Windstar Cruises, the official cruise line of the James Beard Foundation, is cooking up a scrumptious menu of visitor cooks for its 2023 culinary cruises season. Three themed foodie cruises will characteristic a trio of acclaimed visiting cooks, specifically Washington D.C.’s Jerome Grant, a 2019 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Award Semifinalist for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic; New York’s Ayesha Nurdjaja, a 2022 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Award Nominee for Best Chef: New York State; and Boston’s Tracy Chang, an alumna of the James Beard Foundation Chef Bootcamp for Policy & Change, James Beard Foundation Women’s Entrepreneurship Leadership Program, and a 2020 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Award Semifinalist for Best Chef: Northeast.
Both Windstar and the James Beard Association are devoted to help, have a good time, and elevate the folks behind America’s meals tradition and champion a typical of fine meals anchored in expertise, fairness, and sustainability. The Foundation aligns intently with Windstar’s dedication to contemporary and native epicurean experiences all over the world, in addition to efforts to scale back meals waste.
Each of Windstar’s three 2023 themed cruises will embody two on-board cooking demonstrations, and 4 dishes by the JBF visiting chef at a hosted dinner with wine pairings. Each chef will even lead friends on a market tour to assemble contemporary, native elements for dishes served on board. In addition, all three cooks will present a number of recipes to be featured on Windstar’s menus to be served throughout the fleet on each crusing.
“As the Official Cruise Line of the James Beard Foundation, we’ve hosted dozens of top chefs over the years. One of the best byproducts possible is a delicious and constantly rotating section of JBF dishes on our menu – on all of our sailings,” says Windstar President Christopher Prelog. “It doesn’t get any better than sailing with a James Beard Foundation guest chef on a special culinary cruise. Not only will you get to eat their food — you’ll get to know them. You may even learn a few tips and tricks for being a better cook yourself, and you’ll definitely have a richer and deeper travel experience because of it.”
Chef Jerome Grant within the Caribbean, 3/4-11, 2023 on Star Legend, from Panama City to Oranjestad
Jerome Grant picked up the fundamentals of Filipino delicacies from his mom and the Caribbean flavors of his Jamaican heritage from his paternal grandparents. After graduating from Pennsylvania Culinary Institute, Grant moved to the U.S. Virgin Islands, the place he gained his first essential discover whereas helming the Renaissance St. Croix Carambola Beach Resort. Grant later accepted an govt sous chef place at Urbana Restaurant in Washington, D.C. earlier than working as govt chef of the Mitsitam Native Foods Café contained in the National Museum of American Indian, and inaugural chef of the Sweet Home Café contained in the National Museum of African American History and Culture. His recipes and menus took the café from a easy idea to changing into a James Beard Award acknowledged restaurant and cookbook. Sweet Home Café is a 2017 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Award Semifinalist for Best New Restaurant, and the restaurant is inspiration for the 2019 James Beard Media Award Nominated “Sweet Home Café Cookbook.” Since 2020, Grant has been with Dacha Restaurant Group in D.C., together with Jackie Restaurant, which pays homage to Grant’s Filipino-American roots, and Dacha Beer Gardens. He’s additionally getting ready for the upcoming launch of Mahal, an open-fire kitchen.
Chef Ayesha Nurdjaja within the Mediterranean 6/17-26, 2023 on Wind Surf, from Venice to Athens
Ayesha Nurdjaja is the chief chef at Shuka in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood, in addition to sibling restaurant Shukette. Born and raised in Brooklyn, she is the daughter of an Indonesian father and Italian mom. Nurdjaja graduated from culinary college in 2006 and first labored for Chef Lidia Bastianich, working her manner up the ranks to grow to be sous chef. Nurdjaja has additionally helped lead the kitchen groups at Bar Artisanal, Michelin-starred Picholine, and at Michelin-starred A Voce underneath chef Missy Robbins. She additionally frolicked as govt chef at Il Bordello and at Brooklyn neighborhood favourite Red Gravy. In 2015, Nurdjaja joined with restaurateurs Vicki Freeman and Marc Meyer to create Shuka, with a menu that attracts on the colourful flavors discovered all through Italy, Morocco, and Tunisia. Shukette adopted to nice acclaim in 2021.
Japan with Chef Tracy Chang 9/21-30, 2023 on Star Breeze in Asia, from Tokyo to Osaka
Tracy Chang is the chef/proprietor of PAGU restaurant in Cambridge, MA, celebrating Spanish and Japanese fashion tapas paired with pure wines, sakes, sherry, and extra. Prior to PAGU, Chang based a pop-up restaurant, Guchi’s Midnight Ramen, and hosted occasions with eating places, startups, nonprofits, and universities, together with Harvard, the place she is a educating fellow. During Covid-19, she co-founded two nonprofit initiatives, Off Their Plate (OTP) and Project Restore Us (PRU), to offer important employee communities with meals and groceries. The commonplace working procedures she created for PAGU and Off Their Plate, have been compiled right into a complete information by the James Beard Foundation, World Central Kitchen, and the Aspen Institute.
