Windstar Cruises has partnered with the James Beard Foundation on "The James Beard Foundation Collection," a collection of three themed culinary cruises for 2016.
Each sailing will include a James Beard-featured chef, who will offer cooking demonstrations, a nightly featured dish and opportunities for one-on-one interaction. A full line up of host chefs and associated wine experts selected for each cruise will be announced in January 2016 at an event at the James Beard House in New York City.
The itineraries are:
James Beard Foundation Culinary Cruise of Southern Spain & Morocco
April 24, 2016 – This eight-day voyage aboard the Wind Surf sails from Lisbon to Barcelona, docking in Tangier, Morocco, before sailing in Spain with stops in Málaga, Granada, Cartagena, Ibiza, and Tarragona. Spanish tapas, jamon, Moroccan tagines, tempranillos, and riojas are a few highlights for guests to taste along with their James Beard-selected host chef, who will provide two cooking demonstrations, a nightly featured dish, and a trip to a local market or culinary outing. Guests will also enjoy five complimentary regional wine tasting sessions on board; three regional wines with each dinner; two food and wine themed shore excursions; an onboard Flamenco show; and the expertise of a sommelier on board, who will lecture periodically on local vintners and offerings specifically from Spain.
James Beard Foundation Culinary Cruise of Spain & France
June 10 and August 9, 2016 – This 10-day voyage aboard the Star Legend sails from Dublin to Lisbon in June and from Lisbon to Dublin in August, stopping in Saint-Malo, La Rochelle, and Bordeaux (overnight) in France; Gijon and El Ferrol in Spain; and finally Porto in Portugal. Seafood from Galicia, sweet port in Porto, cognac in La Rochelle, and world-famous wines in Bordeaux are a few gastronomic highlights of the journey. The James Beard -selected host chef will provide two cooking demonstrations on board, a nightly featured dish, and a trip to a local market or hosted culinary outing. These cruises also include complimentary pre-dinner wine tastings with cheese and tapas daily; two food and wine themed shore excursions; a regional cooking demonstration at a chateau in Bordeaux; an onboard fado performance in Porto; as well as an expert wine specialist on board throughout the voyage to guide guests through their tastings.
Windstar is also donating a cruise for two as a silent auction package for the JBF Gala: New York, New York in November, 2015. In addition to those attending the event, the cruise will be available for bidding online beginning October 27 and continuing through the event on November 13. The cruise can be found at http://www.501auctions.com/.
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