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ms Noordam, Holland America’s Newest “Culinary Arts Center”

by Arie Boris, CruiseGourmet.com Editor-in-Chief

The new ms Noordam is designed with spacious public areas, can accommodate around 1900 passengers and offers verandahs in most staterooms. Described as a “premium” product, this 83,000 ton cruise ship holds fewer guests and offers many amenities not necessarily found on large mass market ships. Aside from meeting “West Wing” actress Marlee Matlin, the ships’ God Mother, the CruiseGourmet’s two favorite features on this ship are the Culinary Arts Center, and Pinnacle Grill, the ship’s alternative restaurant.

A state-of-the-art “show kitchen at sea,” the Culinary Arts Center could easily be mistaken for a set on the Food Network. With food, wine and cooking shows all the rage, the Noordam has a built in showcase dedicated to the culinary arts. If you like cooking or watching the Food Network, this is the ship for you!

During its inaugural year, the Noordam will welcome acclaimed culinary experts aboard including Johnny Iuzzini, Gerald Dawes, Charles Dale and Anthony Giglio. Each will share his individual expertise as part of Holland America Line’s new Culinary Arts Center presented by Food & Wine magazine, an onboard enrichment program featuring celebrity chefs and culinary experts in the line’s new state-of-the-art “show kitchens at sea.”

Pastry chef Johnny Iuzzini will share his talent and know-how for creating delectable desserts on a Caribbean cruise. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, Iuzzini joined the pastry department at Daniel restaurant and then moved on to become Francois Payard’s right-hand-man, opening the Payard Patisserie as sous chef. Iuzzini’s travels then took him to Europe, where he apprenticed in some of France’s finest restaurants and patisseries including Paris’ famed Laduree. He returned to the United States for the debut of Café Boulud and then opened the newest Daniel restaurant as executive sous chef before joining the renowned Jean Georges as executive pastry chef. Iuzzini’s accolades include “Ten Best Pastry Chefs” by Chocolatier and Pastry Art & Design magazines; a James Beard Foundation “Outstanding Pastry Chef” nominee; and “Emerging Young Artist” by the French culinary organization Comite Colbert.

Gerald Dawes will share his expertise on Spanish food, wine and culture aboard a Mediterranean cruise. Dawes has been cited for his knowledge of Spain in the New York Times, Wine Spectator, Food Arts, Men’s Journal and in numerous Spanish publications, and is a regular contributor to Food Arts, Wine News, Santé, Wine International, Restauradores (Spain), Food & Wine, Martha Stewart Living, Chicago Tribune, Decanter and James Beard Foundation Magazine. Dawes is the only non-Spaniard to receive the prestigious “Premio Cena de Los 11 Vinos,” an award created to honor those who have made a significant lifetime contribution to enhancing the image and culture of Spanish wines.

Culinary visionary Charles Dale, of Aspen’s Range and Rustique, will entertain and enlighten aboard the Noordam in September. Dale transformed his acclaimed Renaissance Restaurant, which for 13 years served modern French cuisine with a global twist, into Range, which features a menu of organically-based, rustic-yet-modern cuisine. Rustique was Aspen’s first French bistro, and both restaurants garner rave reviews. Dale apprenticed with Alain Sailhac, chef at the famed Le Cirque, and continued under an A-list of French chefs including Georges Masraff in Paris, Daniel Boulud at Plaza Athenee Hotel and later Le Cirque and Jean-Paul Lacombe in Lyon.

Wine expert Anthony Giglio is joining a July Mediterranean cruise aboard the ms Noordam. An accredited sommelier, Giglio prefers writing about wine and all things gastronomic for a wide variety of publications.

Complementing such an acclaimed group of experts, Holland America Line has invested more than $13 million to create and install the Culinary Arts Centers aboard its 13-ship fleet. Resembling the elaborate show kitchens used by celebrity chefs on television cooking programs, each Culinary Arts Center features an innovative theater-style venue, with large plasma video screens to display overhead and close-up views of the food preparation, a large display counter where guests can learn new cooking techniques and dishes in a variety of cooking classes at sea.

The Noordam has a line up of great chefs for the entire inaugural year, so if you are really into cooking demonstrations, recipes and meeting celebrity chefs in person, the Noordam is the ship for you! For more information log onto http://www.hollandamerica.com.

Recipes from Holland the Culinary Arts Center

Cedar-Planked Salmon in an Asian-Style Marinade with Pickled Ginger and Watercress Salad

Grilled Salmon with Ginger-Cilantro Pesto on Sautéed Watercress

Salmon Baked in Phyllo with Shiitake Mushrooms and Champagne Sauce