Princess Cruises today announced that Sami Kohen has been named vice president of food & beverage overseeing the line’s culinary operations. Kohen will join Princess Aug. 29 and will report directly to President John Padgett, according to a press release.
“Great cruise vacations and exceptional food and beverage go hand in hand and Princess is fortunate to have access to the best culinary talent and the most sophisticated on-demand location-based capabilities in the world,” said Padgett. “Sami is a distinguished food and beverage operations leader who not only has deep cruise industry experience, but also has operated high volume lifestyle restaurants with elite hospitality brands and has been a service innovator leader as a micro-fulfillment ghost kitchen developer and operator.”
Kohen started his career at sea onboard Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth 2, Royal Viking Line and Crystal Cruises progressing from sommelier, head waiter and maître d’ and then continued shoreside as a food and beverage controller and operations director with Crystal Cruises and Celebrity Cruises through the Apollo Group.
He also served as hotel director for Kyma Ship Management serving the Japanese luxury charter market.
Moving to the terrestrial service industry, Kohen opened and operated high volume lifestyle restaurants and lounge operations as well as oversaw seven luxury hotel food and beverage operations under SBE group helping cultivate new culinary and beverage concepts with Michelin star chefs Such as Dani Garcia, Iron Chef Morimoto and Dario Cecchini. His shoreside experience also includes chief operating officer for Wired Kitchens which builds and operates 850 “ghost kitchens” nationwide supporting micro-fulfillment multi-brand on-demand food services.
Kohen holds a Master of Science from Istanbul University School of Business in Istanbul, Turkey; a Certified F&B Operations Manager and Food & Beverage Management Certificate from Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., and a Food & Beverage Controller Certificate from the American Hotel & Motel Association Education Center.
