Oceania Cruises Expands Culinary Enrichment Program

rivieraOceania Cruises will add new curriculum to The Culinary Center and new Culinary Discovery Tours in some of the Caribbean’s hottest epicurean locales as part of its upcoming season. 

The new programs, developed by longtime Director of Culinary Enrichment Chef Kathryn Kelly, will debut on Riviera starting in December 2016.

The Culinary Center Programs

New classes on select Riviera Caribbean sailings this season include:

Cuban Family Table: Guests will explore Cuba via family recipes that have been passed down over generations, as well as the secret to concocting the perfect mojito.

Patio Pleasures: Guests will learn professional grilling techniques, how to use fruits and vegetables at the height of their freshness, and more. 

Wake up to Brunch: In this class, guests will master the techniques of egg cookery and prepare classic brunch dishes while learning tips to make hosting brunch at home a breeze.

Culinary Discovery Tours

All tours are accompanied by The Culinary Center’s master chef instructor and begin with an orientation of the local culture and cuisine. Many conclude with a destination-inspired cooking class back at The Culinary Center. The new excursions planned for the Caribbean season include:

Honduran Farm & Ocean-To-Table Experience: Guests will visit the Blue Harbor Tropical Arboretum and experience Roatan's largest collection of tropical flowers and plants. Here guests will learn how pesticide-free, hydroponic farming assists with water conservation, sustainability and fresher, longer lasting produce in the kitchen. Following the arboretum, guests will take a boat to Big French Key Beach and La Palapa restaurant for an interactive cooking demonstration with pink shrimp harvested by local fishermen. At the conclusion of the demonstration, guests will enjoy a lunch with local dishes such as rice and beans, cole slaw, fried yucca and cassava bread, as well as local pink shrimp prepared three different ways. After lunch, guests have time to relax on the beach.

Cozumel Market Tour & Mayan Cooking Class: After a short orientation at The Culinary Center, guests set off in small groups to explore an open-air, seasonal market filled with locally grown produce and spices, freshly caught fish and other ingredients used in traditional Yucatecan cuisine.  Following the market, guests visit the Mayan Cacao Company to discover the importance of the cacao seed in the ancient Mayan civilization and watch a demonstration of how chocolate is now made from the cacao plant. Back aboard the ship, guests delve into Yucatecan cuisine during a 90 minute cooking class, also sampling several local dishes.  

Gourmet San Juan: Market, Lunch, Coffee & Chocolate: This tour heads to Santurce, a district of the city noted for art, food and music. At Santaella Restaurant, one of Puerto Rico’s rising culinary stars Jose Santaella treats guests to a lunch of locally-inspired dishes and desserts.  Following lunch, guests visit La Placita Mercado Santurce, a marketplace filled with stands offering fresh fruits and vegetables, local handicrafts and homemade botanicals. After strolling the market, guests will enjoy a chocolate demonstration and tasting at Casa Cortés, and cap the experience with a coffee brewing seminar and cup of gourmet mountain-grown coffee at Café Cuatro Sombras.

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