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Seattle, June 2, 2009 — Guiseppe Tentori, executive chef for Boka Restaurant Group, is scheduled to sail as part of the guest-enrichment program on the Sept. 16, 2009, Alaska voyage aboard Holland America Line’s ms Volendam.
The seven-day, roundtrip Vancouver, British Columbia, cruise calls at Tracy Arm, Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan, Alaska, with Glacier Bay scenic cruising.
During his cruise, the epicurean expert will perform cooking demonstrations for guests in the ship’s state-of-the-art show kitchen, conduct seminars and tastings, and participate in question and answer sessions.
After finishing his culinary studies at Antica Osteria la Rampina in Milan, Italy, Tentori was invited by chef Gabriel Viti to work at his restaurant, Gabriel’s, in Highland Park, Ill. Speaking only Italian, the then-19-year-old Tentori came to the States and began his career.
Tentori later became sous chef at the Metropolitan in Salt Lake City, Utah. Two years later, he returned to Chicago and began working at Charlie Trotter's, where he spent nine years perfecting his culinary philosophy in Trotter's kitchen. That experience allowed him freedom in an atmosphere that encouraged sharing of creative ideas and techniques.
Since Tentori joined Boka Restaurant Group in 2007, culinary insiders have heralded him as an innovative and original chef. Tentori calls his style of cooking simple and clean, keeping pure ingredients, without too much butter or cream. The Chicago Tribune and Chicago Magazine each awarded him three stars. In July 2008, Food & Wine magazine named Tentori one of the 10 coveted best new chefs, and he also has been named a rising star by Star Chefs and Restaurant Hospitality magazines.
Holland America Line launched its innovative culinary guest-enrichment program in 2005. Each of the line’s 14 ships features a Culinary Arts Center. A first-class “show kitchen at sea,” the Culinary Arts Centers presented by “Food & Wine” magazine resemble the elaborate show kitchens used by celebrity chefs on television cooking programs. The facilities offer demonstrations, tastings and hands-on cooking classes aboard every Holland America Line sailing.
Each facility features a theater-style venue, with two large plasma video screens and a large cooking display counter where guests can learn from the masters. In partnership with Food & Wine magazine, Holland America Line has scheduled approximately 60 celebrated chefs and wine experts to sail in 2009. On cruises that do not have a celebrity chef on board, classes and demonstrations in the show kitchen are scheduled with 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 eight years old learn to make theme cookies, fruit roll-ups, ice cream sandwiches, salad people art and scones. Kids eight and over make soft pretzels, granola bars, pita chips and hummus, and saltwater taffy. Teens also can attend adult culinary demonstrations.
Besides the enrichment experience provided by the culinary stars on board, guests with Holland America Line can dine in a variety of venues, choosing from a quick poolside bite to a formal five-course affair. Every ship features an elegant main dining room, a sophisticated Pinnacle Grill where guests can enjoy steak specialties and fresh seafood, the casual indoor-outdoor Lido Restaurant and the Terrace Grill on deck for lunchtime fare. Canaletto, a casual-dining Italian restaurant which was first introduced on ms Eurodam and is now open to guests on the ms Veendam, will soon be found on three more of the premium line’s ships by end of 2009: ms Oosterdam, ms Noordam and ms Amsterdam. Canaletto comes to life for dinner when a section in the Lido restaurant is transformed each evening into a specialty restaurant with glass partitions and an Italian ambience. Besides the Pinnacle Grill and Canaletto, guests sailing the ms Eurodam have one additional alternative dining choice, the Pan-Asian Tamarind restaurant.
For a full schedule of Holland America Line’s culinary guest program, visit http://www.hollandamerica.com/cruise-vacation-onboard/Enrichment.action and click on the Culinary Arts Center tab.
For cruise brochures or for more information, consult a professional travel agent, call 1-877-SAIL-HAL (877-724-5425) or visit www.hollandamerica.com.
Editor’s Note: Photography available at http://www.cleanpix.com/cleanpix/portal/WhTS:eKT:Pxp.
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About Holland America Line [a division of Carnival Corporation and plc (NYSE: CCL and CUK)]
Holland America Line's fleet of 14 ships offers nearly 500 cruises to 320 ports in more than 100 countries, territories or dependencies. Two- to 108-day itineraries visit all seven continents, and highlights include Antarctica, South America, Australia/New Zealand and Asia voyages; a Grand World Voyage; and popular sailings to ports in the Caribbean, Alaska, Mexico, Canada/New England, Europe and Panama Canal. A 15th ship, ms Nieuw Amsterdam, is scheduled to join the fleet in 2010.
Fleetwide, the company features Signature of Excellence enhancements, a commitment totaling more than $525 million, that showcase the Culinary Arts Center presented by Food & Wine magazine - a state-of-the-art onboard show kitchen where more than 60 celebrated guest chefs and culinary experts provide cooking demonstrations and classes - Explorations Café powered by The New York Times, teens-only activity areas and all new stateroom amenities highlighted by flat-panel TVs and plush Euro-top Mariner's Dream Beds.
Worlds Leading Cruise Lines
The highest-rated premium cruise line in the world, Holland America Line is a member of the exclusive World's Leading Cruise Lines alliance, which also includes Carnival Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises, Cunard Line, Seabourn Cruise Line and Costa Cruises. Sharing a passion to please each guest and a commitment to quality and value, these lines appeal to a wide range of lifestyles and budgets. The World's Leading Cruise Lines offer exciting and enriching cruise vacations to the world's most desirable destinations.