Holland American Line’s Culinary Cruises

Foodies enjoy cruising on Holland America Line, known for its culinary delights. Now the cruise line has elevated certain cruises with multiple themed “Culinary Cruises” in 2022.

There are six world-class celebrity Executive Chefs who are members from the cruise line’s Culinary Council sharing their collective experience, passion and creativity secrets onboard. They are also members of the prestigious Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, an international food and wine society. Passengers on one cruise will learn how to make a perfect sushi roll, others will learn how to temper chocolate, prepare delicious seafood and ethereal sauces.

During each Culinary Cruise, guests will have the opportunity to attend cooking classes and demonstrations led by one of the chefs, and bring home recipes from each presentation. They also can join other foodies at an intimate reservation-only dinner at Pinnacle Grill, Rudi’s Sel de Mer or Nami Sushi, depending on the chef of the culinary cruise.

These chefs will make some of their signature dishes on the menu for all on the ship to enjoy these gastronomic adventures.

“Holland America Line’s culinary program is guided by some of the world’s foremost talents, and no other cruise line has this level of experience from such a team of experts,” said Michael Stendebach, vice president of food, beverage and guest services, Holland America Line. “It’s not every day you learn a recipe directly from the famous chef who created it and hear their secrets to success in the kitchen. We have been eager to reengage our talented Culinary Council chefs to come back on board and offer guests this exclusive level of access.”

Upcoming Culinary Cruises includes:

Chocolate and Pastries Lovers Cruise

Chef Jacques Torres, a French-trained master chef and artisan chocolatier will be on the Zaandam, 9-Day The Atlantic Coast, Oct. 1-10, 2022. It sails from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Onboard he guides guests to the world of chocolate desserts, and will create an array of sweet treats during the Chocolate Surprise Dessert Parade on board. As an Executive Pastry chef at New York’s legendary Le Cirque, he later opened a chocolate factory and retail stores throughout New York.

Fun Chef Facts: Chef Jacques Torres is a James Beard Award winner, and co-host and head judge on the Netflix culinary show “Nailed It” with Nicole Byer.

Seafood Special Dishes

As Holland America Line’s master chef and Culinary Council chairman, Austrian-born Rudi Sodamin oversees all aspects of shipboard dining. Rudi’s Sel de Mer is his namesake French seafood brasserie on board. He will be onboard the Koningsdam, 7-Day Mexican Riviera, Nov. 12-19, 2022, for a roundtrip cruise from San Diego, California.

Fun Chef Fact: Chef Rudi’s culinary art table book called “Food Faces” features more than 150 images of edible creations.

Culinary Delights

“Iron Chef America” and “Top Chef Masters” David Burke will be on the Nieuw Amsterdam, 7-Day Eastern Caribbean, Dec. 4-11, 2022, cruising roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale. Burke enhances the menu at Pinnacle Grill, adding contemporary flavors and signature recipes. He recently opened five new restaurants, including Orchard Park by David Burke.

Fun Chef Fact: During the pandemic, Burke’s program #FeedtheHeroes cooked and delivered 100,000 meals to frontline workers and charities.

Sushi Special Delights

Chef Andy Matsuda will be teaching sushi fans how to make the perfect rolls onboard the Nieuw Statendam, 10-Day Southern Caribbean Seafarer, Dec. 17-27, 2022, roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale. The Japanese-born chef leads the sushi offerings at Nami Sushi, Tamarind and Lido Market. Chef Matsuda is at the forefront of sushi trends and techniques.

Fun Chef Fact: At Andy Matsuda’s Sushi Chef Institute in Los Angeles, California, he teaches aspiring chefs and professionals about sushi and Japanese cuisine.

Each of these chefs will be onboard the cruise and all events are complimentary, excluding the specialty dinner. For more information, go to hollandamerica.com.