TUI Cruises has named celebrity chef Johann Lafer culinary ambassador for Mein Schiff Herz.

Lafer will be responsible for creating a three-course lunch and a five-course dinner menu for the all-inclusive Atlantic Restaurant. He will also sail aboard several cruises interacting with passengers.

“I became a cook because a ship’s cook inspired me,” Lafer said in a prepared statement.

Lafer can look back on more than 40 years of a culinary career. Born in Styria, Lafer and his wife Silvia run the Val d’Or restaurant (member of the Relais & Châteaux since 1997), Bistro d’Or, and the 13-room Johan Lafers Stromburg Hotel in a medieval castle. He has also participated in numerous TV programs and published cook books.