Cruise Travel: An Introduction To Holland America Line's Culinary Arts Center

Holland America Line's Culinary Arts Center is featured on each of the line's fifteen ships. A first-class "show kitchen at sea," the Culinary Arts Centers presented by "Food & Wine" magazine resembles the elaborate show kitchens used by celebrity chefs on television cooking programs. The facilities are used for demonstrations, tastings and hands-on cooking classes during every Holland America Line sailing. Each facility features a theater-style venue with two large plasma video screens and a large cooking display counter.

In partnership with "Food & Wine" magazine, Holland America Line will schedule approximately 65 celebrated chefs and wine experts to sail in 2011. On cruises that do not have a celebrity chef on board, classes and demonstrations are conducted by Holland America Line's own expert chefs.

Holland America Line also offers a youth Culinary Arts Center activity program to teach kids and teens how to cook. The program incorporates dishes from breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks in complimentary 45-minute-long classes. Kids under 8 years old learn to make theme cookies, fruit roll-ups, ice cream sandwiches, salad people art and scones. Kids 8 and over make soft pretzels, granola bars, pita chips and hummus, and saltwater taffy. Teens also can attend adult culinary demonstrations.

The Culinary Arts Center and guest enrichment program are part of Holland America Line's innovative and leading culinary initiatives, which also include a partnership with Le Cirque to present "An Evening at Le Cirque in the Pinnacle Grill" and a Culinary Council comprised of renowned international chefs Jonnie Boer, David Burke, Marcus Samuelsson, Jacques Torres, Charlie Trotter, and the line's Master Chef Rudi Sodamin. For a full schedule of Holland America Line's culinary guest program, visit the Holland America web site and click on the Culinary Arts Center tab.