| Leading chefs Sophie Michell of Local & Co., Adrian Cumberbatch of Follow de Smoke, and Damian Leach of Cocktail Kitchen and UVA Barbados, as well as mixologist, Shane McClean, will be creating authentic Barbadian dining experiences for guests on Caribbean fly-cruise sailings on P&O Cruises’ Arvia and Britannia throughout the winter season, which runs from October 2025 to March 2026.
Vice President, Public Relations, P&O Cruises/Carnival UK, Michele Andjel, explained:
“[The chefs] are going to come on board every week and cook for our guests, do demonstrations, and do Q&As. Sophie’s doing a super club in the cookery school on Britannia as well. So, it really gives guests a proper, authentic taste of Barbados and we are really proud of that. So far, the feedback has been fantastic, and our guests are really loving it.”
Chief Executive Officer of the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc., Andrea Franklin, thanked P&O Cruises for choosing to showcase local talent and locally sourced ingredients. She noted that the initiative presents exciting opportunities to promote local cuisine and other community-based culinary initiatives on shore.
“One of the programmes that we recently launched was the Dine With A Bajan initiative, which is something that we at the BTMI would love to see being sold on board the ship. When guests experience our chefs on board, they can later come into the homes of one of our local cooks and homeowners who are part of the programme. They can dine in the home of a Barbadian, experience true Barbadian hospitality, and experience a real home-cooked Barbadian meal and really sit and learn more about our culture through conversations with a Barbadian family,” Franklin said.
Chef Leach, known as the Breadfruit Boss, expressed delight at being able to showcase Barbadian cuisine to as many as 5,000 people during food demos and the Barbadian buffet served on board the Arvia. |
