Silversea’s new culinary programme Sea and Land Taste
- Written by Emma Brown
NEW S.A.L.T. PROGRAMME SET TO REVOLUTIONISE CULINARY TRAVEL FOR SILVERSEA’S GUESTS ON SILVER MOON
Silversea’s new culinary programme, S.A.L.T. (Sea and Land Taste), is set to revolutionise culinary travel for the cruise line’s guests, when it launches with new ship Silver Moon in August 2020. The pioneering concept will enable travellers to use food to dive deep into the world’s richest cultures, to truly understand the soul of a destination. Between 8 March and 21 March 2019, a select group of culinary enthusiasts were given a taster for the new S.A.L.T. programme as part of a special pilot, enjoying a number of immersive culinary experiences on two Silver Muse voyages in Asia. The response to the pilot was remarkably strong, indicating the success of the concept and the demand for immersive culinary travel.
Taking guests on a journey of culinary discovery, Silver Moon will showcase an entire ecosystem around the food cultures of the world through the S.A.L.T. programme. The ship’s guests will dine on fine cuisine in eight restaurants—each with a distinct concept, from Silversea’s signature Hot Rocks concept at The Grill to authentic Japanese fare served in Kaiseki; the most immersive dining experience offered aboard, however, will be enjoyed in the S.A.L.T. Kitchen—a space entirely dedicated to the authentic flavours of sailed destinations. Replacing the space previously occupied by Indochine, the S.A.L.T. Kitchen will offer an ever-changing menu and a regionally inspired wine list to enable diners to form meaningful connections with local cultures. In the S.A.L.T. Bar, which will adjoin the S.A.L.T. Kitchen, guests will enjoy regional drinks to better engage with destinations.
This holistic approach to culinary exploration will be enriched in Silver Moon’s S.A.L.T. Lab, another new space in which Silversea’s guests will deep-dive into regional food cultures under the tutorage of expert local chefs and industry authorities. The S.A.L.T. Lab will take the place of La Dame, which will be repositioned to deck 8, where the expanded restaurant will accommodate almost triple its previous capacity. In Silver Moon’s S.A.L.T. Lab, Silversea’s guests will learn about local ingredients and artisanal techniques, through insightful workshops, tastings, and demonstrations. Here, authenticity will be top of the menu and themed experiences will adapt according to the region in which guests are sailing.
Travellers will experience the world’s food cultures first-hand on shore excursions, before returning to the ship to really dissect the experience. On the programme’s pilot, for example, guests discovered the history, conventions, and secrets of Balinese cuisine, while cruising between Bali and Sandakan, Malaysia. Food expert and member of Ubud’s Royal Family, Maya Kerthyasa shared stories of her grandmother’s traditional recipes and hosted a spice paste workshop, in which participants were educated on the region’s food culture through a hands-on cooking experience.
From Silver Moon, Silversea’s guests will also develop their knowledge of the world’s food cultures through unique land-based experiences. In Bali, for example, travellers participating on the S.A.L.T. pilot programme experienced authentic culinary practices that have been passed down from generation to generation: guests ventured into the Balinese jungle to sample wild honey – which was collected especially for the occasion – and other indigenous ingredients.
A three-time winner of the prestigious James Beard Journalism Award and former Editor-in-Chief of Saveur magazine, Adam Sachs will oversee Silversea’s S.A.L.T. programme, utilising his journalistic experience and knowledge of food to share the world’s most engaging culinary stories with guests.
“The feedback from our recent preview sailings between Bali and Singapore has been really fantastic and underscores what a unique and compelling experience S.A.L.T. brings to culinary-focused travel,” says Sachs. “By connecting customised shore excursions with fascinating lectures and hands-on onboard cooking experiences, we allow guests to come away with a more thorough understanding and appreciation for the taste, cultures and foodways of the places we’re visiting. We’re looking at every itinerary of Silver Moon’s inaugural season and asking ourselves ‘what story does the food and drink of this country and region tell? How can we create an experience that helps get at the heart of what makes each place special? What are the can’t-miss tastes and ingredients here?’ We’re taking an investigative, adventurous and open-minded approach to culinary travel and we can’t wait to share these tastes and experiences with our guests.”
“At Silversea, we are all about travelling deeper in luxury, and we really see S.A.L.T. as a primary programme to deliver this concept,” says Barbara Muckermann, Silversea’s Chief Marketing Officer. “Silver Moon will showcase an entire ecosystem around culinary discovery through this unique programme, which is very different from what the industry has been doing so far. Our guests share a common passion for food, but what they really love about food is that it’s an amazing key to get under a culture, to understand the soul of a destination.”
Once launched, Silver Moon will be a sister ship to the cruise line’s flagship, Silver Muse, mirroring the ship’s whispered luxury and Italian elegance to offer guests a superlatively comfortable cruise experience. Maintaining the small-ship intimacy and spacious all-suite accommodation that are the hallmarks of the Silversea experience, Silver Moon will unlock deep travel experiences for guests, as they enjoy Silversea’s industry-leading service. Enriching the experience are such all-inclusive amenities as complimentary wines, champagne, and spirits, speciality coffees, bottled water, juices and soft drinks served throughout the ship; an in-suite bar, stocked with guests' preferences; in-suite 24-hour dining; and unlimited complimentary Wi-Fi. 
