One of the most popular themed cruises Windstar has offered over the past decade, its chef-led partnership with the James Beard Foundation will continue in 2025. One of the most popular themed cruises Windstar has offered over the past decade, its chef-led partnership with the James Beard Foundation will continue in 2025.
Five acclaimed chefs – Jamilka Borges, José Mendin, Jennifer Hill Booker, Jennifer Jacins Jennifer Jasinski – along with new Windstar member Larry Forgione – will bring their regional culinary expertise and signature dishes to sea, hosting market tours on their itineraries. That’s not all: The appeal of Windstar’s culinary-themed cruises is that guests can participate in cooking demonstrations, enjoy special dishes inspired by guest chefs, and one of the most popular activities: shopping with a chef.
If you are considering James Beard Foundation Tour Here are profiles of five guest chefs heading into 2025 that we thought you might enjoy:
Caribbean, March 15, 2025: Windward Road and Tobago Islands with Chef Jamilka Borges
journey: This 7-day Caribbean cruise departs from Oranjestad, Aruba, to Bridgetown, Barbados. Other destinations include Curacao, Bonaire, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad.
She began her career as a prep cook at the industry-leading Legume restaurant and was later promoted to chef de cuisine. After leaving Legume, Borges served as executive chef in some of Pittsburgh’s most innovative and progressive kitchens: Bar Marco, Spoon, Independent Brewing Company, Hidden Harbor and Lorelei. At each restaurant, Borges discovered another voice in her cooking.
Interesting facts: “Someone said to me a few years ago, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re such a wild child!’ It’s always stuck in my mind. I’ve always done things in a very unconventional way.”
April 12, 2025, Mediterranean: Chef José Mendin plays the Spanish Symphony
journey: On Wind Surf, the Spanish Symphony Orchestra James Beard’s eight-day itinerary traveled from Lisbon to Barcelona, with stops in Cadiz (on to Seville), Gibraltar, Malaga, Almeria, Ca Tagena and Palma de Mallorca.
Your chef: Miami chef José Mendin is a Puerto Rican who traveled to Spain to work with chef Jesus Ramior in Valladolid and later with chef Juan Juan of the Michelin-starred El Chaflan in Madrid. With Juan Pablo Felipe. He also helped open Nobu Miami and Nobu London alongside chefs Mark Edwards and Thomas Buckley.
Today, he is the owner/partner of Pubbelly Global, which owns a collection of restaurants in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Paris. He was a five-time James Beard Award semifinalist.
Interesting stuff: Chef Mendin first discovered his interest in cooking while attending the University of Puerto Rico on a volleyball scholarship. He served as a judge on Telemundo’s MasterChef Latino show. After a long day, he likes to unwind by watching episodes of “Seinfeld.”
June 29, 2025, Northern Europe: Explore the beauty of the Baltic Sea with chef Jennifer Hill Booker
journey: During the 11-day Baltic Sea route from Stockholm to Copenhagen, the Star Legend will visit Helsinki, Tallinn, Estonia, Riga, Latvia, Visby, Sweden, Klaipeda, Lithuania, Gdansk, Poland, and Warnemunde, Germany.
Your chef: Atlanta-based Jennifer Hill Booker is known for adding a French accent to her Southern culinary heritage, all with the goal of creating dishes that reflect a seasonal, healthy approach. She trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and has published cookbooks such as “Peas to Foie Gras: Southern Recipes with a French Accent” and “Dinner Deja Vu: South Tonight, France Tomorrow.” ” She is president of the Atlanta chapter of the prestigious Les Dames d’Escoffier International, a member of Slow Food Atlanta, No Child Hunger Atlanta, and the James Beard Foundation Food Waste Advisory Committee.
Chef Booker has published original recipes in publications such as Waste Not Cookbook, Southern Living, Garden & Gun, and Essence. In her Food Network debut as a finalist on “Cruel Kitchen,” she showcases a fusion of French and Southern inspirations.
