Sea Cloud Cruises, one of many world’s most storied names in cruising, publicizes the San Juan Visitor Chef Sequence onboard Sea Cloud Spirit’s January 2025 Puerto Rico sailings. Curated by award-winning meals author Kathleen Squires and husband Ronnie Rodriguez, proprietors of Chef’s Dinner Desk in New York, every of the 4 new itineraries will likely be hosted by an acclaimed Puerto Rican chef handpicked to showcase the island’s culinary tradition.
The primary San Juan Visitor Chef Sequence crusing, hosted by Wilo Benet, will depart St. Maarten January 4 and can majestically move the Castillo San Felipe del Morro “El Morro” arriving in San Juan on January 10, 2025. Subsequent January sailings, all docking at San Juan Cruise Port, will function Chef Julie CarriÓn Jan. 10-17, Chef Francis Guzmán, Jan. 17-24 and conclude with Chef Mario Pagán on Jan. 24-Feb.1. Company onboard can anticipate all-inclusive regional dishes, chef-led cooking demonstrations, rum tastings and culinary discussions from this proficient roster of culinary artists in collaboration with the Sea Cloud Spirit staff.
“Sea Cloud Cruises has centered efforts on rising in North America and growing regional culinary moments, on this case Puerto Rico, complementing our genuine crusing expertise,” shares Mirell Reyes, president North America, Sea Cloud Cruises. “We’re honored to associate with the Chef’s Dinner Desk’s Kathleen Squires and Ronnie Rodriguez, two passionate advocates of the island and its gifted cooks, creating memorable moments onboard.”
The San Juan Visitor Chef Sequence cooks and Puerto Rico voyages on Sea Cloud Spirit in 2025 are the following:
Chef Wilo Benet kicks off the inaugural San Juan Visitor Chef Sequence Jan. 4 – 10 crusing from Philipsburg/St. Maarten to San Juan/Puerto Rico (six nights), which can embody a particular Three Kings Dinner on January 6 and cooking demonstrations of Tostones with Caviar and Coquito from scratch. The itinerary consists of Virgin Gorda/British Virgin Islands in a single day, Gustavia/St. Barthelemy, a day beneath full sails by means of Sir Francis Drake Channel, Norman Island/British Virgin Islands in a single day, San Juan/Puerto Rico. Benet’s profession of over 40 years started as a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. After cooking on the governor’s mansion in San Juan, he opened Pikayo, his flagship restaurant for 28 years, incomes recognition and quite a few awards worldwide. In 2019, he launched the extremely in style Wilo Eatery & Bar, providing informal eating from fritters to foie gras. Along with a number of appearances on Prime Chef Masters, he has served U.S. Presidents, Hollywood A-listers {and professional} athletes.
Chef Julie CarriÓn will host the primary San Juan/Puerto Rico roundtrip (seven nights) crusing Jan. 10 -17 and can lead an interactive pasteles-making class and a Tembleque dessert demo. The voyage ports embody Virgin Gorda/British Virgin Islands, Norman Island/British Virgin Islands, St. John’s/Antigua, Gustavia/St. Barthelemy in a single day, St. John/U.S. Virgin Islands, San Juan/Puerto Rico.
A local of San Juan, Julie spent the early years of her culinary profession in New York coaching beneath Prime Chef Grasp Anita Lo, after which labored beneath Montreal-based chef Normand Laprisse of Toque’, earlier than accepting a place on the Restaurant Daniel, the yr that Daniel Boulud gained again his coveted fourth star from The New York Instances. From there, she managed Yale College Catering Companies for a decade whereas serving because the Government Chef to the college’s President and elite friends, earlier than taking the helm of the kitchen at Chef’s Dinner Desk in New York Metropolis. Chef’s Dinner Desk is a non-public eating venue and salon in New York Metropolis specializing in high-end culinary occasions.
Chef Francis Guzmán would be the visitor chef on the San Juan/Puerto Rico roundtrip (seven nights) crusing Jan. 17 – 24 that includes particular culinary experiences together with ceviche and fritter demonstrations by the lately James Beard Basis Award-nominated Greatest Chef within the Nation. Itinerary highlights embody Virgin Gorda/British Virgin Islands, Norman Island/British Virgin Islands, Gustavia/St. €Barthelemy in a single day, St. John’s/Antigua, St. John/U.S. Virgin Islands, San Juan/Puerto Rico.
