I just had to ask Sixthman CEO Jeff Cuellar about what highlights of the cruise stood out as a person behind the scenes. He responded, “A front row seat to sushi pizza with Richard Blais, getting to taste a 1971 Old Taylor in the Secret Sauce Speakeasy, dancing the night away with Maneet as the DJ…there were so many once in a lifetime moments from over 75 unique events that I am still trying to process everything. The hardest part was picking what to do because there was more than anyone could handle. Oh, the dinners were amazing, too.”
I also had to ask Cuellar if such a big undertaking on the sea created any “blooper” moments and he responded, “While it might not be a blooper in the traditional sense, the spontaneity of the chefs on board always leads to unforgettable moments. During the Headphone Dance Party, Chef Richard Blais and Chef Claudette Zepeda unexpectedly joined Chef Antonia Lofaso for a surprise DJ-off that had everyone on the dance floor. Throughout the cruise, chefs also popped into each other’s cooking demos to taste dishes and share their thoughts. This is not scripted TV--we are on a moving ship and these chefs love to have fun, so anything is possible.”
THE STAR-CHEFS
The cruise’s stellar lineup included Chefs Richard Blais, Maneet Chauhan, Tom Colicchio, Scott Conant, Robert Irvine, Antonia Lofaso, Jonathan Waxman, Geoffrey Zakarian, Claudette Zepeda, Michael Schwartz, Nyesha Arrington, Giorgio Rapicavoli and Lindsay Autry. Many of these people own restaurants in Miami Beach where the cruise originated and were also Top Chef alumnae.
How exactly was this great list of food personalities chosen for the CMW cruise? Cuellar reveals, “We are fans, too and with our expert partners a21 and EBG, we make it a collaborative effort to not only invite some of the world’s best chefs but to also ensure that they have the personality that embodies engagement. While food is the inspiration, the fun and willingness to create genuine interactions is what makes it special. We also look at all of the guest feedback, from the post event survey to our event Facebook group; we are paying attention and bring that guest feedback into the process.”
Food Network host and restauranteur Tom Colicchio was arguably the biggest “food star” of the cruise and popped into other chefs’ presentations — he even made Robert Irvine’s improvisational group cooking show (with members of the audience handling surprise ingredients) extra difficult by placing him in a straitjacket! It was to keep the usually very “hands on” Irvine from manually helping his onstage crew of audience members make a pork loin dinner (although he did get to verbally supervise them, LOL)! Speaking of improvisation, the most unusual and off the cuff cooking demo was called Blais-D And Confused: The Sushi Pizza Experience with Richard Blais. This Top Chef All-Star is always an amusing, high energy speaker but still clear and concise when explaining recipes and supervising audience members who join him onstage.
Food Network host and restauranteur Tom Colicchio was arguably the biggest “food star” of the cruise and popped into other chefs’ presentations — he even made Robert Irvine’s improvisational group cooking show (with members of the audience handling surprise ingredients) extra difficult by placing him in a straitjacket! It was to keep the usually very “hands on” Irvine from manually helping his onstage crew of audience members make a pork loin dinner (although he did get to verbally supervise them, LOL)! Speaking of improvisation, the most unusual and off the cuff cooking demo was called Blais-D And Confused: The Sushi Pizza Experience with Richard Blais. This Top Chef All-Star is always an amusing, high energy speaker but still clear and concise when explaining recipes and supervising audience members who join him onstage.
There were also a few charity cooking events. CMW hosted a raffle benefiting Fed by Blue, offering guests a chance to join an exclusive pizza-making class with Michael Schwartz! These raffle winners enjoyed an intimate session and it was delicious. I was delighted to grab a couple of the leftover slices from the class that wound up on the ship’s buffet! Fed by Blue focuses on broadening access to responsibly produced blue food (in other words, seafood) through increased transparency, empowering individuals to make responsible blue food choices, improving education, and supporting better policies and practices. Chefs Making Waves is proud to partner with Fed by Blue and has ongoing collabs with them.
SPIRITS OF THE SEAS
Not surprisingly, spirits were a big part of this foodie feast at sea. Besides several wine tastings including remarkable guided tastings with Red Car Wine, McKinney Family Vineyards and Sosie Wines founders, there was Bloody Mary Bingo with Richard Blais and a Martini Happy Hour, both presented by Bacardi. It goes without saying that everyone was a little tipsy after a couple of hours—it was one of the most popular events on the ship with more than 400 guests in attendance. After the sampling, a Merengue class was offered out on the ships Sports Court and it still has not been reported back to me if the spirit imbibing helped or hurt guests dance moves, LOL! There were speakeasies sponsored by Justin’s House Of Bourbon that were immensely popular as well; the atmosphere included 1920s props and signs.
The best reason to go on a Chefs Making Waves cruise is because the ship’s restaurants get taken over by world class chefs cooking in any style that you can think of—and often out of their cuisine comfort zone. Even the ship’s buffet (known as The Garden Café) features at least four dishes added by famous chefs on board at every meal. It is certainly rare to see food this elevated on a mainstream cruise line’s buffet.
Lobel’s, a name synonymous with high-end meats, now offers BBQ filet-tip loaded tater tots. This hearty dish combines tender steak, cheddar, and crispy onions over a bed of tots — a five-star twist on ballpark comfort food.
