Porthole....

ON DISPLAY:  HOLLAND AMERICA LINE’S CULINARY ARTS CENTER

My name is Lynn S. and I’m addicted to food. My wife and business partner, Cele, is also a self-confessed foodie. That’s why Holland America’s various Culinary Arts Center (CAC) offerings were a perfect pairing for us--like a medium rare porterhouse and a big bold Zinfandel.

Our first (but not last) CAC experience took place aboard Zaandam during a 10-night Panama Canal sailing. I know the ship’s chefs would agree that we ate our fill of the various offerings and definitely returned for seconds.

Currently offered aboard all Holland America ships, the CAC is the result of a partnership between the line and Food & Wine magazine (full disclosure: we’re long-time subscribers). Depending on the length of the cruise, CAC offerings include complimentary cooking demonstrations; semi-private cooking classes (a maximum of 12 per class); recipe cards, wine tasting notes, copies of Food & Wine (on select cruises); and demonstrations and seminars by top chefs, wine experts, and leading cookbook authors (also only on select cruises).

The hub of the CAC is an elaborate show kitchen similar to that used by celebrity chefs on TV cooking programs. Aboard Zaandam, it was on the stage of the spacious Wajang Theater. The state-of-the-art “show kitchen at sea” features large plasma video screens to display overhead and close-up views of the food preparation, a large cooking display counter for chefs and chef wannabes, and modern appliances like a Wolf range, Sub Zero refrigeration, and Kitchen Aid accessories. Suffice to say we were in kitchen heaven.

Our experience had a tasty start, thanks to a lively cooking demonstration by chef Pierre Butt, a friendly Canadian who obviously loves food and cooking. The standing-room-only demo featured Butt preparing several dishes from the Pinnacle Grill--the Pacific Northwest specialty dining room menu--including grilled prawn bruschetta and chocolate volcano cake. Along the way, he provided at-home cooking tips and answered questions about the dishes served in the ship‘s various dining venues. Butt also talked about the three themed cooking classes that would be held during the cruise, correctly predicting that they would sell-out quickly. For our cruise the three classes were: “Elegant Dinner,” “Cocktail Party,” and “Flavors of the Caribbean” (there are other themes, including “Flavors of the Northwest” when the ships are in Alaska). We immediately signed up for two of the three and would have gone for the third one if we didn't mind appearing like gluttons to Butt or other passengers.

The first cooking class (“Cocktail Party”) featured the preparation of hazelnut-crusted brie cheese with apple cranberry chutney, seared duck carpacio with fig onion compote, and Alaskan crab puffs. Chef Butt divided us into three groups of four and we worked as teams preparing one of the three dishes. After some brief tips about each dish, Butt let us work our way through the recipe. He moved from station to station, answering questions and providing tidbits of advice about our dish and cooking in general. During both classes, these take-home cooking tips alone were worth the $29 class fee, which includes an apron and chef’s toque. For this first class, Cele and I helped prepare the brie and our group received rave reviews during the tasting at the conclusion of the class.

Our second class included the preparation of three more dishes, with Butt again dishing out lots of take-home advice that we would actually apply the following week in our kitchen (such as an easier way to chop onions in volume). Our favorite dish during this course was the ahi tuna and mascarpone torte--and not just because we helped prepare it.

We couldn’t resist peaking into the third class and, when Butt spotted us, actually got to sit (and taste) our way through it (we can highly recommend the grapefruit and jicama salad). We did notice several other repeaters and Butt said it was actually quite common.

As a final foodie treat, we enjoyed a gourmet dinner at the Pinnacle Grill, including several interesting Northwest wines, which paired nicely with a smoked seafood trio. Chef Butt stopped by our table during dessert and, as a fellow foodie, told us about the numerous sailings that also feature celebrity chefs, wine experts, and cookbook authors. The 2007 lineup (available on more than 40 sailings) includes Marcus Samuelsson of New York’s Aquavit fame, master mixologist Julie Reiner, and Paulette Mitchell, culinary instructor and author of 11 cookbooks. Butt also mentioned the line’s new cookbook, A Taste of Excellence, which we purchased onboard and still use at home quite often (using recipes from the line‘s master chef, Rudi Sodamin). We’re looking forward to our next CAC sailing to see if we can try cooking up a few more dishes in that great kitchen at sea.