Francis launched into his culinary journey at New York stalwarts Blue Hill and The Fashionable, honing his mastery of conventional and fashionable culinary method. With this world-class coaching in hand, he opened Vianda, his dream restaurant in Santurce, Puerto Rico, serving constantly-evolving farm-to-table components ready and offered in his personal critically-acclaimed type. Inside two years of opening, Vianda was chosen as one of many 20 Greatest New Eating places in America by The James Beard Basis. Guzmán has been acknowledged by a number of publications, together with Meals & Wine and The New York Instances, as one of many cooks main Puerto Rico’s culinary renaissance.
Chef Mario Pagán will anchor the ultimatee San Juan Visitor Chef Sequence crusing Jan. 24 – Feb.1, promising particular surprises together with a signature dish: pegao with tuna tartare. The San Juan/Puerto Rico to Phillipsburg/St. Maarten (eight nights) calls on St. John/U.S. Virgin Islands, Norman Island/British Virgin Islands, Virgin Gorda/British Virgin Islands in a single day, day beneath full sail, St. John’s/Antigua, Charlestown/Nevis, Gustavia/St. Barthelemy, Phillipsburg/St. Maarten. Hailed as one of Puerto Rico’s most recognizable and prolific cooks, Pagán is the proprietor of 4 eating places in Puerto Rico (Mario Pagan, La Central by Mario Pagan, Raya on the OLV 55 Lodge and Melao). A contestant on The Subsequent Iron Chef, Pagán has been lauded in an array of publications together with The New York Instances and The Wall Road Journal. Most lately, he opened Chayote in Winter Park, Fla.
Chef’s Dinner Desk at Sea San Juan Visitor Chef Preview in New York
Sea Cloud Cruises is internet hosting a particular dinner in New York Metropolis to preview their upcoming San Juan Visitor Chef Sequence in Puerto Rico. The dinner will likely be held at Chef’s Dinner Desk, an expensive and intimate venue, and can function a menu ready by Chef-in-Residence Julie Carrión, one of many cooks from the San Juan sequence. This can be a distinctive alternative for adventurous fine-dining lovers to expertise a style of Puerto Rico earlier than setting sail on the Sea Cloud Spirit, an expensive cruise ship with facilities like non-public balconies and a spa, that captures the essence of basic crusing with its historically hand-hoisted sails.
Sea Cloud Cruises voyagesinclude open bar, all meals with unique wine and beer alternatives, water sports activities, port fees, gratuities and welcome bottle of champagne upon embarkation. Puerto Rico voyage fares per individual, primarily based on double occupancy from $5,995. For extra data on Sea Cloud Cruises, contact your journey advisor, name 1-888-732-2568, e-mail reservations@seacloud.com or go to www.seacloud.com.
About Sea Cloud Cruises
Since 1979, Sea Cloud Cruises has been one of many world’s most storied names in cruise journey. The 90-year-old four-masted Sea Cloud, her youthful sister Sea Cloud II, and new Sea Cloud Spirit mix the expertise of conventional seamanship with the atmosphere and opulent appeal of classically elegant non-public yachts. Berlitz Cruise Information frequently ranks Sea Cloud and Sea Cloud II among the many high 5 cruise ships on the planet. For extra data, go to www.seacloud.com.
Chef’s Dinner Desk is an unique and thrilling idea in advantageous eating designed particularly for culinary aficionados. Our culinary venue is offered for rental both as a staffed and embellished house for media occasions, dinner events, weddings, or cocktail events; or as a uncooked house for video/picture shoots, enterprise conferences, wine & spirit tastings, or simply about any form of occasion which requires a sublime and personal setting. Chef’s Dinner Desk can be the house base of our unique fine-dining membership, Chef’s Dinner Sequence, which options acclaimed cooks from throughout the nation who’re invited to organize a multi-course, wine-paired meal for the gastronomic pleasure of our discriminating friends. For extra data, go to www.chefsdinnertablenyc.com.
