Windstar Announces Five James Beard Chef-Hosted Voyages for 2027
Since 2016, the partnership has produced more than 80 dishes served across Windstar’s fleet, with 31 chefs contributing recipes to Amphora menus.
On October 7, Windstar Cruises announced five James Beard Foundation chef-hosted voyages for 2027, covering the Mediterranean, French Polynesia and East Asia. Each departure will pair a Foundation-recognized chef with destinations connected to their cooking.
The hosted voyages extend a partnership that began in 2016 and has produced more than 80 dishes for service throughout Windstar’s fleet. The new lineup spans four yachts and includes chefs whose work draws on Greek, Eastern Mediterranean, Pacific, Italian and Asian cuisines.
Passengers will attend dinners hosted by the visiting chefs, with wine pairings and menus developed for their itineraries. The program also includes cooking demonstrations and, at selected ports, market visits accompanied by the guest chef and the ship’s executive chef; ingredients bought ashore may later appear in onboard dishes.
“These sailings give our guests a rare opportunity to spend time with remarkable chefs and discover the destinations we visit through their culinary perspective,” said Stijn Creupelandt, Windstar Cruises’ chief operating officer.
Three Mediterranean departures
Roel Alcudia will host Treasures of the Greek Isles aboard the 342-guest Wind Surf from July 13–20. Calls include Mykonos, Patmos, Santorini, Monemvasia and Nafplio. Alcudia leads the kitchen at House of Stefas in New York’s Hudson Valley, where his cooking draws on Aegean traditions. He previously helped open Stissing House, which received a Best New Restaurant semifinalist nomination from the James Beard Awards in 2023, and has cooked at the Foundation’s Platform culinary venue in New York City.
Cara Tobin will join the 312-guest Star Legend for Aegean Sea Odyssey via the Corinth Canal, September 8–16, on a route from the Turkish coast to Istanbul. Tobin co-owns Burlington, Vermont, restaurants Honey Road and Grey Jay and has received two James Beard Award nominations and three semifinalist selections. Her Eastern Mediterranean cooking draws on more than a decade of travel through Turkiye, Lebanon, Syria and Greece, including time spent learning recipes in local women’s homes.
Wind Surf’s second hosted departure, Enchanting Greece & the Amalfi Coast, will feature Cody Hogan from October 14–21. The Athens-to-Rome itinerary includes Monemvasia and Gythion in Greece, followed by Sicily and the Amalfi Coast, with access to Taormina, Pompeii and Sorrento. Hogan, executive chef at Lidia’s Kansas City, trained at Chez Panisse and joined Lidia Bastianich’s culinary team in 1998. His work with Bastianich has included restaurants, television production and events at the James Beard House.
Pacific and East Asian itineraries
Felix Tai will host Maori Storytellers & French Polynesian Treasures on the 312-guest Star Breeze from September 5–16. The voyage includes Papeete, the Cook Islands and Bora Bora. Malaysian-born Tai is executive chef at Hawai‘i’s Polynesian Cultural Center and served as an adviser to the James Beard Foundation’s Legacy Program in 2026. His onboard programming will explore the relationships between Pacific food traditions, storytelling and island cultures.
Christine Lau will lead East Asian Legends aboard the 224-guest Star Seeker from November 4–14, with an itinerary covering Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Vietnam. Born in Hong Kong, Lau combines Chinese, Japanese and Italian influences in her cooking. Her restaurant Kimika received a James Beard Award semifinalist selection in 2022.
Chef-created menus beyond the hosted voyages
More than 40 chefs selected through the partnership have sailed with the line, and 31 have contributed recipes to menus at Amphora.
“This partnership brings something new and exciting to each cruise experience, connecting travelers with leading chefs and emerging talent in the culinary arts,” said Clare Reichenbach, chief executive officer of the James Beard Foundation.
The 148-guest Wind Spirit is scheduled to sail Treasures of Southern Spain & Morocco from March 14–22, 2027, without a guest chef. Its menus will draw on both destinations, and recipes from Foundation-recognized chefs will be served onboard.
Compare Windstar Cruises sailings by price on Cruise Lookup.
