Master Chef Rudi Sodamin to head culinary arts at Princess Cruises

[LACruiser88]

I don't know if this a bad or good thing???

 

 

Jan Swartz, group president, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn and P&O Cruises Australia, called Sodamin a 'hands-on leader with proven ability to motivate teams to achieve new levels of creativity and inspiration.  ' ...We are bringing in Chef Rudi to build the kind of excitement and dining experiences that will impress our guests. He is the perfect person to bring an entirely new level of excellence and innovation to our culinary product, environmental dining experience and service delivery.'

 

Internationally respected food authority

 

An internationally respected food authority, Sodamin is a highly decorated chef known for his innovation, energy and influence in the hospitality business.

Among his most recent accomplishments is Rudi’s Sel de Mer restaurant onboard three Holland America ships and Rudi's Seagrill, a new concept for sister brand Carnival Cruise Line aboard its new Mardi Gras.

 

'I see food as the way to our guests’ hearts, and the individuals on the Princess Cruises culinary team bring great heart to what they do and take tremendous pride in their work,' Sodamin said. 'My goal is to grow that pride and lead the culinary workforce to new performance heights through innovative approaches to teamwork and creativity, collaboratively creating new signature interactive dining experiences and motivating this talented team to new levels of culinary artistry.'

Vistafjord, QE2

Sodamin began his career at the age of 14 with a kitchen apprenticeship in Kurhotel Heilbrunn in Bad Mitterndorf, Austria. At 23, he was appointed chef de cuisine for Norwegian America Line's luxurious Vistafjord and at 26, he was named corporate executive chef on the legendary Queen Elizabeth 2.

 

After a dozen years at Cunard Line as VP food and beverage and corporate executive chef, Sodamin joined Royal Caribbean as director of corporate food and beverage operations and culinary spokesperson. There, he built an international culinary team from across 50 nations and launched the brand’s first test kitchen.

 

At Holland America, he instituted the Culinary Council, which he chairs, as well as spearheaded the line's Culinary Arts Center. He also led the development and launch of a residential Culinary Training Center in Manilla, Philippines, working with the Culinary Institute of America to develop the curriculum.

[capriccio]

I saw this yesterday.  The press released included "Sodamin is currently the master chef for Holland America Line , a position he will retain as he takes on his new role as head of culinary arts for Princess" and my first thought was '"this is a very busy guy."  Only time will tell if he has bitten off more than he can chew 😁.

 

https://www.carnivalcorp.com/news-releases/news-release-details/princess-cruises-names-chef-rudi-sodamin-head-culinary-arts

Edited January 25, 2022 by capriccio

[ekka49]

6 hours ago, capriccio said:

I saw this yesterday.  The press released included "Sodamin is currently the master chef for Holland America Line , a position he will retain as he takes on his new role as head of culinary arts for Princess" and my first thought was '"this is a very busy guy."  Only time will tell if he has bitten off more than he can chew 😁.

 

https://www.carnivalcorp.com/news-releases/news-release-details/princess-cruises-names-chef-rudi-sodamin-head-culinary-arts

Is it possible that the same  menu's will be used on both Princess and Holland America.

[capriccio]

14 minutes ago, ekka49 said:

Is it possible that the same  menu's will be used on both Princess and Holland America.

It certainly sounds like it is one more step in standardizing the cruising experience in the interest of economies of scale across some of the Carnival Cruise Corporation lines.  Princess and HAL are part of the Holland America Group, which also includes Seabourn and P&O Australia.  Somehow I don't see the culinary experience being lifted to that of Seabourn.  Rather I fear that some of the traditional Princess offerings, especially the Italian dishes, may be lost as, according to Jan Swartz,  "He is the perfect person to bring an entirely new level of excellence and innovation to our culinary product, environmental dining experience, and service delivery."

 

Tangentially:  I know Princess is trying to prove its environmental bona fides but someone has to tell them that just including the word environment (or, in this case, environmental) in every statement isn't convincing.  Actions speak louder than words! 

[brisalta]

10 hours ago, LACruiser88 said:

I don't know if this a bad or good thing???

 

 

Jan Swartz, group president, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn and P&O Cruises Australia, called Sodamin a 'hands-on leader with proven ability to motivate teams to achieve new levels of creativity and inspiration.  ' ...We are bringing in Chef Rudi to build the kind of excitement and dining experiences that will impress our guests. He is the perfect person to bring an entirely new level of excellence and innovation to our culinary product, environmental dining experience and service delivery.'

 

Internationally respected food authority

 

An internationally respected food authority, Sodamin is a highly decorated chef known for his innovation, energy and influence in the hospitality business.

