Atlas Ocean Voyages Locks In Seven-Chef Lineup for 2027 Epicurean Sailings

Atlas Ocean Voyages has named eight guest chefs and wine experts across at least 14 dated sailings on its 2027 Epicurean Expeditions program, with Food Network champion Crista Luedtke and Food & Wine Contributing Editor Anthony Giglio joining as the two new additions to the roster.

The program runs across all three of the line's ships — World Traveller, World Navigator and World Voyager — and turns cuisine into the selling proposition: each sailing is built around the flavors, ingredients and culinary traditions of the regions on the itinerary. For sellers of travel, that gives the product a clear differentiation hook in the crowded small-ship expedition segment.

"Our Epicurean Expeditions celebrate the connection between cuisine, culture and discovery," said James A. Rodriguez, president and CEO of Atlas Ocean Voyages.

What do the new names bring?

Luedtke makes her Atlas debut on an eight-night World Traveller sailing from Las Palmas to Málaga, departing April 15, 2027, covering the Canary Islands, Morocco and southern Spain. She's a chef, restaurateur and Food Network champion, and Rodriguez credits her with "a passion for seasonal ingredients and the relationship between food and place."

Giglio joins as a featured Guest Wine Expert on a nine-night voyage from Livorno to Dubrovnik departing August 20, 2027. His programming spans Mediterranean wine, from Tuscan vineyards and the wines of Corsica and Sardinia to Sicily's volcanic terroir and emerging producers in Montenegro. Rodriguez said Giglio has "an extraordinary ability to make wine approachable through the stories of the people and regions behind every bottle."

Who's returning, and where?

The bulk of the calendar rests on repeat names, which matters for agents who've sold the program before:

• Massimo Capra — three voyages: World Navigator on April 17 (Canary Islands and Madeira) and April 27 (Las Palmas to Lisbon), plus an eight-night World Traveller sailing from Monte Carlo to Lisbon on October 9.
• Bobby Marcotte — a nine-night World Voyager expedition from Seville to Casablanca on April 16, focused on Andalusia and Morocco.
• Philip "Ippy" Aiona — back-to-back spring sailings: Málaga to Nice on April 23 and Nice to Naples on May 1, both on World Traveller.
• Martin Gimenez Castro — a May 7 Lisbon-to-Bordeaux run on World Navigator covering Atlantic-coast food cultures, and an 11-night Athens roundtrip on World Traveller from June 27 across the Greek Islands and Turkish coast.
• Anna Wilamowska — the pastry anchor, with three departures: World Voyager on April 6 (Las Palmas to Seville), World Traveller on June 7 (Naples to Athens) and August 20 (Livorno to Dubrovnik, pairing desserts with Italian and Adriatic wines).
• Julieta Davey — a seven-night World Traveller sailing from Naples to Valletta on May 9, built around Sicilian pastries and Malta's confectionery traditions.

Note the August 20 overlap: Giglio and Wilamowska sail the same Livorno–Dubrovnik departure, so that voyage carries a dual culinary-and-wine pitch.

The itineraries cluster heavily around the Mediterranean, the Adriatic and the Atlantic shoulder of Iberia and Morocco — routes where food-and-wine storytelling is easiest to sell and where Atlas faces direct competition from established culinary cruise programs. There are no pricing or capacity figures in the announcement, so the commercial lift of the chef program can't yet be measured against bookings. For now, the lineup gives trade partners a dated, name-driven calendar to build 2027 luxury sales around.