Chef Rudi Sodamin will become Princess Cruises’ first Head of Culinary Arts while retaining his position as Master Chef for Holland America Line, said the cruise line in a statement today.
“Chef Rudi is a hands-on leader with proven ability to motivate teams to achieve new levels of creativity and inspiration,” said Jan Swartz, Group President serving Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn and P&O Cruises Australia brands.
“Princess is already well-known for its strong culinary culture. We are bringing in Chef Rudi to build the kind of excitement and dining experiences that will impress our guests. He is the perfect person to bring an entirely new level of excellence and innovation to our culinary product, environmental dining experience, and service delivery.”
Among his most recent accomplishments has been the highly successful launch of Rudi’s Sel de Mer restaurant onboard three Holland America Line’s ships.
Sodamin began his illustrious career at the age of 14. By 23, he was appointed Chef de Cuisine on the luxury line Vistafjord with Norwegian American Cruise Line and by 26, Corporate Executive Chef onboard Queen Elizabeth 2.
He was also a Director of Corporate Food and Beverage Operations and culinary spokesperson at Royal Caribbean. During his tenure, he built an international culinary team from across 50 nations and launched the brand’s first test kitchen.
At Holland America Line, he instituted the line’s first Culinary Council (of which he is Chairman) as well as spearheaded the Holland America Line Culinary Art Centre.
“I see food as the way to our guests’ hearts, and the individuals on the Princess Cruises culinary team bring great heart to what they do and take tremendous pride in their work,” said Sodamin.
“My goal is to grow that pride and lead the culinary workforce to new performance heights through innovative approaches to teamwork and creativity, collaboratively creating new signature interactive dining experiences, and motivating this talented team to new levels of culinary artistry.”
John Padgett, President of Princess Cruises, particularly appreciates Sodamin’s extensive track record for engaging with culinary crews to provide the best possible guest experiences.
“A food experience is about human passion, energy, excitement, and expertise all channelled together to create an emotional, multisensory experience with a true human connection,” said Padgett.
“Chef Rudi is one of the few who truly understands this and how to consistently create culinary magic for guests, and we are fortunate to be able to tap his extensive know-how and leadership to further elevate the Princess onboard dining experience and inspire our culinary teammates throughout the fleet.”
For more information, please visit princess.com.
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