<p>Seattle, WA, February 8, 2010 &mdash; Taking top chefs from kitchens and restaurants all around the world and inviting them aboard Holland America Line ships, the line&rsquo;s Culinary Arts Center, presented by Food &amp; Wine Magazine, continues to expand in popularity. This year, more than 65 guest culinary experts are participating in the hugely successful program. Culinary notables this season include Bravo-TV&rsquo;s &ldquo;Top Chef&rdquo; contender, Nikki Cascone; Mark Bittman, food columnist for The New York Times and award-winning cookbook author; and Keith Coburn, television personality of the hit series, &ldquo;Deadliest Catch.&rdquo;</p>
<p>&ldquo;Because the Culinary Arts Center is such a hit, we will continue to expand the program and provide our guests with the enriching culinary experiences that have made it so successful,&rdquo; said Richard D. Meadows, CTC, executive vice president, marketing, sales and guest programs. &ldquo;For those who love to cook and cruise, there is no more enjoyable vacation experience than taking over a fully stocked and equipped professional kitchen with an expert chef as guide.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Holland America Line&rsquo;s award-winning celebrity chefs and experts in the 2010 season include:</p>
<p>&bull; Dean James Max, executive chef of 3030 Ocean (FL) aboard ms Westerdam, March 28-April 4.<br />&bull; Marisol Koczal Simon, culinary educator, author and chef aboard ms Prinsendam, April 9-26.<br />&bull; Lon Symensa, executive chef, Buddakan (NYC), winner of the 1996 US Culinary Olympic team<br />and graduate of the Culinary Institute of America sailing on ms Eurodam, May 9-19.<br />&bull; Martin Blunos, UK television personality and chef sailing on ms Eurodam, May 29-June 8.<br />&bull; Lars Kronmark, executive chef instructor at The Culinary Institute of America (CA) aboard the inaugural sailing<br />of ms Nieuw Amsterdam, July 4-14.<br />&bull; Tre Wilcox, executive chef, culinary educator and Top Chef contender, aboard ms Statendam, July 25-Aug. 1.<br />&bull; Bryan Caswell, chef / owner, Reef and Little Bigs (Houston, TX), sailing aboard ms Prinsendam, Aug. 8-18.<br />&bull; Barbara Lynch, James Beard Award Winner, recipient of Food &amp; Wine Magazine&rsquo;s &ldquo;Ten Best New Chefs&rdquo; award,<br />executive chef and owner of Number 9 Park (Boston), sailing aboard ms Noordam, Sept. 18-28.<br />&bull; Paul McCabe, executive chef, L&rsquo;Auberge (Del Mar, CA), winner of the Golden Sceptre and Golden Baccus awards<br />from the Southern California Restaurant Writers and named &ldquo;rising star of American Cuisine&rdquo; by the<br />James Beard Foundation, sailing aboard ms Amsterdam, Oct.20-29.<br />&bull; Joey Campanaro, chef / owner, The Little Owl (NYC), aboard ms Amsterdam, Oct. 29-Nov.12.</p>
<p>In addition to partnering with Food &amp; Wine to secure top experts, Holland America Line showcases its own culinary stars on more than 500 annual cruises. The line&rsquo;s two cookbooks, &ldquo;A Taste of Excellence&rdquo; and &ldquo;A Taste of Elegance,&rdquo; written by Master Chef Rudi Sodamin, offer guests preparation techniques for some of Holland America&rsquo;s most delectable dishes and lavish libations as part of the Culinary Arts Center experience.</p>
<p>The line&rsquo;s complimentary demonstration classes by award-winning chefs are only one element of the extensive culinary enrichment program. As part of Holland America&rsquo;s burgeoning enrichment activities, the program also features one-hour food-and-mixology demonstrations, wine tasting and party-planning sessions, ice carving and floral arranging workshops and hands-on cooking classes for kids. A new feature in the line&rsquo;s culinary program is Dine with the Chef held in the Culinary Arts Center. A combination of a cooking demonstration and a fine-dining experience, guests sit at elegantly set tables and interact with the chef as he or she prepares a five-course dinner in which each served course is paired with an appropriate wine.</p>
<p>A permanently installed, state-of-the-art &ldquo;show kitchen at sea,&rdquo; the Culinary Arts Centers resemble the elaborate show kitchens used by celebrity chefs on television cooking programs. Each facility features a theater-style venue, with two large video screens to display overhead and close-up video views of food preparation, and a large cooking display counter where guests can learn from the masters. Culinary demonstrations are also filmed and aired on in-stateroom televisions. Holland America Line invested nearly $1 million per ship to create and install the Culinary Arts Center facilities. This investment is part of the company&rsquo;s Signature of Excellence initiative which has invested more than $525 million to date in fleet-wide product and service enhancements.</p>