Regent Seven Seas Cruises debuts 16 hands-on cooking classes

If your loves include luxury travel and preparing great food, here's a new experience that deserves a place at the very top of your bucket list.

Upmarket cruise line Regent Seven Seas Cruises® has unveiled 16 new Culinary Arts Kitchen classes that will debut during the 2020 inaugural season of Seven Seas Splendor.

Seven Seas Splendor

The two-hour, hands-on classes feature cuisines inspired by Seven Seas Splendor’s inaugural 2020 season sailing the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. They include:

• ISLAND FUSION. Each with a unique culinary footprint, the Caribbean islands are the perfect place to learn about where you are traveling through the regional cuisine. Local traditions and native ingredients illuminate the indigenous culture and natural resources of each island, while the influences of France, Spain, Africa, India and China reveal how the culinary heritage of the Caribbean was shaped by colonialism.

• FARMSTAND FABULOUS. This class focuses on how to shop and cook like a chef, inspired by what you discover at the farmer’s market or in the produce aisle. Learn to approach your shopping trip like a blank canvas that takes shape based on what fresh ingredients you find in season. Recipes will change depending on the region and time of year, but the techniques for preparing seasonal masterpieces remain tried and true.

• TREASURES OF THE AEGEAN. Cast off the mythology surrounding Greek food in this immersive class that reveals the essence of the Mediterranean diet and one of the healthiest cuisines in the world. Through favorite dishes from Corfu, Crete, Rhodes and Santorini, discover local ingredients and traditional techniques used to prepare these recipes during a magical exploration of Greece and its mouthwatering cuisine.

• BATTER UP. After learning about batter-based recipes ranging from French crêpes and Tuscan flatbread to Santorini tomato fritters and Turkish zucchini fritters, you will see – and taste – that the simple things in life are often the best. Sweet and savory, crunchy and fluffy, memorable and delicious … you’ll savor it all as you explore the world, one batter at a time.

• THE NOURISHED KITCHEN: PLANT-BASED COMFORTS. Whether you follow a plant-based diet or simply wish to introduce more plant-based dishes into your culinary repertoire, learn the hottest new trends that embrace the flavors of nature’s bounty and enhance longevity. Prepare healthy, innovative and delicious plant-based recipes developed through our work with the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative of Harvard University and The Culinary Institute of America.

• SENSUOUS SPAIN. The rich tradition and culinary integrity of Spain are evident in its tapas – small plates best described as little bites with big flavor. As you sip sangria blanca and prepare classic tapas recipes, you will begin to understand why many believe that tapas are more than food – they are a lifestyle. You’ll be ready to share this delectable lifestyle with friends at your next Spanish-themed dinner party.

• WORLD OF FLAVOR: STREET FOOD. If you’re familiar with the joy of finding a buttery waffle at a street stand in Belgium or a delicious falafel at a family-run stall in Haifa, this globetrotting exploration of street food is for you. Learn about secret ingredients, special techniques and family recipes that our chefs have discovered as they’ve traveled the world in search of great street food and conversed with the locals who create it.

The classes were designed by Kathryn Kelly, Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ executive director of culinary enrichment and a graduate of the well-respected Culinary Institute of America. Kelly and other Master Instructors teach the classes.

“Our curriculum appeals to a broad range of tastes and caters to all experience levels, from beginner to seasoned chefs, delivered in the most advanced teaching kitchen on the seas,” Kelly said. “We teach the culinary techniques that chefs use every day, build a recipe and skills repertoire that can be easily transferred to guests’ home kitchens, explore cuisines, spices, recipes and ingredients from our ports of call, and most of all, have fun together sharing stories with people who enjoy cooking.”

Kelly, who has spent 40 years exploring the world's cuisines, noted that cooking meals that represent the destinations they explored during the voyage is a way travelers can share their experiences with friends when they return home.

Regent Seven Seas Culinary Arts Kitchen

Guests attending classes in the Culinary Arts Kitchen will receive highly individualized instruction. They will cook at one of 18 individual cooking stations and receive hands-on training. The workstations are fully equipped with top-of-the-line induction cooktops, stainless steel sinks and a comprehensive collection of additional cooking essentials. The state-of-the-art culinary center on Deck 11 also features large-screen monitors where students can see close-up details of the food being prepared in addition to enjoying the outside vistas through floor-to-ceiling windows.

My take

During our Baltic cruise on Holland America this spring, we attended demonstrations put on by a representative of America's Test Kitchen. While interesting and informative, simply watching isn't much different than watching Food Network or The Cooking Channel. Regent's classes are precisely what I crave: personal instruction from experienced professionals to help me take my cooking to the next level.

And the food! I'm drooling already.

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