Sarah Bretz, ContributorHolland America is elevating its “Made Fresh Daily” menu with handcrafted breads, pastas, and regionally-inspired desserts.
Guests can now enjoy a variety of freshly-made selections at all dining venues — from just-out-of-the-oven baguettes to perfectly cooked spaghetti. To enhance the freshly-made onboard options, Chef Ethan Stowell has curated an Italian-inspired menu of pasta dishes, along with a made-to-order pizza with freshly-baked crust. In addition to handmade pasta and bread, Holland America Line also serves gelato made daily, waffle cones, regionally-inspired desserts, and additional pastries.
This summer, Holland America will also introduce a signature bread: a sourdough raisin loaf with pumpkin seeds. It will be available fleetwide in Pinnacle Grill every night and in the main dining room on formal nights.
“When bread or pasta is made fresh, you can certainly taste the difference, which is why we take a close look at our culinary program to assess what we can make on board from scratch as another way to bring our Destination Dining culinary platform to life,” said Michael Stendebach, vice president of food, beverage and rooms division for Holland America Line. “Chef Stowell’s new pasta and pizza are an exceptional addition to our ‘Made Fresh Daily’ menu items.”
Guests looking to indulge in Chef Stowell’s fresh pasta at the buffet can choose from tortiglioni with basil pesto, haricot vert and baby potatoes; paccheri with spicy tomato, shrimp and parsley; spaghetti with beef and ricotta meatballs, basil, and tomato; casarecce with beef short rib bolognaise; and basked conchiglie with mozzarella and tomato basil. At New York Pizza, Chef Stowell created the “Primo” with salami, pickled peppers and red onion, all atop a fresh pizza crust.
New Pasta-Making Class at Sur La Table
Stemming from a collaboration announced in November 2024, Holland America is teaming up again with Sur La Table for cooking classes offered at Sur La Table locations nationwide. The recipes are inspired by the cruise line’s Destination Dining program and give participants the opportunity to prepare and create pasta made from scratch, guided by one of Sur La Table’s professional chefs.
Starting this month, consumers can sign up for the “Made from Scratch Ravioli with Holland America Line” class to learn how to make pasta dough, smoked salmon ravioli with vodka cream sauce, Swiss chard and ricotta ravioli with lemon brown butter, and — as a nod to the cruise line’s Dutch roots — stroopwafel apple crumble. The class features step-by-step instructions on the ravioli making — from rolling and cutting dough to filling and cooking.
“Our initial class on fresh fish with Sur La Table was fantastic, and we are excited to expand the partnership by having consumers prepare and cook a menu that is carefully crafted by both brands connecting to the more than 140 ports we call at across Europe,” said Kacy Cole, chief marketing officer for Holland America Line. “Sur La Table and Holland America Line share a vision that cuisine is a door to different cultures, and this new class will introduce participants to more of our global flavors, while benefitting from Sur La Table’s culinary authority and expertise.”
Classes can be booked at surlatable.com/cooking-classes or at local Sur La Table stores.
Comments
What types of fresh baked goods and other foods would you like to see added to Holland America’s ships? Have you ever taken a cooking class — whether on land or at sea — and if so, how was your experience? Drop us an anchor below and let us know!
