By
Alex Smith |
Princess Cruises has appointed Chef Rudi Sodamin as its first head of culinary arts. Sodamin is currently the master chef for Holland America Line, a position he will retain alongside his new role.
“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 the 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.”
Sodamin has previously held executive roles at Cunard Line and Royal Caribbean International. In his role at Holland America Line, he has overseen the creation of its Culinary Council, Culinary Art Centre and a Culinary Training Center in Manila, the Philippines. He also recently oversaw the launch of Rudi’s Sel de Mer onboard three of the line’s ships and was also commissioned by Carnival Cruise Line to create Rudi’s Seagrill for its new Excel-class ship Mardi Gras.
“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.”