Regent Seven Seas Cruises is raising the bar for foodie travellers with the launch of its new Epicurean Enrichment Studio, an immersive culinary concept debuting exclusively on Seven Seas Mariner and Seven Seas Voyager from 2026. Designed as state‑of‑the‑art culinary theatres at sea, the studios will connect guests to destinations through flavour, history, and storytelling, turning each voyage into a rolling masterclass in regional cuisine. The first studio will appear on Seven Seas Mariner in time for the 2026 World Cruise, with Seven Seas Voyager following from May 2026.
A New Era of Culinary Enrichment at Sea
Created by Executive Chef and Director of Culinary Enrichment, Kathryn Kelly, the Epicurean Enrichment Studio reflects Regent’s belief that meaningful travel and great food are inseparable. The line is investing in multi‑million‑dollar refurbishments to transform existing spaces — Stars’ Lounge on Seven Seas Mariner and the Club.com area and boutique on Seven Seas Voyager — into dedicated culinary hubs. These purpose‑built venues will host small‑group, chef‑led sessions where guests can taste, learn and engage, from spice blending masterclasses in Indian‑inspired workshops to guided tastings of Mediterranean olive oils.
Each cruise will begin with an open‑house sparkling wine reception, giving guests the chance to meet the resident culinary team and secure spots in their preferred classes, tastings and tours. The aim is to create an atmosphere that feels more like an intimate cooking school or food salon than a traditional cruise demo, with plenty of conversation, interaction and regional context.
Five Pillars of the Epicurean Enrichment Studio
At the heart of the new concept are five interconnected pillars that structure the onboard culinary journey: Epicurean Passport Series, Chef’s Circle, Chef’s Table, Chef‑Led Epicurean Enrichment Tours, and Chef‑Hosted Dining. Together, they offer a layered mix of learning, hands‑on participation and destination immersion, tailored to ultra‑luxury guests who want more than simple cooking classes.
The program is designed so guests can dip into one pillar or build a full “epicurean arc” across their voyage. Someone might start with a regional lecture, join a chef on a market visit ashore, then sit down to an invitation‑only dinner showcasing those same ingredients back on board. This structure gives the experience both depth and flexibility, letting travellers shape their own culinary story.
Epicurean Passport Series: Taste the World Region by Region
The cornerstone of the new studio is the Epicurean Passport Series, a collection of destination‑focused sessions that explore a region’s culinary heritage, signature ingredients and defining dishes. Each module focuses on a specific culinary region — more than 20 in total — including Polynesia, Southeast Asia, Iberia, India and Patagonia, among others. Guests learn about local techniques and flavours while tasting their way through recipes and regional products.
Participants receive a keepsake “passport” stamped as they complete each region, along with illustrated recipe handouts to take home. It’s a playful but meaningful way to track their culinary journey across multiple cruises, encouraging repeat guests to build a broader global palate over time. For many, the passport will become a tangible record of the recipes, regions and memories discovered at sea.
Chef’s Circle: Enrichment Beyond the Plate
Available exclusively to travellers taking part in the Epicurean Passport Series, Chef’s Circle adds another layer of engagement with a rotating calendar of events tailored to each itinerary. Depending on the region and the chef on board, guests might join epicurean trivia nights, attend author‑hosted book readings and signings, or take part in expert‑led mixology classes.
Film screenings and storytelling sessions deepen the context around local food culture, linking dishes to history, geography and tradition. Rather than one‑off lectures, Chef’s Circle is designed as a living program that evolves from voyage to voyage, ensuring regular Regent guests always find something new and relevant on the schedule.
Chef’s Table: Intimate Lectures and Live Cooking
Chef’s Table combines two complementary elements: small‑group culinary lectures and relaxed, demonstration‑style cooking sessions. The lecture component dives into specialised topics that appeal to serious food lovers, such as “Olive Oils 101” or “Spices of the World,” giving guests the chance to ask detailed questions and taste their way through premium ingredients.
The cooking demonstrations then bring those flavours to life with dishes that reflect the region the ship is visiting. Think a paella masterclass while cruising Spain, fragrant biryani when sailing near India, or Scandinavian gravlax preparation in northern Europe. The tone is convivial rather than classroom‑strict, encouraging guests to interact with the chef, taste components along the way and leave with skills they can actually use at home.
Chef‑Led Epicurean Enrichment Tours Ashore
The culinary immersion continues off the ship with a collection of more than 70 chef‑led shore excursions specifically curated for the Epicurean Enrichment Studio program. These tours take guests into the heart of local food culture — from bustling markets and family‑run kitchens to respected vineyards and artisan producers — always accompanied by a Regent chef.
Back on board, optional post‑tour recap sessions in the studio give travellers the chance to debrief the experience, taste related ingredients and link what they’ve seen ashore to dishes served on the ship. This “field‑to‑table” approach is designed to make the connection between destination and dining feel seamless, turning every port call into a practical ingredient in the overall culinary narrative of the voyage.
Chef‑Hosted Dining: The Most Exclusive Seats on the Ship
For an even more intimate experience, Chef‑Hosted Dining brings a select group of guests together with members of the culinary team for invitation‑only evenings in Regent’s speciality restaurants. With seating capped at eight guests, these dinners feel like private supper clubs rather than typical cruise ship events. Each night begins with a cocktail hour, during which the chef introduces the menu, shares insights into the sourcing and techniques behind the dishes, and highlights how the cuisine ties into current destinations.
The menus themselves are crafted to showcase both regional flavours and the creative strengths of the onboard team, often incorporating ingredients discovered on recent market tours or inspired by that itinerary’s Epicurean Passport regions. For food‑focused travellers, these are likely to become some of the most coveted experiences on board.
Inspired by Regent’s Culinary Arts Kitchen Success
The Epicurean Enrichment Studio builds on the strong track record of Regent’s Culinary Arts Kitchen, already a standout feature on Seven Seas Explorer, Seven Seas Grandeur and Seven Seas Splendor. That earlier concept proved that ultra‑luxury cruise guests value hands‑on, thoughtfully designed culinary programming just as much as fine dining itself. By extending and refining the idea on Seven Seas Mariner and Seven Seas Voyager, Regent is creating a fleet‑wide ecosystem of elevated food experiences.
As the studios roll out from 2026, travellers can expect Regent’s world cruises and longer itineraries in particular to become even richer for gastronomes, with multiple opportunities to pair destination discovery with serious culinary learning. Guests and travel advisors can find further details, sailing dates and booking information through Regent’s website RSSC.com/epicurean-studio, contact centre or preferred travel professionals, ensuring food lovers can plan their next voyage around this new benchmark in culinary enrichment at sea.
