JRE-Jeunes Restaurateurs announced partnership with Swan Hellenic to create Maris, a unique experience of exceptional dining and discovery through the senses, lived with the gourmet organisation’s world-famous chefs.
Maris brings a different JRE chefs aboard in a series of exclusive cultural expedition cruises on Swan Hellenic’s elegant designer ships SH Vega and SH Diana. The JRE chefs take guests on a parallel voyage of discovery, exploring the celebrated culinary creativity that has made their name, driven by a passion for tradition, sustainability and quality local ingredients.
Serving a different characteristically astonishing signature dish every night, the JRE chef builds to the climax of an extraordinary Gala Dinner created to showcase their creativity and skills. What’s more, the JRE chef also puts on a cooking show that reveals select secrets of their art and leads gastronomic excursions ashore to explore the local culinary traditions and specialities. Maris weaves the insights of the specialist lectures on board with shore excursions in which guests explore and savour local hunting and fishing, farming, foraging and culinary traditions and cultures in the company of world-famous chefs, benefiting from their expert perspective. And, of course, every Maris chef also mixes and socialises with guests throughout their voyage in the Swan Hellenic cultural expedition cruise tradition. It is this extraordinary combination that makes Maris an irresistible new experience in high-end cruise gastronomy.
The JRE-Jeunes Restaurateurs star chefs lined up for the first series of Maris sailings include, in order of sailing, Sabina Repovž from Slovenia (together with husband Grega, awarded Best Sommelier Slovenia 2021 by Gault & Millau – SH Diana), Edwin Soumang from the Netherlands (Michelin Star – SH Diana), Michael Ammon from Germany (also Michelin-starred – SH Diana), Andreas Hillejan from Germany (again Michelin-starred – SH Vega), Manfred Kofler from Italy (SH Vega), Manu Núñez from Spain (SH Vega), Arjan Kuipers from the Netherlands (SH Vega), Tomaž Bratovž from Slovenia (whose restaurant is his country’s first in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants – SH Vega), Carles Ramon from Spain (SH Vega), Daniel Lehmann from Switzerland (SH Diana), Clément Bidard from France (Michelin-starred for 9 years – SH Diana), Borja Marrero from Spain (Michelin Green Star in 2023 – SH Diana) and Luca Marchini from Italy (also Michelin-starred – SH Diana).
“We are delighted to partner with Swan Hellenic,” said Daniel Lehmann, President of JRE-Jeunes Restaurateurs. “This is a unique opportunity for us to bring our international gastronomic expertise to discriminating connoisseurs on exceptional voyages around the world”.
Swan Hellenic CEO Andrea Zito commented: “Swan Hellenic and JRE-Jeunes Restaurateurs are united by an uncompromising quest to share experiences of the exceptional. So we’re both delighted with how our Maris cruises are set to take the explorations of Swan Hellenic guests into new territory of gastronomic and cultural discovery. We’re confident that Maris is going to exceed all expectations and can’t wait to hear our guests’ reactions.”
Chef and sommelier pairing Sabina and Grega Repovž set Maris in motion on the 15th of April, when they boarded Swan Hellenic’s newest and largest purpose-designed ship, SH Diana, for the cultural expedition cruise Mysteries of Carthage and the Moors.
But the official launch will be celebrated with a sumptuous Gala Dinner aboard SH Diana as part of her Christening Ceremony Events in Amsterdam on Thursday the 4th of May. Three JRE-Jeunes Restaurateurs chefs will showcase the extraordinary creative variety of Maris gastronomy to mark the occasion: Edwin Soumang (Restaurant One, The Netherlands), Daniel Canzian (Ristorante Daniel Canzian, Italy), and Michael Ammon (Gasthof Jakob, Germany).
About JRE-Jeunes Restaurateurs
JRE-Jeunes Restaurateurs is an association of young restaurateurs and chefs with one common goal in mind: to share our talent and love for food with like-minded individuals. We are proud to have over 375 restaurants and 160 hotels, spread across 15 different countries.
Our JRE-Jeunes Restaurateurs chefs all combine a deep passion for food with an outstanding level of culinary expertise, as well as a love for local ingredients and a strong sense of tradition. In addition to their outstanding cooking skills, their restaurants also provide a truly captivating atmosphere.
The whole concept revolves around JRE’s desire to share, inspire, and encourage the passionate pursuit of food. When you eat at a JRE restaurant, you are encouraged to take advantage of this collective passion. Expect an extraordinary culinary event that will surely be as enjoyable as it is memorable. For more information about JRE-Jeunes Restaurateurs, please visit https://www.jre.eu/
About Swan Hellenic
Swan Hellenic was relaunched in July 2020 to proudly continue the spirit of cultural expedition cruising the company pioneered in the 1950s. Building on its British roots, the new company has a global cultural cruising outlook dedicated to providing guests with the opportunity to see what others don’t.
Swan Hellenic’s purpose-built ships feature elegant Scandi-design interiors, extensive outdoor spaces and dedicated expedition facilities. SH Minerva and SH Vega, two new 5-star Polar Code PC 5 expedition cruise ships with ice-strengthened hulls, launched in December 2021 and July 2022 respectively, each accommodate 152 guests in 76 spacious suites and staterooms, the majority with large balconies. A slightly larger PC 6 ice-class vessel, SH Diana, accommodating 192 guests in the same distinctive comfort and style in 96 staterooms and suites, will be arriving in May 2023.
All three ships feature 3 dining venues – the Swan Restaurant, Club Lounge and Pool Bar & Grill – and are being built in full compliance with SOLAS Safe Return to Port requirements. Dedicated to guests with a passion for adventure and cultural exploration, the company’s meticulously planned itineraries explore the wild landscapes, wildlife, people and unique cultures of the world’s less travelled regions. For more information about Swan Hellenic, please visit www.swanhellenic.com