HAL Gets Cooking
Holland America Line (HAL) is turning up the heat on its culinary programming with the introduction of new shipboard cooking shows produced in partnership with the television show “America’s Test Kitchen.”
HAL’s shipboard Culinary Arts Center will be transformed to replicate the television set. Designed specifically for the cruise line, the shipboard shows will be hosted by Holland America chefs trained by America’s Test Kitchen culinary experts. Shipboard cooking demonstrations and hands-on workshops – with topics ranging from shaping Asian dumplings to making the perfect pie crust – will combine foolproof, accessible recipes and cooking techniques that are rooted in the rigorous testing and science-based approach of America’s Test Kitchen.
In addition, guests will have 24-hour access to episodes of America’s Test Kitchen and Cook’s Country television programs in their staterooms.
“America’s Test Kitchen will bring a new take on cooking classes at sea that spans not only recipes, but also the science of the cooking process. Its mission is to determine the best methods, ingredients and cooking tools — and now these discoveries will be shared with our guests,” said HAL president Orlando Ashford. “We provide our guests with tremendously immersive and authentic experiences to enrich their travel, and America’s Test Kitchen’s commitment to delivering a quality culinary experience with a focus on learning is a perfect match.”
The planned 45-minute demo courses will feature a mix of video content, live instruction, taste tests and recipe samples. Also planned are 90-minute workshops that focus on teaching a specific skill set. Proposed workshops include Perfect Pies and Handmade Pasta.
America’s Test Kitchen demo courses and workshops will begin aboard Westerdam Oct. 18 for the ship’s Mexico season and on Nieuw Amsterdam Nov. 13 for the Caribbean season. The program is expected to roll out fleet-wide by June 2017.
Pictured, Holland America president Orlando Ashford learns how to make a dish from chef instructors from America’s Test Kitchen television show at a launch event in New York.
