More than 150 chefs, chocolatiers and winemakers have participated in Holland America Line’s Culinary Arts Center program since its inception in 2005, according to Richard Meadows, the line’s executive vice president of marketing and sales.
He noted that the program, in which chefs give cooking demonstrations and classes in custom-built kitchens in a theater setting, is “the most comprehensive of its kind at sea, if not in the travel industry.
“The reviews we have gotten from passengers are great,” he said. “We not only offer a large quantity of chefs, we offer quality — we have been able to bring some brilliant people on board.”
The program, which is part of the line’s Signature of Excellence lineup of onboard initiatives, is offered in conjunction with Food and Wine magazine, which Meadows said is the key to its success.
“One of the most important aspects of this program was selecting an appropriate partner,” he said. “Food and Wine has helped us secure some of the guests that we have been able to have onboard.”
Gail Simmons, director of special projects for the magazine, said that the venture was a first for Food and Wine. “We had done nothing like this before when Holland America approached us about it,” she said.
Seeing how serious the line was about food overcame any reservations. “We saw that they ignited the same passion for food in their cruisers that we wanted to ignite in our readers,” she said.
She added that the most rewarding part of Food and Wine’s participation has been seeing how chefs respond to it. “They come to us and tell us that they want to go on the cruises again and again,” she said. “We have converted them from friends of Food and Wine to friends of Holland America.”
Raymond Southern, an executive chef for the line, said that at least two cooking demonstrations are held during every cruise. These are given in a setting that allows even those in far-away seats to get a close-up view of the preparations, as video screens behind the chef display large views of the food in progress.
In addition, he said, “We do hands-on cooking classes that are limited to about 12 people,” for which guests pay an additional fee on top of the usual cruise costs. After the cooking is done, he said, “we sit down and enjoy what we have cooked.”
Meadows said that the charge for the cooking classes is $29, “which is a great value for the opportunity to have a class with a master chef.”
Holland America’s 2007 lineup of onboard chefs includes Food and Wine’s 2005 Best New Chefs Shea Gallante of Cru in New York City; 2005 James Beard Award winner Andrew Carmellini of A Voce, New York; Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, authors of the “Ultimate” cookbook series; and Fran Bigelow, founder of Fran’s Chocolates in Seattle.
Culinary demonstrations are also taped and shown on stateroom televisions, giving guests who cannot attend the demonstrations in-person a chance to see them.
The line also offers a cookbook by its executive chef, Rudi Sodamin, entitled “A Taste of Excellence,” in its onboard gift shops. A second edition of the book is currently in the works.
Meadows noted that the Culinary Arts Center program has appeal across the entire spectrum of Holland America cruisers, regardless of age.
“We get everyone from children who have been raised on the Food Network and are fascinated by the cooking to their grandparents,” he said.
He noted that the $225-million Signature of Excellence initiative, which is now in place across the line’s entire fleet, is “complete, but it is not final. We have given Signature of Excellence a position of prominence, and we are always looking for new ideas and innovations to bring onboard.”