"Cooking doesn't have to be complicated,'' Hillson tells guests aboard the Oosterdam, who have gathered for a class at the ship's lavish Culinary Arts Center. With granite counters, built-in ovens, twin plasma video screens and theatre-style seating, the centre looks more like a television show kitchen than the ship's real stainless-steel-clad galleys, where thousands of meals will be prepared during this 12-day "Mediterranean Romance" cruise.
As he moves about the kitchen -- stirring this and chopping that -- Hillson explains his food philosophy. He's a fan of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay's restaurants but you won't find any nightmares or hell in his kitchen at the luxe Royal Palms Resort and Spa in Phoenix, Arizona, where Hillson is executive chef of T. Cook's. Under his leadership, the restaurant has received accolades from Zagat and hosted James Beard Dinners.
"I want people to have fun. I don't want cooking to be scary,'' says the 2008 Iron Chef America competitor. "A recipe is just a guide. It isn't about loads and loads of ingredients. It's about cooking what's fresh and what's available,'' Hillson says.
He loves the Food Network but worries it glamorizes cooking in a way that's not realistic.
As long as flavours are complimentary, Hillson says many exotic ingredients can easily be substituted for more readily available -- and affordable -- ones.
The exception is baking, says the one-time pastry chef who once worked for chefs Albert and Michel Roux. (Known in some circles as the godfathers of modern English cuisine, the Roux brothers are widely credited for starting a culinary revolution in the United Kingdom.)
Baking demands precision, Hillson says. "Baking is a science.''
In little more than an hour, Hillson has whipped up three delicious main dishes -- pan-seared scallops with sauteed vegetables, homemade cannelloni with a herb-ricotta stuffing, and a show-stopping Salmon Wellington filled with homemade pesto, sliced tomato and prosciutto.
Wrapped in phyllo pastry and baked to golden brown perfection, the salmon is so beautiful, so delicious and looks so easy to make that even a lazy cook like me is inspired to take a recipe card. The real cooks in the audience are equally impressed.
While cooking classes are held on every Holland America cruise, culinary cruises with guest chefs are part of the line's partnership with Food & Wine magazine.
Hillson -- whose restaurant specializes in modern Mediterranean cuisine -- is especially pleased to be aboard for this itinerary. Departing from Venice, Oosterdam is scheduled to make port calls at Croatia, three Greek Islands -- Argostoli, Corfu and Santorini -- and additional ports in Italy -- Naples, Sicily and Civitavecchia -- before our final stop in Barcelona.
In all, we'll sail on three seas -- the Mediterranean, the Adriatic and the Ionian.
"Venice is everything and more than I imagined it to be,'' Hillson says, adding the cruise is bringing him to many of these places for the first time.
"My wife and I will go ashore in every port to visit the market and sample the local cuisine,'' Hillson says.
While others feed pigeons in St. Mark's Square, take a spin in a gondola, cross the Bridge of Sighs and tour the Doge's Palace, the Hillsons "had to go to Harry's Bar.''
Hillson calls the one-time mecca for celebrities "the birthplace of carpaccio and the Bellini'' -- a yummy cocktail made from white peach puree and Prosecco (the Italian equivalent of Champagne).
"The visit cost about $200, but I would pay it again,'' Hillson says.
But don't be frightened off by tales of sky-high prices. While coffee in a cafe on St. Mark's Square might run $15, you can sample local cuisine in all of these ports for far less if you venture just a little outside of the main tourist zone.
Italy, Greece and Spain are all major producers of olive oil, and each country claims theirs is the best, most refined, most flavourful and most healthful oil in the world, so try them all and judge for yourself.
Even for passengers who are not foodies, cruising and cuisine seems to be a natural fit that cruise lines have been beefing up in recent years.
There is a saying that cruise passengers gain as much as 10 pounds on a 10-day cruise.
In reality, these days Holland America has moved away from huge portions and toward healthier choices. Dining has become less about enormous buffets and more about relaxation and enjoyment. There are more places to dine on board, more flexible "as you wish'' dining, and 24-hour room service.
Some 450 of the Oosterdam's 800-plus crew work in food service, the ship's Manager of Culinary Operations, Stephan Schuetz, tells us during a gallery tour.
"Every dish on the menu is made from scratch, which makes for better quality food,'' Schuetz says.
During our time on board we try out Canaletto, an Italian style restaurant, and the Pinnacle Grill, the ship's fine dining steak house. There is no extra charge to dine at Canaletto but reservations are required. Dining in the Pinnacle Grill costs $20 per person for dinner, $15 for lunch. It's a fine-dining experience -- accompanied by exemplary service, Reidel crystal and Bvlgari Rosenthal china -- and worth doing at least once on a cruise.
For those who can't do without their Starbucks fix -- coffee, cappuccino, latte, mochachino and other caffeinated concoctions are served at the Explorations Cafe, where you can also surf the web or lose yourself in the view from the adjacent Crow's Nest. And instead of the traditional midnight buffet, now there's a casual pool party and dessert buffet.
Some Holland America traditions never change.
Lobster is still the number one menu choice, steak is on the menu every night and shrimp remains popular, Schuetz says.
Another tradition that endures is the Baked Alaska. Staff still parade the frozen dessert around the diningroom on the last night of the cruise and take a well-deserved bow for their culinary efforts.
---
If you cruise with Holland America Line
PORTS OF CALL
- Venice, Italy
- Dubrovnik, Croatia
- Argostoli, Kefalonia, Greece
- Kerkyra, Corfu, Greece
- Santorini, Greece
- Naples, Italy
- Catania, Sicily, Italy
- Civitavecchia, Italy
- Barcelona, Spain
CRUISE TIP
Holland America has been beefing up its onboard activities. Consult your daily program for times and places. Most -- including cooking classes with guest chefs, computer instruction and party planning -- are included in the cruise fare. Some, like specialty wine tastings and sommolier dinners involve an extra charge.
CULINARY CRUISES
About 10 more culinary cruises are on the agenda for the balance of 2009. These take place on various ships and itineraries. Guest chefs include cookbook authors, chocolatiers, wine directors, restaurant chefs and TV personalities such as George Duran of the Food Network's Ham on the Street.
BUDGET TIP
A verandah suite is a lovely luxury and certainly worth the splurge. However, if your budget is tight opt for a cabin with a window. You will save hundreds of dollars, which can be put toward shore excursions, spa
treatments, Italian shoes, etc. This is especially true on a cruise with few sea days. With nine port calls on this 11-night itinerary you're off the ship so much you won't miss the verandah too much.
TRAVEL TIP
This cruise departs from Venice and disembarks in Barcelona. If you have some extra time and budget, consider a pre-cruise or post-cruise stay in one or both of these great cities.
WHAT TO BUY
Venetian glass jewelry, leather goods and locally produced liqueurs in whimsical containers such as the Limoncello in shoe-shaped bottles I saw in Sorrento and Capri. Products made from olives and lemons such as handcream and soap make inexpensive easy to tote souvenirs.
MORE INFORMATION
For full details on Holland America Line cruises and the Oosterdam, see hollandamerica.com.
Cruising & cuisineLamborghini Unveils Gallardo LP 550-2 Valentino Balboni In North America
