What Impressed Six of the U.S.’ Best Chefs about Oceania’s Newest Cruise Ship

In an unconventional move for the normally traditional Oceania Cruises, the cruise line chose six alumni of Food & Wine Magazine’s Best New Chefs as the collective godparent for its newest cruise ship, Allura. The six chefs had the honor of naming the vessel and then sailing onboard for a short three-day cruise where they got to check out all of the line’s culinary offerings.

To say they were impressed would be an understatement.

“I’m still dreaming about the scalloped mousse with the caviar on top,” said Chef Katie Button, a 2015 Food & Wine Best New Chef and five-times James Beard Award nominee. Button, who is best known as the chef and founder of Asheville’s Curate restaurant group, spoke as part of panel at a Town Hall-style presentation during the cruise.

“I think the steak [a Japanese a5 beef wagyu] last night was fire. I made the perfect bite. There were enough mushrooms, enough sauce. I think I sprinkled a little salt and black pepper on it and it was the perfect bite,” added Chef Tavel Bristol-Joseph, a 2020 Food & Wine Best New Chef, and partner, pastry chef, and director of hospitality for Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group, overseeing seven concepts across Austin and San Antonio, several of which have Michelin stars.

But while all the chef’s agreed that the food they’d eaten so far during the cruise was “crazy good” – as Chef Calvin Eng said – it was the attention to detail and the flawless execution of all the culinary operations that had them all the most amazed.

“I’m truly blown away at the level of detail here,” said Chef George Mendes, a 2001 Food & Wine Best New Chef and the executive chef/owner of the Michelin-starred Aldea from 2009 to 2020, and the mind behind the launch of all culinary operations at Raffles Hotel in 2023.

“As chefs and restaurant owners, we pay attention to everything, the food, the lighting, the smell of a restaurant, the flowers, the textures, and that same level of detail is present on this ship… there’s a level of luxuriousness but it’s still very deeply human. There’s warmth, there’s true comfort. It’s really amazing,” he added.

Chef Button agreed. “The quality and attention to detail and the quantity of people being served at the level of hospitality is absolutely mind-blowing. We do all know deeply what goes into the preparation of each of the dishes that are being made for us… and it is incredible the level that this team is executing at.”

Speaking specifically of the gala night, when every guest onboard was served at the same time in restaurants across the ship, Chef Eng – a 2022 Food & Wine Best New Chef, owner of Bonnie’s, a Cantonese American restaurant in Brooklyn, and a two-time James Beard semifinalist for Best Chef: New York State – said “It was so impressive to execute that many dishes at that level so consistently.”

Chef Aisha Ibramhim, a 2023 Food & Wine Best New Chef and the first female executive chef at Seattle’s Canlis Restaurant, where she served until 2025, was also impressed by the level of detail. Speaking of the button Chantrelle mushrooms on the steak, she pointed out how difficult it is to clean these types of mushrooms.

“They were all perfectly clean. That level of detail is something that I very much cherish and appreciate. The level of intentionality and hospitality that I have felt in these last 48 hours, whether it’s the detail in cleaning mushrooms to every bit of engagement with the team has been so heartfelt. I’m so impressed and so excited for Allura.”