Want to cook like Jacques Pepin? Oceania Cruises adds 20 new classes

If you want to learn a few gourmet cooking techniques on your next cruise, Oceania Cruises can help.

The Miami-based small-ship cruise line on Thursday announced the addition of 20 new classes at its Culinary Center cooking school at sea.

Oceania has strong ties to the culinary world. Chef Jacques Pepin serves as the company’s executive culinary director for food across its fleet of six ships, and there’s the French bistro Jacques, named in his honor, on the Marina and Riviera ships.

Passengers can take classes at the Culinary Center, a professional-style kitchen with individual work stations. It’s staffed by chefs trained at the Culinary Institute of America.

The cruise line plans to add:

--a two-day immersion class in basic techniques that’s capped off with team competitions to create dishes that are judged by on-board chefs.

--a class that teaches five techniques based on the cookbooks and recipes of Pepin, who turns 80 next December.

--classes centered on regional food of Morocco, Peru, the Pacific Northwest and other regions. These will add to cruise line’s Gourmet Explorer Series classes such as Viva Tapas, Rock Your Wok and Pizza Master Class.

Oceania’s announcement said classes will be offered on selected sailings and will last 45 minutes to two hours (depending on the length of the cruise) aboard the Marina and the Riviera.

The cruise line sails to Mexico and the Caribbean from Miami and offers longer cruises from L.A. to Miami. It also sails itineraries in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, the South Pacific, Asia and Africa.

Info: Oceania Cruises, (855) 623-2642, or contact a travel agent