Rudi Sodamin, the most decorated chef at sea, has received further recognition by becoming Princess Cruises’ first head of culinary arts.
Sodamin is currently the master chef for Holland America Line, and will retain this position while taking on his new role with Princess.
“Chef Rudi is a hands-on leader with proven ability to motivate teams to achieve new levels of creativity and inspiration,” said Jan Swartz, group president serving Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn and P&O Cruises Australia brands.
“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.
An internationally-respected food authority, Sodamin is the most highly-decorated chef working on the world’s oceans and is widely considered one of the most innovative, energetic, and influential chefs in the hospitality industry.
Among his most recent accomplishments has been the launch of Rudi’s Sel de Mer restaurant onboard three Holland America Line ships. He was also commissioned by Carnival Cruises to create Rudi’s Seagrill for its new Excel class ship 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,” said Sodamin.
“My goal is to grow that pride and lead the culinary workforce to new performance heights, collaboratively creating new signature interactive dining experiences, and motivating this talented team to new levels of culinary artistry.”
Sodamin’s many accolades include a rating of 17/20 and Three Toques from the prestigious Gault-Millau Guide (1998) – the first for an onboard restaurant and the only such award presented at sea. He has also written 14 cookbooks, the most recent being Rudi’s Sel de Mer: For the Love of Seafood.