Oceania Cruises’ culinary school celebrates 15 years

Oceania Cruises marks 15 years of The Culinary Centre, the first-ever hands-on cooking school at sea, by introducing a new line-up of classes for 2025 and beyond, featuring dishes from the Pacific North-west of the US, Polynesia, Australia, and more.

The cruise line’s signature range of Culinary Discovery Tours will also be rolling out a new series of chef-led tours for next year.

Announced 15 years ago ahead of the launch of Marina, the first purpose-built foodie-ship for the line, Oceania Cruises’ Culinary Centre is now available on four of its ships – Marina, Riviera, Vista, and Allura.

The Culinary Centre boasts more than 60 current classes taught in custom-built teaching kitchens with individual stations and professional-grade equipment. The classes offer the chance to explore a destination’s culture and history through food, or to hone core kitchen skills thanks to the faculty of dedicated chef instructors.

Oceania Cruises’ director of culinary enrichment Kathryn Kelly is the founder and driving force behind The Culinary Centre and oversees Oceania Cruises’ team of 11 chef instructors.

She is also the chief architect of the Culinary Discovery Tours, a key part of The Culinary Centre programme. These tours are available in more than 40 destinations worldwide, feature the opportunity to learn to cook destination-inspired dishes back on board after a morning of shopping for ingredients in local markets, or to learn from local experts and artisans about the food and culture of the region.

Kelly is preparing a new collection of Culinary Discovery Tours for 2025, which will be revealed in the coming months.