Holland America Line & Food and Wine Magazine Announce New Participating Gurus in Culinary Arts Center Program
July 25, 2005
Like birds of a feather, the new partnership between Holland America Line & Food and Wine Magazine is attracting flocks of talented chefs to the cruise line's gorgeous new Culinary Arts Center facilities. Headlining this impressive list of over fifty celebrated culinary experts are two very recent additions: Cat Cora and Mark Bittman.
Cat Cora is host and producer for the Food Network's Cat Cora Show. She is a cook book author and the very first American woman Iron Chef. She will embark with guests on the January 7, 2006 Holland America Line voyage that cruises to Australia and New Zealand aboard the ms Statendam. Joining the program for the January 11, 2006 cruise to South America is the highly regarded food journalist Mark Bittman, a New York Times food writer and award-winning cookbook author. Bittman's program will take place aboard the ms Rotterdam.
Both itineraries are phenomenal as the visit some of the most exciting destinations in the world. Perhaps equally exciting are the Holland America exclusive onboard enrichment opportunities in production at the Culinary Arts Center. Guests will enjoy observing culinary demonstrations, participating in tasting events and experiencing intimate hands-on cooking classes with these extraordinary chefs.
"As the program gains momentum, we are joining forces with a diverse and wonderful group of culinary experts from chefs and fromagers to authors and sommeliers," said Rick Meadows, CTC, Holland America Line's senior vice president, marketing and sales. "Guests will learn from and mingle with these renowned chefs and culinary authorities using our state-of-the-art show kitchens. This is an exciting partnership and we are delighted to be working with Food & Wine magazine to bring the culinary experience alive for our guests."
Holland America plans to spend more than $13 million creating this program and installing the Culinary Arts Center facilities on every sailing. Already, this has been completed on half of the line's 13-ship fleet, and will be in place fleet-wide by mid-2006.
These state-of-the-art "show kitchens at sea" resemble the elaborate kitchens used by celebrity chefs on television cooking programs and are set up in a theater-style venue. Each Culinary Arts Center has large plasma video screens to display overhead and close-up video views of the food preparation.
Presented by Food & Wine Magazine, these rare experiences are designed to bring to life the colorful pages of this epicurean magazine. Trying a hand at preparing dishes and tasting wines representative of specific ports of call adds an entirely new element to cruise travel. Guests will also be presented with recipe cards and wine-tasting notes as well as a copy of Food & Wine to take home. Opportunities might include book signings, question-and-answer sessions, market tours in port and more. Don't miss your favorite chef! For more information, visit http://www.cruisenetwork.com/holland-america.htm or to make your Holland America Lines reservation, call 888-267-1232 to speak with a certified Cruise Specialist.
