Relais & Châteaux Grand Chef to Host Silversea Culinary Arts Cruise

This December, Silversea's newly refurbished Silver Wind will offer the perfect setting for a rare epicurean odyssey hosted by Relais & Châteaux Grand Chef Jacques Thorel.

Thorel is the renowned chef/owner of two-Michelin-starred Auberge Bretonne - a Relais & Châteaux-member restaurant and hotel that also bears the coveted "Relais Gourmand" designation - located in picturesque La Roche-Bernard, a medieval village nestled in the French region of Brittany.

He has collaborated with Silversea's corporate executive chef, Rudi Scholdis, to create over 60 enticing new dishes for La Collection du Monde, the three-course dining options that form part of the dinner menu featured each evening in The Restaurant, the main dining venue aboard all Silversea ships.

New delicacies featured in La Collection du Monde includes mouth-watering dishes such as:

- Roasted Wild Boar with Porcini Mushrooms
- Breast of Pigeon Slow-cooked with Foie Gras and Truffle Shavings
- Baby Turbot Cooked in Madras Curry and Coconut Milk with Fresh Coriander
- Beef Filet Mignon with Foie Gras-poached Potatoes and Shallot Jam
- Pan-fried Fillet of Greenland Turbot with Sweet Pepper Ragout
- Layered Partridge Tart with Rouennaise Sauce

"We're very pleased that Chef Thorel will be joining us as we launch these exclusive Relais & Châteaux signature dishes aboard Silver Wind," said Scholdis. "Since June we have been testing them aboard the Prince Albert II and I'm very pleased with the favorable feedback from our guests. We are now ready to phase in the enhanced menu selections across our fleet, starting with Silver Cloud on October 20, Silver Wind on December 5, and Silver Shadow and Silver Whisper in early 2009."

In conjunction with the launch of the refreshed dining options of La Collection du Monde, Thorel will host a Culinary Arts enrichment program aboard Silver Wind's December 2, Las Palmas-to-Cape Town cruise, an exotic 18-day voyage calling in the Cape Verde Islands, Dakar, Banjul, Bom Bom Island and Walvis Bay.

Thorel will present his unique Breton cuisine and cooking methods in the ship's demonstration culinary theater. Custom-designed by Viking Range Corporation, the theater is equipped with state-of-the-art induction stove, sophisticated convection-microwave oven and Viking professional-caliber cookware, cutlery and countertop appliances - plus a large rear projection screen so guests can easily view different cooking techniques and utensils.

This special voyage will also feature food and wine pairings, creative regional dishes, and a five-course grand gourmet dinner. If the itinerary permits, guests may also enjoy escorted provisioning trips to international markets. Silversea Corporate Executive Chef Rudi Scholdis will also be on hand to share his culinary expertise and answer any questions. 

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