Celebrity Offers New Theme Cruises with Culinary Team

Posted on December 14, 2011

Celebrity Cruises has created food-and-wine-themed cruises hosted by members of its own culinary team, including Jacques Van Staden, the line’s vice president of culinary operations and a James Beard Foundation Award nominee. The first “Excite the Senses Culinary Theme Cruises” -- named after the line’s new lifestyle book, “Excite the Senses -- is a seven-night Celebrity Eclipse sailing departing on March 24, which will be hosted by Van Staden.

The eight cruises scheduled for 2012 will showcase the various culinary disciplines featured in the book, including dining, entertaining and wine, spirits, coffee and tea. Some of the events during the culinary cruises will require a per-person fee.

The March 24 cruise also will feature “The Liquid Chef” and Master Mixologist Junior Merino, a cocktail and Qsine pairing dinner hosted by Van Staden and Merino, a “Corporate Star Chefs” cooking demonstration, a question-and-answer session with the food and beverage team, mixology demonstrations, hands-on cooking classes with chefs in the galley and a book-signing event.