Guy Fieri and Carnival Expand Their Partnership
October 11, 2017—Guy Fieri and Carnival showed a whole lot of kid love this week at the State Fair of Texas. The Food Network celebrity chef took time to promote both his own foundation, CWK (Cooking With Kids), his love of barbecue, and his newly expanded relationship with Carnival Cruise Line. Carnival provided the stage and the prizes for three young 4H cooking finalists who competed for top honors in front of “real-deal” judges as they prepared creative barbecue sandwiches.
The event kicked off media coverage of the newly-announced expanded Pig & Anchor Smokehouse/Brewhouse that will debut on Carnival’s newest ship—Horizon, which launches in April.
These kid-built sandwiches earned each finalist a Carnival cruise for their families. The waffle sandwich dubbed, “Nutty Flying Pig in Paradise” by creator Harper Burt, took top honors from the judges.
Guy Fieri and Carnival: A Match Made in Flavortown
As the foodie trend and demand for more than steam table buffet food expands across all levels of cruising, cruise lines are scrambling to partner with the biggest names they can afford for onboard restaurant tie-ins. Fieri’s mainstream fandom fits nicely into Carnival’s niche in the cruise market.
The team’s first venture was Guy’s Burger Joint, now found on 17 of the line’s fleet of 25 ships. The success of that was followed with the ground-breaking Guy’s Pig & Anchor Barbecue counter service lunch restaurants found on Breeze, Dream, Magic, and Vista.
Today’s announcement of the “real-deal” smoked meat barbecue venue on Carnival Horizon expands the partnership further. The new food option will be a full-service restaurant open for lunch and dinner($) with the addition of brewed-on-board craft beer, which is already available on Carnival Vista.
Courtesy of Carnival Cruise Line
…and it’s all about the flavors.
Following the cooking contest, Carnival hosted an after party for the families of participants and media members. Food from Guy’s Pig & Anchor restaurants was on hand for sampling. The food was everything one would expect from the combination of Guy Fieri and Carnival—comfort food that actually puts your mama’s cooking to shame.
Smoked meats included chicken, pork butt, brisket, and made-on-board sausage. Sides included potato salad, beans, greens, and mac-n-cheese. All of it was heavy on the comfort and the flavor.
