Starting this winter, MSC Cruises will be bringing its guests the additional pleasures and insights of world-class cuisine prepared to perfection by specially-invited celebrity chefs from Spain, Italy, France, the United Kingdom and Germany. You can choose from five delicious cruises, each designed to provide a true gourmet voyage of discovery, beginning with MSC Fantasia on 27 November 2011, continuing with MSC Splendida on January and February 2012 and finishing with MSC Lirica in June.

“We are delighted to have hand picked a group of celebrity chefs from five culinary capitals of the world,” explained Pierfrancesco Vago, Chief Executive Officer of MSC Cruises. “While exploring the most alluring destinations in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe, our guests will be able to enjoy demonstrations and tastings of outstanding European cuisine prepared to the highest gourmet standards on a cruise ship and indeed anywhere on land or sea.”

The celebrity line-up will be bringing their creative magic to the following voyages with MSC Cruises:

MSC Fantasia, 27 November – 8 December 2011

Guests on MSC Fantasia will have the privilege of exploring the finest Spanish cuisine with two-time Michelin Star winner Paco Roncero at the helm.  A specialist master of the different textures and flavours of olive oil, Paco Roncero is acclaimed as a leader of the molecular gastronomy movement. A modern Renaissance man, Paco is the Executive Chef and Manager of Casino de Madrid and Estado Puro, both praised for their innovative spin on traditional favourites, while also being a contributor to the gastronomy section of El Pais, Spain’s leading national daily newspaper and a much-admired star on Spanish television food shows.

MSC Splendida, 7-14 January 2012

In the same tradition that MSC Cruises greets its guests with genuine Italian hospitality, Chef Mauro Uliassi from Italy welcomes lovers of fine food and wine with authentic flavours from his home. With two Michelin Stars under his apron, this master of fish is the co-owner of Uliassi in his hometown, Senigallia, which has won a coveted Three Forks award from the renowned Italian Restaurant guide Gambero Rosso, the “Excellent Cuisine” award and the Accademia della Cucina Italiana’s “Recognition of Magnificence” from 2003 to 2010.

MSC Splendida, 28 January – 4 February 2012

Chef Gilles Epié joins MSC Cruises from France. Awarded a Michelin Star at the age of 22, Epié has seasoned his career with a 10-year tenure in the United States, where he was celebrated as Best Chef by Food & Wine magazine for L’Orangerie in Los Angeles. Gilles will be delighting MSC guests with the acclaimed fusion of French and New World cuisines that can also be found at Epié’s restaurant in Paris, Citrus Etoile.

MSC Splendida, 4-11 February 2012

Celebrity Chef Antony Worrall Thompson from the United Kingdom is familiar to many travellers and food lovers alike from the popular television show “I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here” on ITV.  Always at the forefront of food and health trends, Thompson brings more than 30 years’ leading gastronomic creativity to MSC Splendida’s tables. His latest book, The Essential Low Fat Cookbook: Good Healthy Eating for Everyday, highlights deliciously healthy dishes that are also offered aboard MSC Splendida.  The recipe for his flavourful career includes his first restaurant, Ménage à Trois, which was a favourite of the late Princess Diana.

MSC Lirica, 1-12 June 2012

German Celebrity Chef Kolja Kleeberg will be on board MSC Lirica for a several nights in succession, making the cruise from Hamburg to Amsterdam an experience to savour. Kolja trained in Germany at the restaurant Rino Casati in Cologne, at Le Marron in Bonn and in Switzerland at the restaurant La Punt. In 1996 he opened his own restaurant, VAU in Berlin, serving gastronomic creations that won him a Michelin star and 17 points in the Gault Millau Guide within a year. Kolja’s vision and personality have in addition made him a popular guest on several German TV shows.

So, if you love fine food and wine, there could be no finer choice than MSC Fantasia, MSC Splendida and MSC Lirica for a cruise experience that’s celebrity-special in every way.