By Tracy Morin

Chef Tony Gemignani of Tony’s Pizza Napoletana, Slice House by Tony Gemignani and other pizza brands has scored a lot of achievements in his career as an award-winning pizzaiolo, author and restaurant owner. Now he’s added to his resume a stint as pizza chef for the high seas. 

Partnering with Princess Cruises in a multiyear deal, Gemignani created several specialty pies for its onboard menu, and the cruise line kicked off the collaboration with a Guinness World Record-breaking event for the largest multiple-venue pizza party on July 12. PMQ Pizza recently spoke with Gemignani, as well as Sami Kohen, vice president of food & beverage for Princess Cruises, to find out more about this unique pizza partnership.

Chef Tony Gemignani

PMQ: How did Princess Cruises approach you about working with them, and what did the collaboration experience entail? 

Tony Gemignani: The owner of Orlando Foods, Fred Mortati, was the first to connect me with the Princess team. They were interested in partnering with a celebrity pizza chef, and Fred had mentioned that he knew me. The Princess team expressed interest, so I got on a conference call with them and ended up solidifying an amazing three-year contract to create exclusive pizzas and recipes that would elevate their pizza program. The process took several months—to finalize and iron out the details of the contract. We wanted to ensure that all aspects were carefully considered before proceeding.

PMQ: How did you create the recipes, and how did they need to be designed to fit with a cruise ship’s unique needs?

Gemignani: The recipe development was important, and it was essential to consider the broad range of preferences and dietary needs of passengers on these cruises. Additionally, we wanted to ensure the recipes were designed to work seamlessly with the cruise ship’s kitchen facilities. 

For me, personally, it was important that specific ingredients were used, such as Grande cheese, Ciao tomatoes, Caputo flour, Ponti balsamic, Ferrarini prosciutto and Parmigiano, Hormel, Fontanini sausage, Swiss American Pepperoni and Stanislaus Super Dolce. I went with a few of my award-winning pizzas—one from the Food Network and another from Pizza Expo. We also worked on signature sauce recipes, along with housemade hot honey. 

PMQ: What was it like partnering with a cruise ship? 

Gemignani: Partnering with Princess Cruises has been an amazing and extraordinary experience. The quality, professionalism and attention to detail they bring to the entire fleet has made this partnership both seamless and rewarding.

PMQ: Do you have any advice for other pizzeria owners entering into this type of partnership?

Gemignani: I’ve been in the pizza business for 33 years, creating a name for myself. Gaining credibility in this industry has been a long journey, requiring extensive experience and recognition. It’s crucial to have an open mind and a deep understanding of the diverse demographic that cruise ships cater to if you’re interested in pursuing this type of partnership.

Sami Kohen, vice president of food & beverage, Princess Cruises

PMQ: What was the inspiration behind the partnership with Tony Gemignani?

Sami Kohen: By collaborating with 13-time World Pizza Champion chef Tony Gemignani, we are proving that pizza can be a gourmet experience. Our culinary team is dedicated to showcasing pizza as a signature dish that can surprise and delight guests with its creativity, quality and flavor. Princess’ partnership with Chef Tony Gemignani further enhances our culinary offerings and provides an exceptional dining experience for our guests.

PMQ: Cruises aren’t necessarily known for great pizza. Why was offering the “best pizza at sea” important to you and a key differentiator you wanted to tap into? 

Kohen: Princess has been known for having the best pizza at sea for years–in fact, we’ve been recognized for this achievement by USA Today. On board our ships, Alfredo’s and Gigi’s provide a sit-down, high-quality restaurant experience. By collaborating with Gemignani, we are further enhancing these offerings. Great food is a crucial part of the overall Princess experience, and by bringing in a world champion pizza chef, we are enhancing our culinary reputation and cementing the fact we offer the “best pizza at sea.” This differentiates us from other cruise lines and aligns with our goal of providing top-tier dining options.

PMQ: How long will the pizzas be offered on board, and what has customer response been so far?

Kohen: The pizzas created by Chef Gemignani have debuted at Alfredo’s on board the Sun Princess and will roll out across the fleet throughout the summer. The response from our guests has been overwhelmingly positive. They appreciate the quality and creativity of Chef Gemignani’s pizzas and are excited about the unique flavors and high-quality ingredients. We are thrilled to roll out these pizzas across the entire fleet so all of our guests can enjoy them.

PMQ: You also celebrated the collaboration with the world’s largest pizza party. How was that coordinated and carried out? 

Kohen: Coordinating our pizza party and ultimately achieving the Guinness World Records title involved meticulous planning and coordination across 16 ships in our fleet on various time zones. Our dedicated chefs, trained by Chef Gemignani, prepared over 60,000 slices of pizza to ensure every guest could participate. The event was a huge success, generating excitement and camaraderie among our guests and crew alike.