’s Sparkman Wharf.
Soon after, American Cruise Lines hired him.
(Credit: Michael Touranjoe)
“Edison was focused on ultra-creative fine dining where no ingredient was off-limits, and you were always in for one heck of a meal,” he said. “Counter Culture was an upscale restaurant right on the corner of Bay-to-Bay and Bayshore Blvd. Its open kitchen was the star of the show, with guests seated at a bar around it. Nothing could be hidden, and every ingredient had to be cooked to perfection.”
And Next: Becoming an American Cruise Lines Executive Chef
(Credit: American Cruise Lines)
The major change in his career trajectory came while he was working for Chef Jeannie in Florida. It was one of those “small world” moments.
A sous chef he knew called to tell him about the opportunity with American Cruise Lines.
Touranjoe recalled, “He had been on the same season of Hell’s Kitchen as Kevin Cottle, our Director of Culinary Operations, who was runner-up on Season 6 of Fox’s Hell’s Kitchen.
“Kevin and I made a connection from the start. One cool thing about the restaurant industry is that although it’s huge, it’s also very small,” he said.
“The timing couldn’t have been better. I was ready for a new adventure in life. After giving a month’s notice, I was off to the cruise ships.”
Learning the Ropes, Then Training Others
His first assignment was aboard an American Cruise Lines ship on the Mississippi River, where he worked under Regional Executive Chef James Roberts.
“From the Mississippi, I was flown to the Columbia and Snake Rivers aboard the American Song. It was my first solo boat.”
With the galley running smoothly, he turned to developing his cooks into sous chefs and, eventually, executive chefs. Just a year into his tenure, he earned the corporate title of Executive Chef Trainer. New executive chefs were first assigned to his ship to learn the ropes, just as Chef James had mentored him, before being sent off to work on their own.
That proven ability took him to more ships and regions, from Puget Sound and Maine to the southern Atlantic seaboard and the Chesapeake Bay.
“I was getting to see more of this country than I could ever have dreamed,” he said.
Later, when the training center opened in Salt Lake City, Utah, he helped with the initial start-up as the first set of students completed their training program.
Leaving, Then Coming Back: “It’s Where I Belong”
After three seasons with the cruise line, Chef Michael says he felt a bit homesick. “I felt it was time to go back on land.” His first call was to Chef Jeannie, who immediately put him to work.
Being back was great in many ways, but he later discovered he had developed a longing for “the adventure life.”
“I missed going all over the United States from boat to boat, never knowing where I would be needed next. Boat life is just different, and it was in my blood,” he said.
After almost two years away, he realized how much he missed working for American Cruise Lines. “I called to tell them I really wanted to come back. Fortunately, they said yes.
“I love this job so much; it’s where I belong. I missed the camaraderie of working with my team for months at a time, seven days a week, toward the unachievable goal of perfection. It’s exciting to be part of an unconventional family that can’t be replicated elsewhere.”
While the schedule can vary, he often works eight weeks straight, followed by a week off. During his break, Chef Michael often heads back to Tampa, the area he calls “home base.” But he’s always ready to return to his other home — the kitchen of whichever American Cruise Lines ship he is assigned to next.
“Cheffing” on 21 of American Cruise Lines’ Ships
He has served as Executive Chef on 21 of American Cruise Lines’ 24 ships (which is expanding every year) and says chefs can easily transfer from one ship to another.
“We have a huge pool of very talented chefs across the fleet. And, because we have these consistent standards from our corporate division, every SOP [Standard Operating Procedure] is the same.”
Fresh, New Frozen: Regional Menus Across the Fleet
Crawfish Etoufée, Dungeness Crabcake, Jambalaya, King Crab Legs, Maine Lobster, Pan-Seared Scallops, Petite Clambake, and Smoked Salmon. ©American Cruise Lines
American Cruise Lines’ regional menus take advantage of fresh ingredients—“never frozen,” according to Chef Michael—available in the areas their itineraries cover. Think crawfish in New Orleans, razor clams in the Pacific Northwest, king crab in Alaska, and lobster in Maine.
While the corporate culinary team curates menus for each season and itinerary, each ship’s chef must be flexible enough to adapt techniques to the cuisine.
Behind the Menus: American Cruise Lines’ Culinary Leadership
(Credit: American Cruise Lines)
(Credit: American Cruise Lines)
American Cruise Lines’ highly experienced, credentialed chefs start at the top with Kevin Cottle, Director of Culinary Operations since 2019. (Cottle, the Hell’s Kitchen runner-up mentioned earlier, also won Food Network’s Kitchen Casino House of Cards episode in May 2014.) The cruise line’s Corporate Executive Chef is Joselito Jimenez.
“The culinary program at American Cruise Lines contributes to the positive guest experience for those who choose to cruise with us,” said Cottle.
“Chef Michael and all our Executive Chefs demonstrate a high level of dedication to their work every day. It’s more than a job to them. It’s a passion that shows in the meals our guests enjoy as they explore the beauty of our country aboard one of our ships.”
A Table with Color: A Week of Meals, 20 Years in the Making
Now that I know how Chef Michael got here, I have an even greater appreciation for all the effort that went into the meals we enjoyed during our week in Maine.
From a dishwasher’s first shift at 15 to a galley on the Maine coast, Chef Michael’s career has never lacked color, and neither do the plates that reach the table.
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Read more about my American Cruise Lines “Maine Coast and Harbors Cruise” here, where I met Michael Touranjoe:
Explore Maine’s Coast and Harbors Aboard American Cruise Lines
