by Ana Figueroa
Last updated: 3:04 PM ET, Tue March 27, 2018
Windstar Cruises has announced the newest chef and sommelier team for its culinary-themed cruises. Seattle chef Maxime Bilet and Chicago-based sommelier Belinda Chang will join the program, as will sommelier Katie Bell.
The new teams are part of the line's continued partnership with the James Beard Foundation.
Bilet and Chang will take part in Wind Surf's Hidden Harbors of the Côte d'Azur cruise, departing Nice, France, on June 20. Itinerary highlights include a hosted dinner with Chef Bilet with wine pairings curated by Chang; cooking demonstrations and wine tastings throughout the cruise, plus local market tours with each expert.
The seven-day French Riviera cruise calls at Bastia, Antibes, Le Lavandou, Marseille, Sanary-sur-Mer and Palamos, before culminating in Barcelona.
Bell will join chef Evan Hanczor on a Windstar sailing in Norway.
"Our partnership with the James Beard Foundation demonstrates Windstar's commitment to elevating epicurean experiences around the world," said Windstar President John Delaney.
"We are excited to welcome renowned experts Maxime Bilet, Belinda Chang, and Katie Bell into our Windstar family. We look forward to offering our guests the opportunity to learn from their depth of knowledge and years of experience as culinary innovators, plus, sharing new JBF-inspired dishes on our menus. The recipes from our recent guest chefs have been a big hit, and with all of the new talent sailing in 2018 we are excited to add many more diverse cuisine offerings that are authentic to the regions we sail."
In addition to Bilet, Chang and Bell, the food and wine experts for the first four (of six) culinary themed cruises in 2018 include chefs Anthony Sasso, Evan Hanczor and José Mendin; pastry chef Emily Luchetti, sommelier Ashley Santoro and beverage expert Shelley Lindren.
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