On the last Seabourn Food and Wine Cruise, Seabourn Guests interested in cooking enjoyed chef Alfio Longo’s Italian cuisine, learning how to make a wonderful Pesto Sauce. Former White House chef Patrice Olivon taught us how to make Hillary Clinton’s favorite BLT and shared his Michelin-starred French cuisine freely. It was going to be a tough act to follow with two different culinary artists for this current version of foodie heaven at sea. Complicating matters, up first was in an on-stage Seabourn Chef Event food demonstration with chef Italian Giuseppe Argentino who speaks little of the English language…like maybe a dozen words.

Considering this language barrier before sailing, my thought was ‘well, there is something to be said for the universal appeal of good food, regardless of the language’. Thinking of the Grand Salon showroom on board Seabourn Sojourn where cooking demonstrations would be held, I knew it was a first-class facility with technical capabilities that allowed Seabourn Guests to follow along easily. Perhaps there would be handout recipes so we could follow along. Surely there would be an interpreter, but that could be awkward and disrupt the flow of the event.

I should have known better and almost feel a bit guilty for having such concerns.

Seabourn never misses any detail of any single part of any experience.
I knew that.
I had experienced that.
This was no different.

Thoroughly vetted and, as it turns out recommended to Seabourn by chef Alfio Longo, Italian chef Argentino came with his lovely wife Ilda who speaks very good English, among other languages. Language barrier solved. But that concern simply checked audience comprehension off the list of concerns, something any efficient organization would do.

As chef Argentino went through the process of making cannelloni from scratch, the event very quickly turned into more than a food demonstration. This was a loving couple, partners for life, sharing their admiration and respect for one another; an underlying tone that vied for top billing along with the delicious cannelloni.

Frankly, I’m not sure if the banter between the two was not a more enjoyable experience than learning how to easily make cannelloni from a world-class chef. Looking around the Grand Salon, I saw a great many smiling faces as Giuseppe and Ilda went through the process of making and explaining what the audience was seeing.

Not that filling cannelloni is a process that begs for humor but the solid chemistry between the two; the solid bond between a loving couple that is universal in any language, belief or orientation.

But such is the way Seabourn goes about their business, with seemingly effortless attention to detail.

Taking you deep inside cruise vacations, we try to paint an accurate picture of what each individual cruise line is all about. I would be remiss in this effort if my illustration of what makes Seabourn tick did not include an ultra deep examination, respectful of the ultra luxury line’s inner workings; what they really believe, really do and really deliver.   Such will be a major focus of my time on Seabourn Sojourn. They really are that good. You really do deserve to know the details.

I’ll wrap this up with a quick story from dinner last night. One of the ladies at our table was telling a story of being at sea in a storm. It was on an older ship, the kind where stairways are very narrow and steep. The appropriate way to go down those stairways was to back down, like walking down a ladder. At the time she was going down the stairs the ship listed badly, causing her to fall and wind up with a concussion. A tragic event to be sure but after dinner the thought crossed my mind “If that was Seabourn, she would have landed on a giant feather pillow, tastefully embroidered with the words Pleasant Dreams.   That’s obviously an exaggeration of what Seabourn does…but not by much.

 

What’s Next On The Seabourn Food And Wine Cruise

We see what happens in the dining room while at sea on every voyage, so do you. But what about what happens behind the scenes? Going deep inside the Seabourn experience, we enjoyed their signature Market Galley Lunch where the entire production facility is open for inspection and Seabourn Guests move from station to station, enjoying the culinary creations that are made at each.

This time we’re doing something a bit different as SAVEUR Editor In Chief Adam Sachs and I are scheduled to actually have dinner in the kitchen, during the dinnertime rush.

I told you this was going to be good.

 

Catch Up

Coming up also, more on our Seabourn Food And Wine Cruise sailing as we make our way to Monte Carlo, Monaco on a Taste of the Mediterranean itinerary.  Send your questions about the Seabourn experience and the Seabourn Food and Wine Cruise to ChrisCruises@gmail.com.  We’ll have answers to all of them, either here or in a private reply.

Catch up with what we have experiences so far with these resources, already published during the event:

Here At ChrisCruises:

• Seabourn Sail Away Brings Unexpected Bonus Event
• Seabourn Brings Destination On Board
• We Visited A Little Fishing Village In Greece

Facebook Photo Albums:

• Seabourn Food And Wine Cruise Sails Away

Our Live Instagram Photos

Our Live Twitter Feed while in progress

Also coming up, after sailing:

• Our Pinterest Seabourn Food And Wine Cruise 2015 board
• A Seabourn Food And Wine Cruise @exposure Photo Storybook