Silversea Enhances Its S.A.L.T. Culinary Experience

It's been five years since luxury cruise line Silversea really upped its dining and drinks game with the rollout of its S.A.L.T. (Sea and Land Taste) program. Led by former Saveur editor Adam Sachs, this progressive culinary and cocktail concept has become a defining hallmark of Silversea ships. His large network of master chefs and food connoisseurs has carefully selected global flavors that showcase destinations Silversea's fleet travels to, richly enhancing the cruise experience with regional cuisines and beverages.

With the launch of Silver Nova and Silver Ray, the S.A.L.T. program has massively grown. In these ships, the S.A.L.T. Lab and S.A.L.T. Bar will move up to Deck 10, offering ocean views and a much more relaxed atmosphere. Now, the Lab will host intimate dinners with breathtaking views; guests can now dine and take in sunset views while they cook and learn. Guest chef João Sá of Lisbon's Sála de João Sá was on board recently to showcase his Angolan-inspired cuisine as part of the launch sailing for Silver Ray.

The S.A.L.T. Bar complements the dining experience with handcrafted cocktails and local beverages that change to match the ship's current location. These include, for example, the Rebujito, a refreshing summer drink from Iberia, and Gin Mare, botanical gin from Catalonia, which demonstrate how the program incorporates local flavors into the onboard experience.

The S.A.L.T. Kitchen, available on four Silversea ships, added terrain and voyage menus to its offering, which change depending on whether the ship is in port or at sea. Such a change, with all the diversity of cuisines presented, maintaining authenticity and quality is a change that requires intensive planning and logistical coordination.

Even Silversea's old reliable restaurants are different now; La Dame offers a plant-based tasting menu created in collaboration with French chef Jean-Luc Rabanel and his "greenstronomy." The Silver Note switched gears toward live entertainment, moving the piano and vocalist center stage to better complement dinner. The premium Duval-Leroy Champagne is now poured at the Deck 3 Shelter bar, chosen by Silversea's wine ambassador Lawrence D'Almeida in concert with Adam Sachs.

Even the shoreside excursions have become more immersive, with dedicated S.A.L.T. themes. Those sailing on the Lisbon christening voyage of the Silver Ray could visit the Casal Santa Maria winery, famous both for its historic origins and picture-postcard setting, or tour production of cheese, wine, and olive oil in the Azeitão area. Unique to these experiences is a lunch featuring fungi themes with José Maria Velhinho, who will share his knowledge about wild mushrooms and how to cook them.

In that respect, the S.A.L.T. program helps Silversea cruise line fulfill its promise of sophisticated dining with a rich cultural component by bringing local flavors and culinary knowledge on board to enrich the luxury offering.