Launched eight years ago, the Culinary Council comprises international celebrity chefs, led by the cruise line’s master chef Rudi Sodamin. He is joined by chefs Jonnie Boer, David Burke, Elizabeth Falkner, Jacques Torres and two recent additions, Andy Matsuda and Ethan Stowell.
At what has become a traditional eve of Seatrade Cruise Global media event held on board a company ship at Port Everglades, Ashford also announced a collaboration with wine critic James Suckling to curate the line’s wine lists and work with master mixologist Dale DeGroff on HAL's cocktail program.
‘Holland America Line’s Culinary Council is made up of some of the world’s leading food authorities who have a tremendous amount of talent and knowledge, and the most profound way for us to use their expertise is to have them focus on their specialties throughout our different dining experiences,’ Ashford said.
Sunday’s event also was attended by Carnival Corp. & plc president and CEO Arnold Donald and Holland America Group and Carnival UK CEO Stein Kruse, who joined media and members of the Culinary Council for a specially prepared lunch featuring a Sodamin starter of grilled scallop, caviar and seaweed salad, an Elizabeth Falkner-inspired roasted and raw carrot salad with omega seeds and main course of either seared fresh hamachi, prepared by Ethan Stowell, or aged beef tenderloin with warm shrimp, created by David Burke.
The dessert was a Jacques Torres-inspired sweet of chocolate puff pastry craquelin and petits fours.
Under their new remits Boer will bring the flavors of his internationally acclaimed restaurant, De Librije, on board select sailings through special Taste of De Librije evenings in the Pinnacle Grill whilst Burke, a pioneer of contemporary American cuisine and a master of French culinary technique, will continue to enhance the menu at the Pinnacle Grill, adding contemporary flavors and new signature recipes.
Falkner will be introducing a variety of new, lighter fare to venues across the fleet and Matsuda, the newest member of the Culinary Council, will create sushi offerings in Lido Market as well as the sushi menu available in Tamarind on select ships. Aboard new ship Nieuw Statendam, debuting in December, Matsuda’s creations will be featured at Nami Sushi, the new sushi bar inside Tamarind.
Another recent addition to the Culinary Council, Stowell will bring the flavors of Alaska and the Pacific Northwest on board ships sailing in the region. Also known for his pasta and Italian dishes, Stowell will introduce several of his recipes at New York Pizza and select Lido Market stations on all ships.
Known as 'Mr. Chocolate,' Torres will guide masterful chocolate desserts for HAL dining venues, as well as the Chocolate Surprise Dessert Parade featured on the last gala evening of every cruise.
As HAL’s official wine curator, Suckling has curated an extensive new wine list that will be featured on all ships in the premium fleet. The acclaimed wine critic is working with the line to review and craft a new vision for the wine program.
When the list is complete, a large majority of the selection will have a rating of 90 points or higher, based on Suckling’s own 100-point scale.
Suckling shared his rating system with Seatrade Cruise News during lunch: ‘If I like the first sip I take, I ask myself would I drink the full glass? If it’s a yes, then I rate it between 90-94. If I think I would drink the whole bottle then I give it a score of 95 or more.’
Holland America Line expects to have the new list in place fleetwide by the end of 2018, in time for the launch of Nieuw Statendam.
Suckling spent nearly 30 years as senior editor of The Wine Spectator and together with wife Marie Kim, a former Hong Kong-based wine merchant and now VP of JamesSuckling.com, this is their first entrée into the world of cruising and today was their first visit to a cruise ship.
‘What better way to enjoy and learn about wine than on a cruise,’ Suckling said.
‘Wine is an experiential product that brings family and friends together and enhances life, the same experience you get on a cruise,’ said Suckling, who last year rated more than 17,000 wines with his team around the world.
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