Interesting stuff: In Tallahatchie Tales (March 2021), her first illustrated book for children, Booker highlights the cuisine of the Mississippi Delta through the eyes of her daughter Jenelle. The chef learned about French cuisine while living in Europe, where her then-husband, a U.S. Army officer, was stationed.
August 27, 2025, Mediterranean: Adriatic Islands and Greek Goddesses, Chef Jennifer Jasinski
journey: The nine-day sailing from Venice to Athens will be conducted on Star Legend. Ports of call include Zadar, Split and Dubrovnik in Croatia; Kotor in Montenegro; and Corfu, Katakolon and Monemvasia in Greece.
Your chef: Denver-based Jennifer Jasinski owns and operates award-winning restaurants such as Rioja, Bistro Vendôme, Ultreia and Stoic & Genuine. Jasinki’s passion for travel and global culinary cultures is reflected in the cuisine at each restaurant, such as Rioja for Spanish dishes, Bistro Vendôme for French dishes, and Ultreia for tapas and Portuguese side dishes.
The chef won the James Beard Award for Best Chef Southwest and was a Top Chef Masters finalist.
Her philosophy is that a great restaurant experience is about more than just good food. “You can have great food, but if the service is bad, no one will come. Our philosophy is simple. In cooking, it’s simple: good ingredients, good cooking. In a restaurant, it has to be a place where you can come And the place is taken care of, the service quality is consistent, great attention to detail, the product and service are always attentive and considerate. We train our staff to act like they are welcoming someone into their home. I always talk to guests in the restaurant. Menu, our products or denver and colorado.”
Interesting stuff: “In high school in Santa Barbara, I was either going to be a chef or a musician,” she told Denver.org in an interview. “I thought about being a hungry artist and thought, if I become a chef, at least I’ll always have food! My first cooking job was at Taco Bell.”
October 7, 2027, Canada/New England: Explore Southeastern Canada with Chef Larry Forgione
journey: Chef Larry Forgione serves as guest chef on the Star Pride’s 12-day cruise. Cruises from Montreal to New York call at ports such as Gaspé, Cap Omelos, Louisbourg, Halifax and Portland, Maine.
Your chef: Forgione’s influence on American cuisine was profound. He helped pioneer the farm-to-table approach to food that is now ubiquitous in American cuisine. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Forgione began his cooking career in restaurants in Europe and the United Kingdom. After returning to the United States, he worked as a chef at top New York restaurants such as El Morocco, Regine’s and River Café.
“It was at Regine’s that I started researching, and I continued researching ingredients that I thought weren’t available in the states but couldn’t figure out why they weren’t,” he told Restaurant Insider magazine. “When I was working in London, it suddenly dawned on me that all this beautiful produce and freshly butchered meat was going into kitchens, whereas in America it was the other way around, and it didn’t make sense to me. In Europe, farmers and produce They were producing for restaurants and the chefs had to use the same ingredients every day, whereas in America everyone was producing for the masses and the chefs had to use the same ingredients that were produced. So when I came back, I thought it was time for us to start turning things around. , I started working with a lot of farmers and producers.”
In 1983, he opened his first restaurant, An American Place, in Manhattan, and eventually expanded his empire to include numerous restaurants and cafes.
Forgione is co-founder and culinary director of the Culinary Institute of America’s “American Food Studies: Farm-to-Table Cooking” course. He is also a founding trustee of the James Beard Foundation, founder of Fresh Start, and founder of Chefs of America’s annual event that honors James Beard and Citymeals-on-Wheels.
He is also a prolific cookbook author. His “American Places” cookbook won the James Beard Award for Best American Cookbook.
Interesting stuff: Forgione’s son Marc Forgione is also a chef. He began his career at his father’s An American Place, eventually owning his own restaurant and becoming one of the youngest American chefs to receive a Michelin star. Father and son cook together on Iron Chef America.
Editor’s note: For more information about Windstar’s 10-year partnership with the James Beard Foundation, check out our Q&A with Peter Tobler.
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