Hi and welcome aboard CruiseGourmet. After ten years of reviewing cruise ships around the world, it occurred to me there was no publication dedicated to the aspect of cruising I like the most...food!

While the subject has always gotten a lot of marketing spin, no one has ever really put cruise cuisine center stage...until now! Sure, there's been plenty written about the extraordinary number of meals served daily and the endless number of eggs used during a week-long cruise. And I suppose the numbers are impressive (especially to an army mess sergeant who can relate to sheer volume), but what is the experience like on an individual basis? Can a cruise vacation be less about destination and more about the culinary experience? You bet it can!

On almost every ship there is at least one culinary demonstration during a cruise. Several cruise lines offer theme cruises featuring cooking demonstrations and instruction with celebrity chefs. CruiseGourmet plans on hosting a few of those in the future.

I think most people are interested in what goes on behind the scenes. We hope to share some of that with you. But don't expect an expose like "Kitchen Confidential", Anthony Bourdain's rowdy sex and drug romp that tempts the reader with juicy tidbits about the sex lives (and drug preferences) of a number of well-known chefs'...... would you really want Julia Child kneading your dough?

However, we will be introducing you to a number of shipboard chefs and sharing some of their favorite recipes and cooking hints with you. We will also be sharing a number of recipes from CruiseGourmet recommended restaurants in favorite ports of call. Our "Ship to Shore" feature gives you the opportunity to request a recipe from a particular ship you've enjoyed. I also encourage you to let us know what aspects of dining at sea interest you.

While you're at it, we encourage you to share with us some of your favorite dining experiences at sea and on land along with photos if available. I am sure your fellow readers would appreciate your recommendations for ports of call restaurants along with your suggestions as to what to avoid and why. If you have a favorite recipe from the "galley" in your own home let us know...we'll share it with our readers and with some of the ship lines.

Our CruiseGourmet shop will feature a variety of boutique food, wine, and cooking items you can order directly for home delivery. If you have a favorite specialty item from your area, let us know and we will add it to the "shelf".

I recently mentioned my idea for a magazine devoted to dining at sea to a fellow travel journalist. Her immediate response was "It won't last long, the food on ships is so bad!" Well Kaye, my palate says otherwise. Let CruiseGourmet see what the cruise lines, their executive chefs, and lovers of cooking and good meals in far away places have to say. I'm confident you will be proven wrong.

Bon Voyage and Bon Appetite,

Arnold S. Boris
Editor-in-Chief

PS I would like to dedicate this internet publication to Philip Sousa, a renowned travel journalist and dear friend who encouraged me to pursue what he referred to as "this unique and wonderful concept".