Inside S.A.L.T., Silversea Cruises’ New Culinary Travel Program

The S.A.L.T. program from Silversea Cruises will take culinary travel to the next level

By Ken Shapiro

"These bees may be unable to sting, but they have a tendency to burrow into your ears, nose or mouth,” the guide explained to us as the farmer wrapped his face tightly with a cloth and gently split open a piece of wood to dig out the dark honey from the hive inside. “This can be quite unpleasant.”

That last comment seemed unnecessary as I watched hundreds of angry bees swarm the farmer. Moments later, I was sampling the tasty treasure — eating it with my fingers off large palm leaves — as I took in the tranquil beauty of the Balinese rice paddies around me.

After our group finished our hike through the area — tasting honey, fruits from the vines, palm sugar taken right from the tree and more — we were surprised to find a picnic waiting for us in a shady clearing that included, among other dishes, a whole roasted pig.

“Time for lunch,” the guide said with a smile.

If everything goes as planned, clients who sail with Silversea Cruises will soon enjoy this type of hyper-local, hands-on culinary experience, as well. The excursion was part of a test run of the luxury line’s new S.A.L.T. (Sea and Land Taste) program, which will launch in August 2020 onboard the company’s new ship, Silver Moon.

There’s no shortage of culinary experiences in the cruise industry, but Silversea’s goal is to reset the bar and elevate the standards for what “authentic local culinary program” means. S.A.L.T. will be tailored according to the sailed region, and it will incorporate both ship-based and shoreside enrichments.

It's essentially a program for foodies, by foodies. S.A.L.T.'s creator is Adam Sachs, a three-time James Beard Award-winning food and travel writer and former editor-in-chief of Saveur magazine. It’s telling that a food writer — not a chef or restaurateur — is leading the charge on S.A.L.T.: Sachs admits that he’s a fan who is creating experiences for other fans.

“I see my role as that of a food nerd enthusiast creating experiences for other people who love to eat and learn about the techniques, traditions and stories behind the food culture of the places they visit,” he said.

The idea for S.A.L.T. was born out of passengers’ desire for a deeper engagement with local cultures and the importance Silversea places on its culinary tradition.

"Connecting travelers to the places they’re visiting through the lens of food and drink culture is a natural fit for a brand that’s all about good taste and traveling deeper."
Adam Sachs, creator of S.A.L.T.

"Connecting travelers to the places they’re visiting through the lens of food and drink culture is a natural fit for a brand that’s all about good taste and traveling deeper," Sachs said.

S.A.L.T. will combine three basic concepts: onboard events with local chefs; special meals with regional experts; and immersive, in-depth shore excursions.

S.A.L.T. Onboard

Our S.A.L.T. test cruise took place onboard Silver Muse as we sailed from Bali, Indonesia, to Manila in the Philippines. While our ship was not set up for S.A.L.T., Silver Moon will have dedicated space for the program when it officially launches next year.

The space will include S.A.L.T. Kitchen, a large-scale regional restaurant offering an ever-changing menu and regional wine list. Here, guests will taste traditional dishes from the areas that their sailing visits and learn the history and role those foods play within the local culture.

“S.A.L.T. Kitchen will be the third-largest restaurant onboard Silver Moon," said Marina Vivian, director of communication for Silversea. "So all guests will have the opportunity to try it once or multiple times during their voyage.”

Next, there will be S.A.L.T. Bar, where guests will discover authentic flavors of the destination through a large selection of regional drinks, wines, liquors and spirits.

Finally, the main hub for the program onboard Silver Moon will be S.A.L.T. Lab, where guests will study local ingredients and artisanal techniques through workshops, tastings and demonstrations led by local experts.

During our cruise, hands-on workshops were led by chef and author Maya Kerthyasa, who guided us through some of her favorite traditional recipes, as well as shared stories of growing up in Bali and life lessons gleaned from her grandmother. This provided an example of how a passionate expert might come onboard to participate in the S.A.L.T. program as the ship cruises through a region.

