Oceania Cruises to Offer Two New Culinary Tours Aboard Riviera

Oceania Cruises announced the expansion to its Culinary Discovery Tours by unveiling new experiences for St. Lucia and Antigua that are set to debut during the upcoming Caribbean season aboard Riviera. Culinary Discovery Tours provide Oceania Cruises guests with epicurean interests an opportunity to explore local food markets, vineyards, farms and restaurants with a chef from the Bon Appétit Culinary Center.

The new Culinary Discovery Tours will be offered during the “Holidays In The Tropics” sailing that departs Miami on Dec. 23 and on two “Island Paradise” voyages embarking in early 2015.  

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Highlights from the new Culinary Discovery Tours include:

St. Lucia - Spices Cooking Studio

After assembling at the Bon Appétit Culinary Center, guests begin the tour with a scenic drive through Rodney Bay Village to a private estate situated on the grounds of a former sugar cane plantation on the Atlantic side of the island. Guests explore an herb garden at the estate before heading to inside the home for some hands-on cooking instruction. Using local ingredients, guests will prepare a menu of authentic Saint Lucian cuisine while learning about the subtleties of flavor and historical influences from the chef.  On the return drive to the pier, guests will stop at the open-air Castries Market, where farmers have brought locally grown fruits, vegetables and spices to market for nearly 100 years.

Antigua – Market Visit & Cooking Demo

Guests will ride to the center of downtown St. John’s and walk the local market with their Bon Appétit Culinary Center chef, who will show them a wide variety of typical local fruits such as breadfruit, mangoes, sour sap and dasheen. Afterwards, guests will travel to the city of St. John’s to the Villas at Sunset Lane boutique hotel and cooking school owned by Chef Jacquie, who will invite the guests into her kitchen to help prepare lunch. Chef Jacquie shops daily from local organic farmers and will share her secrets for shopping and eating seasonally. Following a hands-on cooking demonstration, guests will enjoy local, seasonal favorites for lunch while overlooking the beachfront property. 

For more information, visit www.oceaniacruises.com.