Oceania’s Culinary Center Turns 15 and Launches New Classes – Cruise Industry News

Oceania Cruises has announced that its Culinary Center has turned 15 years old.

According to a press release, the cruise line said that to celebrate, it has launched new classes for 2025.

The center is currently available on the Marina, Riviera, t Vista and Allura,  which will join the fleet in summer 2025.

The new classes will spotlight dishes from the Pacific Northwest of the United States, Polynesia, and Australia. They explore a destination’s culture and history through food and hone core kitchen skills.

The center boasts more than 60 classes in teaching kitchens, which have individual stations and professional-grade equipment.

Chef Kathryn Kelly, Oceania Cruises’ director of culinary enrichment, is the founder and driving force behind the center and oversees Oceania’s team of 11 chef instructors.

She is also the chief architect of the line’s signature range of Culinary Discovery Tours. These excursions are available in more than 40 destinations and teach destination-inspired dishes. Chef Kelly is planning new chef-led tours for 2025.

“We are the only cruise built by foodies, for foodies. Food is at the heart of everything we do at Oceania Cruises. We have literally built our ships around the culinary experience, from vast galley spaces to an unparalleled range of restaurants,” said Frank A. Del Rio, president of Oceania Cruises.

Kelly said: “It’s been an amazing evolution over the past 15 years. I am thrilled to work with such a creative and collaborative team as we constantly look for new dishes and class themes to introduce to our curious guests.”

New classes for 2025 include:

• Culinary Northwest Passage: a class looking at the Pacific Northwest food scene;
• Down Under Abundance: A class focusing on the sea, mountains, and vineyards of New Zealand and Australia;
• It’s a Dessert Party: an 8:00 p.m. class encompassing dessert and beverages before the evening show;
• South Seas Salt Life: A class focusing on Polynesian cuisine, with influences from France and China; and
• Snow Days Brunch: A class sharing the mixologists’ most popular recipes.