Among his most recent accomplishments is Rudi’s Sel de Mer restaurant onboard three Holland America ships and Rudi's Seagrill, a new concept for sister brand Carnival Cruise Line aboard its new Mardi Gras.

 

'I see food as the way to our guests’ hearts, and the individuals on the Princess Cruises culinary team bring great heart to what they do and take tremendous pride in their work,' Sodamin said. 'My goal is to grow that pride and lead the culinary workforce to new performance heights through innovative approaches to teamwork and creativity, collaboratively creating new signature interactive dining experiences and motivating this talented team to new levels of culinary artistry.'

Vistafjord, QE2

Sodamin began his career at the age of 14 with a kitchen apprenticeship in Kurhotel Heilbrunn in Bad Mitterndorf, Austria. At 23, he was appointed chef de cuisine for Norwegian America Line's luxurious Vistafjord and at 26, he was named corporate executive chef on the legendary Queen Elizabeth 2.

 

After a dozen years at Cunard Line as VP food and beverage and corporate executive chef, Sodamin joined Royal Caribbean as director of corporate food and beverage operations and culinary spokesperson. There, he built an international culinary team from across 50 nations and launched the brand’s first test kitchen.

 

At Holland America, he instituted the Culinary Council, which he chairs, as well as spearheaded the line's Culinary Arts Center. He also led the development and launch of a residential Culinary Training Center in Manilla, Philippines, working with the Culinary Institute of America to develop the curriculum.

 

There was some changes made by Jan to the food service in the past that were not great.

Well I hope he does not burn all the food like he does here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3v3G6ILz7qA

 

 

Edited January 26, 2022 by brisalta

[caribill]

3 hours ago, capriccio said:

according to Jan Swartz,  "He is the perfect person to bring an entirely new level of excellence and innovation to our culinary product, environmental dining experience, and service delivery."

 

 

 

Does that mean even smaller portions served more attractively?

[CruisinFinsUp]

It says he has "Rudi's" this and that on other ships. 

Maybe this will be like Princess' "Share" by Curtis Stone.   How's that concept going lately?  I don't see it on any of the new builds! 
 

I just hope Rudi is better at what he does than the medallion guy who got promo'd to president.    
 

Some days I think Jan is just throwing things at Princess to see what will stick. 
 

.

[RSS from SF]

---

Link to his cookbooks on Amazon:

• https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=n%3A6%2Cp_27%3ASodamin&s=date-desc-rank&Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.x=25&Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.y=13&qid=1643195747&unfiltered=1&ref=sr_st_date-desc-rank

---

[cruisequeen4ever]

All I can say is, I hope this was a good decision. We love the food on Princess, and I hope the switch of culinary leadership will not change that. 

[MsSoCalCruiser]

I hope he works on the quality of Room Service orders. I was really disappointed my last cruise.
 

Have you tried the burger and also the portobello sandwich from the Dive-In on the HAL Lido deck?  I would be super happy if that was on Princess.  It was so good that we had that daily for lunch on our 4-day Eurodam cruise.

[FlaMariner]

This is good....so says this Holland America Line 3 Star Mariner (mid level frequent guest level).......

 

He is not just a figure head......He's been on cruises and most recently, folks posted he was onboard the Rotterdam in December visiting the tables and chatting with the guests. 

 

Food on Holland America Line is excellent, IMO.  

 

This can only be a positive for both lines.  And makes sense to share him.

 

Rudi rocks at Holland America Line and I'm sure the Princess folks will think so soon......

 

(Disclaimer:  Our first Princess cruise is in March so I have no idea about the food on Princess)

[capriccio]

1 hour ago, FlaMariner said:

(Disclaimer:  Our first Princess cruise is in March so I have no idea about the food on Princess)

Well then it is difficult to judge at his point but I would be interested in your opinion when you return from the cruise.  Enjoy!

[FlaMariner]

2 hours ago, capriccio said:

Well then it is difficult to judge at his point but I would be interested in your opinion when you return from the cruise.  Enjoy!

 

Thank you and will do!

 

We look forward to our first Princess cruise!

[Roger88]

The cruise should go fine, I hope that there wont be any cancelations. These days its very hard to predict what to expect. As long as you are doing fine financually and have got insurance of some sort - you should be fine. Even if it gets cancelled dont worry. I am sure there will be another option 

[ekka49]

12 hours ago, FlaMariner said:

 

Thank you and will do!

 

We look forward to our first Princess cruise!

In Australia, we would love any cruise and any food experience again.