THE PERFECT PERNIL
It was truly a joy to see and taste Claudette Zapeda’s excellent Pernil only five feet away from a bunch of burgers and Jello cubes known to always be on popular ship buffets! This Pernil was so tender—a little bird told me that Zepeda’s secret is putting Mexican Coke in the marinade which is traditionally just a mixture of garlic, oregano, adobo, sazón, and sofrito. It’s a main ingredient in the marinades of the former Top Chef contestant’s popular restaurant Leu Leu in San Diego. Zepeda also offered her fans a real treat by joining them in watching the newest episode of her show, The Food Network’s House Of Knives.
Food personalities did onstage Q&As in the pool areas, the most touching probably being the interview with Tom Colicchio hosted by Jonathan Waxman (famous for being a pioneer of California cuisine). These food superstars have known each other for decades and they both opened up about struggles with addictions and or esteem issues in their early days of their career. Both chefs talked about how it was to open up a restaurant for the first time about 40 years ago and how it was much easier to cut a profit when rents were lower and investors easier to come by. It’s well known that Colicchio has opened several ultra successful restaurants in his day and is not afraid to take a gamble. Speaking of gambling, Colicchio led a Play-In Black Jack Tournament where the winner got to play side by side with him on the final round. For those who preferred quieter events, there was an event called Tea Time with Richard Blais and Brunch House Spritzes & Coffee with Gio Gutierrex and Gabe Urrutia.
There were plenty of autograph sessions that required tickets to get in and those were some of the most popular events of the cruise. All the chefs made a point of chatting and taking photos with guests—it was light years away from the “quickie signings” at book stores. There were cookbooks, hoodies, T-shirts and more available to be signed and the racks were all but cleaned out.
QUALITY AND QUANTITY
For me, a cruise with legendary chefs is all about chowing down more than learning recipes with fellow foodie cruisers or hobnobbing with the owners of famous restos! I was thrilled to be able to eat the “star dishes” of the chefs in any quantity that I wanted thanks to them being available on the buffet that’s open until 10 PM every night. I was also nuts for the specialty restaurant Chef Takeovers on board the NCL Gem that featured amazing items not even available in the chef’s own restaurants.
Great food continued on land during the one stop of the ship which was in Cozumel. Cruisers could stay on board and go to more Q&A sessions with the chefs or go out and take the amazing excursions offered by NCL. The choices included local snorkeling, scuba diving, helicopter rides, local beach club visits, Mexican wrestling, swimming with dolphins, ruins ramblings, boating and even a Tulum cave visit. Hardcore foodies took advantage of excursions like An Intimate Taste Of Mexican Tacos and Tabasco Chef Maestro: Cooking, Tasting And Drinks.
One meal was more spectacular than the next and I admit that I got a kick out of seeing the chefs come up to the buffet to see how their food was presented and how much was left over—including amazing gnocchi made with ricotta by Giorgio Rapicavoli that I discussed with him at length while standing on line. He served it with a light cream sauce at his cooking demo but the batch he gave to the Garden Cafe buffet came out with three different sauces over two days (cream, brown butter and marinara).
Now I know you are going to ask me what my very best meal of the five-day cruise was – that is kind of like asking who someone’s favorite child is! It was my “grand finale” meal, also known as the Chef Takeover of the Gem’s French restaurant, Le Bistro. I feasted on Roasted Red & Golden Beets with Watercress, Citrus, Za’atar, Marcona Almonds, Olives, Dried Cranberries, Feta Cheese and Chili Dressing (by Chef Robert Irvine); Porcini & Brown Sugar Dry Rubbed Tenderloin With Sauce Robert and Honey Glazed Carrots, Grilled Broccolini, Portobello Mushrooms, Potatoes Boulangerie, Caramelized Onions and Thyme (also by Chef Irvine); and Orange Olive Oil Cake with Raspberry Sauce and Vanilla Bean Mascarpone Chantilly (by Chef Geoffrey Zakarian). The waitstaff also brought me some New York Cheesecake Ice Cream With Raspberry Swirl made with cream cheese, mascarpone and sour cream by Chef Irvine on the down low as well.
If Chefs Making Waves sounds enticing to you, the cool weather version is coming up on October 24th through 28th. Picture starting out in Boston, saying through picturesque New England and Canadian harbors, while schmoozing with world-class chefs through cooking demonstrations, curated dining, culinary conversations, and late-night hiking including karaoke and themed parties. Despite what you might think, this cruise offers a lot for solo passengers including several “social travelers socials.”
One unusual thing that I noticed was that the CMW guests clearly overlapped with the rock fans who take Sixthman cruises like The Rock Boat, Little Steven’s Underground Garage and Keeping The Blues Alive At Sea. I saw more than a few people who were Keith Richards doppelgangers and even classic punks with spikey haircuts.
I asked Cuellar about this odd foodie and rocker cruiser mix on board and he explained that Chefs Making Waves “is not just about the chefs on stage — it’s really about the community that naturally forms around food. Almost everyone has a kitchen, and most of us cook at least a little, so there’s this built-in sense of familiarity and intimacy. It’s not quite like music, where there’s a clear performer and audience--it’s more about shared conversations and meaningful connections, all centered around the communal joy of cooking and eating together. Just like music, food touches the soul and creates emotions, combine that with an extremely passionate community and you have the recipe for an amazing event.”
For more details om the next Chefs Making Waves cruise, go to boston.chefsmakingwaves.com. All Sixthman’s themed cruises (many of which focus on music and retro popular culture themes) can be viewed at sixthman.net