One of the most popular themed cruises Windstar has offered over the past decade, its chef-led partnership with the James Beard Foundation, continues in 2025.One of the most popular themed cruises Windstar has offered over the past decade, its chef-led partnership with the James Beard Foundation, continues in 2025.
The five acclaimed chefs — Jamilka Borges, José Mendin, Jennifer Hill Booker, Jennifer Jasinski and, new to Windstar, Amy Brandwein— will bring their regional culinary expertise and signature dishes to sea and host market tours on their itineraries. And it’s more than that: The appeal of Windstar’s culinary-themed cruises, guests can participate in cooking demos, enjoy special dishes inspired by the guest chef, and, one of the most popular activities of all: go shopping with the chef.
If you’re considering a James Beard Foundation cruise in 2025, we thought you might enjoy a rundown on each of the five guest chefs:
March 15, 2025, Caribbean: Windward Ways and Tobago Cays with chef Jamilka Borges
The trip: This seven day Caribbean cruise travels from Aruba’s Oranjestad to Barbados’ Bridgetown. Other destinations include Curacao, Bonaire, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad.
She began her career as prep cook at the industry-leading restaurant Legume and rose to the position of chef de cuisine. After leaving Legume, Borges held executive chef positions in some of the Pittsburgh’s most creative and progressive kitchens: Bar Marco, Spoon, Independent Brewing Company, Hidden Harbor and Lorelei. At each restaurant, Borges discovered another piece of her culinary voice.
Fun facts: “Someone said to me years ago, ‘Oh my God, you’re such a wild child!’ It’s always kind of stayed in the back of my mind. I’ve always done things in a very nontraditional way.”
April 12, 2025, Mediterranean: Spanish Symphony with Chef José Mendin
The trip: On Wind Surf, the eight day Spanish Symphony James Beard itinerary travels from Lisbon to Barcelona, with calls at Cadiz (for Seville), Gibraltar, Malaga, Almeria, Cartagena and Palma de Mallorca.
Your chef: Miami-based chef José Mendin, a native of Puerto Rico, who traveled to Spain to work with chef Jesus Ramior in Valladolid and, later, with chef Juan Pablo Felipe, of Madrid’s Michelin-starred El Chaflan. He also helped open Nobu Miami and Nobu London, with chefs Mark Edwards and Thomas Buckley.
Today, he is owner/partner of Pubbelly Global, which includes a portfolio of restaurants in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Mexico and Paris. He’s a five-time James Beard Award semifinalist.
Fun stuff: Chef Mendin first discovered his interest in cooking while on a volleyball scholarship at college in Puerto Rico. He has appeared as a judge on Telemundo’s MasterChef Latino. And he likes to wind down after a long day by watching episodes of “Seinfeld.”
June 29, 2025, Northern Europe: Baltic Beauty with chef Jennifer Hill Booker
The trip: On this 11 day Baltic cruise from Stockholm to Copenhagen, Star Legend will visit places such as Helsinki, Estonia’s Tallinn, Latvia’s Riga, Sweden’s Visby, Lithuania’s Klaipeda, Poland’s Gdansk and Germany’s Warnemunde.
Your chef: Jennifer Hill Booker, based in Atlanta, is known for adding a French accent to her Southern culinary heritage — all aimed at creating dishes that reflect a seasonal, healthy approach. She trained at Paris’ Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, and has published cookbooks such as “Field Peas to Foie Gras: Southern Recipes with a French Accent,” and “Dinner Déjà Vu: Southern Tonight, French Tomorrow. “ She is president of the prestigious Atlanta chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier International, a member of Slow Food-Atlanta, Atlanta’s No Kid Hungry Atlanta Society, and the James Beard Foundation Food Waste Advisory Council.
Chef Booker has published original recipes in publications such as Waste Not Cookbook, Southern Living, Garden & Gun and Essence. During her Food Network debut, as a finalist on “Cutthroat Kitchen,” she showcased her mélange of French and Southern inspirations.
Fun stuff: In her first illustrated children’s book, “Jelly Fries A Fish For Dinner,” (Tallahatchie Tales, March 2021), Booker highlights the foods of the Mississippi Delta through the eyes of her daughter Jenelle. The chef learned about French cuisine when living in Europe, where her then-husband, a U.S. Army officer, was stationed.
August 27, 2025, Mediterranean: Adriatic Archipelago and Greek Goddesses, with chef Jennifer Jasinski
The trip: This nine-day cruise from Venice to Athens takes place aboard Star Legend. Ports of call include Croatia’s Zadar, Split and Dubrovnik; Montenegro’s Kotor, and Greece’s Corfu, Katakolon and Monemvasia.
Your chef: Denver-based Jennifer Jasinski owns and operates a number of award-winning restaurants such as Rioja, Bistro Vendôme, Ultreia, and Stoic & Genuine. Each restaurant’s cuisine (such as Rioja for Spanish dishes, Bistro Vendôme for French, and Ultreia for tapas and Portuguese petiscos) reflects Jasinki’s passion for travel and global culinary cultures.
The chef was honored with a James Beard award for best chef in the Southwest and was a finalist on Top Chef Masters.
Her philosophy is that a fantastic restaurant experience is more than the cuisine. “You can have great food, but if you have bad service, nobody will come. Our philosophy is simple. On cooking, it’s straightforward: good ingredients, well executed. On the restaurant, it has to be a place where you can come and get taken care of, where the quality of service is always the same, where there is great attention to detail, and the product and service are always thoughtful and considerate. We train our staff to act like they are welcoming someone into their home. I am always out in the dining rooms of my restaurants, talking with guests about the menu, about our products, or about Denver and Colorado.”
Fun stuff: “In high school in Santa Barbara, I was either going to be a chef or a musician,” she said in an interview for Denver.org. “I thought about being a starving artist and figured, if I became a chef, at least I’d always have food! My first cooking job was at Taco Bell.”
October 7, 2027, Canada/New England: Southeast Canadian Explorations with chef Amy Brandwein
The trip: Chef Amy Brandwein is guest chef on the 12-day voyage onboard Star Pride. The cruise from Montreal to New York calls at ports such as Gaspé, Cap-aux-Meules, Louisbourg, Halifax and Portland, Maine.
The Chef: Chef and owner of Washington D.C.’s Centrolina and Piccolina da Centrolina, Brandwein specializes in Italian cuisine through the seasonal lens of the Mid-Atlantic growing seasons. She’s dedicated to using responsibly and locally sourced ingredients and has been an early partner of DC Urban Greens, a nonprofit urban farm located in Ward 7 and 8, that provides fresh and affordable produce to the local community (Centrolina and Piccolina are DC Urban Green’s only wholesale clients).
An advocate for charities that support healthy eating and ending hunger, Brandwein is also an active supporter of World Central Kitchen, DC Central Kitchen, Martha’s Table, and So Others Might Eat. She is a longtime member of Les Dames d’Escoffier, James Beard Foundation Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Program, Regarding Her, and a mentor at The LEE Initiative.
Fun stuff: Chef Brandwein is a fierce advocate for supporting women in the restaurant business; Centrolina, according to The Huffington Post, has a 100 percent female leadership team.
Editor’s Note: For more information on Windstar’s 10 year partnership with the James Beard Foundation, check out our Q&A with Peter Tobler.