[LACruiser88]

8 hours ago, ekka49 said:

In Australia, we would love any cruise and any food experience again.

We feel for you!  😌

[MaisonRose]

On 1/25/2022 at 4:29 PM, capriccio said:

I saw this yesterday.  The press released included "Sodamin is currently the master chef for Holland America Line , a position he will retain as he takes on his new role as head of culinary arts for Princess" and my first thought was '"this is a very busy guy."  Only time will tell if he has bitten off more than he can chew 😁.

 

https://www.carnivalcorp.com/news-releases/news-release-details/princess-cruises-names-chef-rudi-sodamin-head-culinary-arts

For me, it’s a win win. I love the menus & food, on HAL ships, while my one experience awhile ago on Island, was let’s say shocking. I’ll add that QM2 was pretty boring in Dec. 

Anyway, WELCOME CHEF Rudi!

[cheezenip]

From my 2018 cruise experience on HAL's Statendam, I think "overall" it's a very good mood if he can bring HAL's MDR food quality to Princess. There's no comparison. However, I'm alittle nervous with the buffet. I prefer PCL's  Royal class buffet layout design / operation and food quality better than HAL's Pinnacle class setup. We'll see how hands on Rudi will be with Princess as I hope he upgrades most of the executive chefs on the Princess ships.

[TBfrPH]

I'll first preface by saying that what is good food is dependent on the individual's experience and taste.  Some people think that a Happy Meal is a real treat; others would eat at a Michelin star restaurant every time they go out.  And then there is a big crowd in the middle of those two poles. I've eaten Happy Meals because I had to, and once or twice I've been to a Michelin Star restaurant.  I'm thankful to be able to tell the difference.  If my comments come across as snobbish, my apologies in advance for being a food snob of sorts.

 

Having cruised on both HAL and Princess, I would say that this could be a noticeable step up, but don't hold your breadth for a giant leap by any means.  Princess' MDR food can't go anywhere but up based on my last two cruises within the past 4 months.  Perhaps the pandemic has affected the chefs.  I never tried Share, but Sabitini and Crown Grill serve food that I would expect to see on a good MDR menu.  I will say that Bistro Sur La Mer is very good, and I would gladly pay extra to eat there.   HAL MDR is slightly better on an average day.  At least it doesn't remind me of mass-production food served at cheap hotel conventions.  I don't recall an experience at Rudi's Sel De Mer.  But when Pinnacle Grill becomes Le Cirque on certain nights, that meal is worth writing home about.  The rest of HAL's specialty restaurants don't inspire me to pay the extra charge after the first try

 

Bottom line is if Rudi can bring MDRs on Princess up to HAL level, that would be a small win for us all.  I don't expect the scale to be tipped in any major way though.

[Crystabel]

Based on the food in the MDR on our last Princess cruise, any change would be for the better. Just one example: One night, the spaghetti and meatballs main course was served with raw meatballs. Every single serving in the dining room had to be returned to the kitchen. 

[brisalta]

On 1/26/2022 at 3:23 AM, RSS from SF said:

---

Link to his cookbooks on Amazon:

• https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=n%3A6%2Cp_27%3ASodamin&s=date-desc-rank&Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.x=25&Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.y=13&qid=1643195747&unfiltered=1&ref=sr_st_date-desc-rank

---

 

So who wrote his cookbooks? /s

[esstheman]

Anyone been on a recent cruise and been able to tell whether Chef Sodamin has made any impact or change in the MDR?

[1emerald1]

27 minutes ago, esstheman said:

Anyone been on a recent cruise and been able to tell whether Chef Sodamin has made any impact or change in the MDR?

I don't know if it was due to him, but on the Discovery inaugural I had the Duck l'Orange and it was the best duck I've had.  Very moist and tasty.  I stopped ordering duck on Princess years ago because it was always dry.  Perhaps he recommended a new cooking method.

[esstheman]

13 hours ago, 1emerald1 said:

I don't know if it was due to him, but on the Discovery inaugural I had the Duck l'Orange and it was the best duck I've had.  Very moist and tasty.  I stopped ordering duck on Princess years ago because it was always dry.  Perhaps he recommended a new cooking method.

I figured his impact would mean new menu items, better ideas for specialty restaurants for the upcoming Sphere Class, or perhaps a more innovative way in which the food is presented, but perhaps a "new wine in old bottles" is the approach the new guy chooses to go with....

[esstheman]

In any event, I would figure that where his impact would first be felt would be on Alaskan cruises, since the line always tries to alter the cuisine for that season: ie., if the menus are different this year than in the past, or if there are changes in other areas than on a typical Princess Alaska cruise in past years.