"By bringing onboard regional chefs, producers, authors and others to share their passion and expertise through talks, hands-on demos and cooking lessons in S.A.L.T. Lab, we’re able to extend the learning experience and give more context for understanding local culture," S.A.L.T. creator Sachs said.

Special Meals

Cooking demonstrations and hands-on classes onboard the ship will be supplemented by unforgettable meals on land.

In Bali, we ate at Kaum, an authentic Indonesian restaurant, where chef Wayan Kresna Yasa shared his knowledge with the group. We also visited Nusantara, an offshoot of Bali’s well-known Locavore eatery that has been named one of the 50 best restaurants in Asia for the last three years. After our meal, we went upstairs to visit Localab, a dedicated space where chefs can experiment with a variety of local ingredients, flavors and techniques.

A chef experiments with local ingredients at Localab in Bali. © 2019 Ken Shapiro

A chef experiments with local ingredients at Localab in Bali. © 2019 Ken Shapiro

In Sandakan, Malaysia, we had a traditional bak kut teh breakfast — pork ribs and other ingredients cooked in broth — at a local restaurant, then we took part in a Malaysian cooking class.

And in Manila, we were invited into the private home of Susana Guerrero and Badjie Trinidad, founders of CCA Manila, the city’s premier cooking school. There, we enjoyed a feast of traditional dishes while accompanied by Nicole Ponseca, an expert in Filipino cuisine. Ponseca’s cookbook, I Am a Filipino (And This Is How We Cook), was named Best Cookbook of the Year by The New Yorker and Los Angeles Times, among other publications. Ponseca shared stories about her love for Filipino food and gave her take on the current restaurant scene in New York City, where she lives.

Similar experiences featuring unique meals with special guests are planned for future S.A.L.T. cruises.

Immersive Shore Excursions

The final piece of the S.A.L.T. program involves in-depth activities. The goal of these excursions is to extend the guest experience beyond the kitchen and dinner table and provide “food adventures” on land, giving clients a deeper appreciation for regional cuisine.

"We want to find and enable authentic culinary experiences that help guests understand and appreciate a place," Sachs said. "We want them to come away with a real appreciation for the culture, ingredients and people."

"We want to find and enable authentic culinary experiences that help guests understand and appreciate a place. We want them to come away with a real appreciation for the culture, ingredients and people."
Adam Sachs, creator of S.A.L.T.

In Bali, during our visit of the rice paddy, we were accompanied by the chefs from Locavore, who shared how they use the ingredients we encountered along the way. Later, when we were cooking onboard Silver Muse with chef Kerthyasa, we were able to put the ingredients into a real-world context because we had seen firsthand where they came from.

On the Philippine island of Romblon, our group traveled far from the city via three-wheeled motorized rickshaws to visit the small farm of a local family who specializes in making sarsa na uyang. The dish — composed of large freshwater shrimp, red chili peppers and coconut wrapped tightly in banana leaves — is often sold as a lunch treat on the streets of Romblon. It’s unique to the region because of the special shrimp available on the island. We were standing in the family's front yard as they made the dish and offered us samples of the specialty — that’s the kind of hyper-local experience that S.A.L.T. aims to share with guests.

S.A.L.T. in Action

When S.A.L.T. launches next year onboard Silver Moon, the ship will sail Mediterranean and southern Europe itineraries that include cities such as Rome and Venice in Italy; Athens, Greece; Barcelona, Spain; and Lisbon, Portugal. These destinations are ideal for an immersive culinary program; there will be no shortage of food experts and experiences from which to draw.

S.A.L.T.'s goal is to offer hardcore foodies an experience that far exceeds anything they have encountered before — providing deeper knowledge, more hands-on activities and truly unique excursions — while still piquing the curiosity of cruisers who may be interested in learning about local cuisine but are not obsessed with it. If the program accomplishes its goals, it could raise the bar for culinary offerings on other sailings.

"I think travelers are constantly searching for deeper connections and memorable ways to immerse in the places they visit," Sachs said. "We’re putting together exciting, compelling experiences around taste and food culture, bridging what you see, do and taste on land with what’s happening onboard in a way that’s truly unique in the industry."

The Details
Silversea Cruises
www.silversea.com