Oceania Cruises extends its foodie expertise

New cooking classes for Oceania Cruises’ Bon Appétit Culinary Centre, the only hands-on cookery school at sea, include Oceania Highlights, which instructs guests on how to prepare favourite recipes from Oceania Cruises’ signature restaurants: Jacques, Red Ginger, Polo Grill and Toscana; Healthy Cooking, inspired by the line’s collaboration with the Canyon Ranch Spa Club; and Emerging Cuisines, focusing on Moroccan, Peruvian and Asian-fusion dishes.

For 2012, the culinary centre will also introduce one-hour classes that focus on “hot topics” in the culinary world, including Beyond Brie: the Innovative Cheeses, where guests learn how to assemble a cheese plate or Favourite Pairings with Favourite foods, which showcases innovative finger foods paired with cocktails and beer.

Additionally, the cookery school curriculum will feature a new series of technique classes based on Jacques Pépin’s new book, Essential Pépin. Beginner classes focus on basic knife skills, French sauces and proper technique for cooking fish. Advanced classes concentrate on the sous vide and pressure cooking methods.

Guests enjoy wine tastings with every class and leave with a selection of recipes to take home. Two-hour cooking classes are priced at $69 and one-hour classes start at just $39.

Chef Kelly and Fleet Corporate Chef Franck Garanger, have recruited master chefs from Greece, Italy, Ireland, France, Australia, Vietnam, New Zealand, Peru and India, to join the culinary centre team on Riviera and Marina in 2012.

Oceania Cruises is also introducing a Cuisines of the World programme on its four mid-sized luxury cruise ships. At each new port, the Grand Dining Room and Terrace Café will feature the culinary highlights and local signature dishes from that country. In addition, the ship’s daily newsletter will highlight port-specific food facts, provide cuisine recommendations and offer other snippets of gastronomic knowledge.

During most voyages, guests can also attend cooking demonstrations in the ship’s main lounge. These cooking demos will highlight a particular method of cooking, a “mystery” ingredient from a recently visited market or one of the signature dishes from an Oceania Cruises’ restaurant. The demos are open to all passengers and free of charge.

To find out more about Oceania Cruises, visit OceaniaCruises.com.