For 2027, Windstar Cruises has unveiled a collection of five sailings, each hosted by a James Beard Foundation chef, including Roel Alcudia, Felix Tai, Cara Tobin, Cody Hogan and Christine Lau, visiting destinations such as Greece, Turkey, and East Asia.
The Treasures of the Greek Isles cruise is scheduled for July 13-20, 2027 aboard the Wind Surf, led by Alcudia, who serves as executive chef at House of Stefas in New York’s Hudson Valley. Ports of call will feature Mykonos, Patmos, Santorini, Monemvasia and Nafplio.
Māori Storytellers & French Polynesian Treasures will be hosted by Tai aboard the Star Breeze between September 5 and 16, 2027. The journey will call at Papeete, the Cook Islands and Bora Bora. Tai holds the position of executive chef at the Polynesian Cultural Center in Hawai‘i and served as an adviser to the 2026 James Beard Foundation Legacy Program.
Aegean Sea Odyssey via the Corinth Canal is planned for the Star Legend from September 8-16, 2027. The expedition, guided by Cara Tobin, will travel from Turkey’s shoreline to Istanbul. Tobin co-owns and cooks at Honey Road and Grey Jay in Burlington, Vermont, and has received two James Beard Award nominations as well as three semifinalist recognitions.
Cody Hogan will lead the Enchanting Greece & the Amalfi Coast cruise aboard the Wind Surf between October 14-21, 2027. The itinerary moves from Athens to Rome, stopping at Monemvasia, Gythion, Sicily, the Amalfi Coast, Taormina, Pompeii and Sorrento. Hogan serves as executive chef at Lidia’s in Kansas City.
East Asian Legends will set sail on the Star Seeker from November 4-14, 2027 with Christine Lau as the featured chef. Stops will encompass Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Vietnam. Lau’s eatery, Kimika, earned semifinalist status for the 2022 James Beard Award.
For over ten years, Windstar has acted as the James Beard Foundation’s designated cruise partner. The collaboration delivers upwards of 80 dishes crafted by chefs across the company’s vessels. In the last 11 years, the program has featured over 40 foundation-chosen chefs sailing with Windstar, and 31 of them have supplied recipes to the Amphora menu series.
Windstar’s Treasures of Southern Spain & Morocco cruise, planned for March 14-22, 2027 aboard the Wind Spirit, will not host a guest chef yet will present recipes developed by James Beard Foundation chefs. The voyage’s dining program will showcase cuisine inspired by Spanish and Moroccan tastes.