Princess Cruises Chefs Take Home Culinary Prizes at Bacardi Bartender and Chef Cruise Competition

Pacific Princess and Coral Princess Passengers Can Taste Winning Creations

Thanks to creative use of red snapper and deep-fried sushi, two Princess Cruises chefs have taken first place in two culinary categories at the Sixth Annual Bacardi Bartender & Chef Cruise Competition.

Pacific Princess Executive Chef Antonio Cortese received top honors in the "Heart Healthy" category for his Red Snapper Mojito, while Coral Princess Sous Chef Abelardo Alvarez won the "Vegetarian" category with his Deep Fried Sushi with Bacardi Wasabi Emulsion and Spicy Kimchi.

The award-winning recipes were selected from more than 1,600 entries submitted for the prestigious beverage and culinary competition. Using criteria such as presentation, taste, creativity, appeal and ease of preparation, a judging panel of culinary experts winnowed down the field and chose the best recipe in each of five categories.

Passengers aboard Pacific Princess during her just-launched world cruise will have an opportunity to sample Executive Chef Cortese's Red Snapper Mojito when it is served as a special heart-healthy appetizer. Chef Alvarez's winning entry, Deep Fried Sushi with Bacardi Wasabi Emulsion and Spicy Kimchi will also be served to passengers on a regular basis on board Coral Princess.

"We're tremendously proud of both chefs for demonstrating such culinary excellence," said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises executive vice president. "It's always a great honor to be singled out from one's peers and receive industry acknowledgement of the creativity that enhances our passengers' experience. We congratulate them on this achievement."

The Bacardi Bartender & Chef Cruise Competition, an international event open to all bartenders and chefs in the cruise and ferry industry, requires bartenders and chefs to create original recipes using Bacardi products. The goals of the competition are to "support the cruise industry and its talented artisans, recognize innovation onboard the world's best cruise and ferry lines, and foster a path for staff to further their trade expertise".