Celebrity Cruises Bites Into The Big Apple

MIAMI, FL – October 10, 2013 – This October, Celebrity Cruises is taking its award-winning cuisine to New York City in a series of land-based events designed to give food and wine enthusiasts a glimpse into its modern luxury approach to culinary innovation. A health food trends panel at NYC’s Michelin-starred Rouge Tomate, dinner at the legendary James Beard House, and a sponsorship of the iconic Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival presented by FOOD & WINE will give New Yorkers an opportunity to interact with Celebrity’s talented team of culinarians, and taste the modern luxury vacation brand’s artfully presented, leading-edge cuisine.

Today, Celebrity started its culinary tour through New York by assembling a culinary thought leadership panel comprised of chefs and nutritionists, to discuss health food trends in luxury dining today. Moderated by Food & Wine editor-in-chief Dana Cowin, the panel discussion reached in-person attendees representing food influencers, such as bloggers, reporters, and other chefs and nutritionists. The event was shared with Celebrity’s social media followers. Celebrity’s onboard partnership with SPE Certified, a unique certification program that is defining a new way to eat by enhancing the nutritional quality of meals without sacrificing taste, inspired the discussion, along with growing culinary trends around vegetables and other healthful ingredients. Celebrity’s associate vice president of food and beverage operations, Chef John Suley, joined Marc Murphy, chef and owner of Benchmarc Restaurants and Benchmarc Events, Jeremy Bearman, corporate executive chef for SPE Certified and Rouge Tomate, and Natalia Hancock, R.D., SPE Certified’s senior culinary nutritionist, on the panel.

On October 12, Suley will headline Celebrity’s return to the legendary James Beard House, where his team will present “A Taste of Modern Luxury,” featuring recipes from onboard Celebrity’s ships as well as new creations, and wine pairings curated by Celebrity’s corporate sommelier, Chanelle Duarte, CSW. Joined by Celebrity’s team of corporate executive chefs, Suley will delight James Beard Foundation members and other guests with a delectable menu, as they did when Celebrity was the first cruise line to cook dinner at the James Beard House in 2012.

Wine is at the heart of Celebrity’s sponsorship of the 2013 Food Network New York City Wine and & Food Festival, where Celebrity Cruises will present Wine Seminars and Pairing Series Seminars hosted by FOOD & WINE. The series will feature the world’s top sommeliers, cellar masters, wine critics, authors, James Beard Award-winning chefs, and other culinary industry leaders. Tastings will cover a wide range of insights into topics such as tips and tasting into the “grape unknown” – unusual grape varieties, and learning the best way to taste and analyze champagne.

At the Grand Tasting presented by ShopRite, guests will enjoy the ultimate culinary showcase for any foodie, including all-day tastings provided by NYC’s top restaurants and chefs. Celebrity's culinary team – led by Suley – will feature the ship-inspired “Lawn Club Grill” experience, serving up their very own take on a classic dish, soup and grilled cheese: Roasted Kabocha Squash Soup, Iberico ham, toasted Hazelnut, Sourdough Croutons and Raclette & Leek Grilled Cheese.

The Food Network Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival presented by FOOD & WINE is October 17-20, 2013. The Celebrity Cruises Wine Seminars and Pairing Series hosted by FOOD & WINE are October 19-20. The Grand Tasting presented by ShopRite is October 19-20.  All proceeds from the Festival benefit the hunger relief organizations Food Bank For New York City and Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry® campaign.

The James Beard House dinner and Food Network New York City Wine and & Food Festival are open to members of the public; tickets are for sale at www.jamesbeard.org and www.nycwff.org, respectively.

About Celebrity Cruises:
Celebrity Cruises’ iconic “X” is the mark of modern luxury, with its cool, contemporary design and warm spaces; dining experiences where the design of the venues is as important as the cuisine; and the amazing service that only Celebrity can provide, all created to provide an unmatchable experience for vacationers’ precious time. Celebrity Cruises' 11 ships offer modern luxury vacations visiting all seven continents. Celebrity also presents immersive cruisetour experiences in Alaska, Australia/New Zealand, Canada, Europe and South America. Celebrity is one of five cruise brands operated by global cruise vacation company Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE, OSE: RCL). For more information, dial 1-800-437-3111, visit www.celebritycruises.com, or call your travel agent.