Introducing Oceania Cruises’ Bon Apétit Culinary Center and Culinary Discovery Adventures.
Capped with a tall, crisp chef’s hat you admire your dream kitchen. It’s sleek and commodious, with granite workspaces, induction burners and ovens, combining convection and convention – every cooking accoutrement you’ve ever fantasized about is here. The perfume of fresh basil wafts through the air, a dusting of flour coats your apron, and your half-imbibed glass of red wine awaits the completion of your task, emulating the pasta technique you just learned.
The experience evokes pure epicurean delight. Oceania Cruises spared no expense when creating the high-tech, Bon Appétit Culinary Center, the first hands-on instructional kitchen at sea. Aboard sister ships Marina and Riviera, twelve, two-person cooking stations comprise your classroom and top chefs serve as your devout culinary mentors. The school is an impressive addition to this fleet, which already boasts some of the finest amenities at sea. However, this endeavor went beyond merely adding some onboard bells and whistles; it underscores the philosophy that food is the back-story of a culture.
A TASTE OF CULTURE
A decade ago, Oceania Cruises was founded on the notion that people have a passion for both striking destinations and astounding cuisine. To instill you with a sense of place, experiences both on and off the five mid-sized ships are designed to emphasize eating like a local and learning about regional specialties. Newly built twin vessels, Marina and Riviera, take this epicurean theme to new heights. Oceania Cruises’ commitment to gastronomy is manifested by a superior collection of restaurants and the stunning Bon Appétit Culinary Center, a hands-on demonstration kitchen created in collaboration with Bon Appétit Magazine. Like icing on this proverbial cake, the ships’ food-centric shore excursions, called Culinary Discovery Tours, are led by Oceania Cruises’ chef or guest cookery experts, bringing your culinary acumen full circle.
THE IMPORTANCE OF PRESENTATION
Any gourmand will tell you, “presentation is everything.” This sentiment translates to interiors aboard the chic Marina and Riviera. Grandeur is eschewed for the intimacy and élan of a boutique hotel. As you climb the Lalique staircases, you’ll notice subtle accents, be it a Picasso lithograph, hand-blown glass sculpture or contemporary Asian painting. Bone china decorates your table at the unique upscale restaurants, like Jacques, created by celebrity chef Jacques Pépin. In fact Pépin, who once cooked side-by-side with Julia Child and starred in a variety of PBS programs, oversees each of the restaurants on both ships. You’ll notice his influence on the menu at Red Ginger, the Asian-Fusion restaurant, serving dishes such as watermelon and foie gras salad. With a French-country theme, Jacques, the chef’s eponymous restaurant, draws from Pépin’s personal repertoire. Enjoy Francophile favorites such as cassoulet, frog legs with riesling sauce or escargot in a Lyon-style bistro setting. Your wine is always the perfect temperature and served in a Riedel stem, and oenophiles will further revel in the wine library at Le Reserve. This intimate 24-seat tasting menu restaurant was created in conjunction with Wine Spectator Magazine and vaunts an elegant wine-centric theme. And with so much emphasis on food, you’ll welcome a visit to the state-of-the-art fitness center, the pool, and the Canyon Ranch SpaClub® for wholesome, relaxing body treatments and facials. Swill a classic cocktail at Martinis, the ship’s most chichi bar, and don’t miss the custom-built Steinway, graced by a stellar musician who plays late into the evening.
CULINARY DISCOVERY TOURS
Ashore, delve into the gastronomy of a locale on a Culinary Discovery Tour, designed specifically for food aficionados. Led jointly by an onboard chef and on-site food industry experts, these tours take you behind the scenes to meet esteemed local chefs, wine growers, olive oil producers and more. “Our classes, as well as our Culinary Discovery Tours, are all about the ports we visit,” says Executive Chef Katherine Kelly, Culinary Enrichment Director for Oceania Cruises. “While in Tuscany, we make pizza and focaccia in a wood burning oven – and we drink sangiovese and vermentino at a family winery outside Livorno. In Amalfi, we make limoncello; in the Baltic, we shop at the fish market and focus on fish cookery that day.” Every experience imparts local flavor. Imagine, in New Zealand, visiting a kiwi orchard, tasting wine at various wineries, and dining with Maoris who show you how to cook with native herbs. Or, choosing the perfect catch from a local fisherman in Provence, and bringing this bounty back to the ship for bouillabaisse lessons. Onboard culinary courses reinforce knowledge gleaned from your gourmet exploration ashore. Tours such as these also often include a demonstration and a tasting or two.
IN THE TEST KITCHEN
Wherever Oceania Cruises’ Marina or Riviera sail, you will revel in the chance to partake in the Bon Appétit Culinary Center. While courses vary by sailing, they are led each time by a professional chef. Your teacher might be a celebrity chef, or one of the kitchen leaders on board – even Chef Kelly, herself. Designed with the guidance of experts at Bon Appétit Magazine, the courses prove deft enough for experts and sufficiently rudimentary for beginners. Learn about southern American comfort food – recipes gleaned from Chef Kelly’s family cookbook – or how to create an elegant dinner party and what to serve. Become privy to the secrets of the ships’ own restaurants, preparing Red Ginger’s Lobster Pad Thai or Jacques Pépin’s Crepes Suzette. Most often, the educational program reflects the ship’s itinerary, whether discovering the art of tapas while cruising on the coast of Spain, mastering Swedish meatballs when docked in Scandinavia, or crafting spanakopitas, spinach pies, in Greece. Based on the pedagogy model of the Culinary Institute of America, the courses include a demonstration and lecture at the chef’s table, followed by the opportunity to try your hand at making the recipe at one of the twelve, two-person workstations. With your first-hand gourmand experiences and instruction from a skilled professional, there’s no doubt you will go home with all of the ingredients you need to recreate your wonderful culinary sojourn at home.
For cruise lovers, a getaway aboard Oceania Cruises’ Marina or Riviera is a feast for the senses. And for gourmands, these cuisine-savvy ships will satiate your cultural appetites and feed your hunger for adventure like none other.
INCREDIBLE SUITES
Oceania Cruises’ commitment to excellence goes beyond the plate. Perhaps nothing illustrates this better than these top suites. The 12 Oceania Suites sprawl across 1,000-square-feet and crown the ships. Soak in a private hot tub on the oversized veranda, retreat to the separate living and dining rooms or watch first-run movies on the 50-inch flat screen TV in the media room. Even more opulent, the eight Vista Suites sit on the bow and have about a quarter more space than the Oceania Suites – part of which encompasses a workout room. Most spectacular of all, the three Owner’s Suites can be found at the beam of the cruise ship. Enveloped in 2,000-square-feet and accented with Ralph Lauren furnishings, they vaunt a stunning bar and gleaming piano in a music room-meets-foyer, a king-sized “Prestige Tranquility” bed, his-and-her walk-in closets – and a media room with a professional sound system. All suites are also bestowed with a complimentary iPad, unlimited access to the private terrace at the Canyon Ranch SpaClub® and 24/7 butler service.
