Guests experience authentic and regional cuisine on board of Costa cruise ships thanks to top chefs Bruno Barbieri, Hélène Darroze and Ángel León. Cast off and full speed towards top-class gourmet cuisine.

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An extraordinary trio

Bruno Barbieri, Hélène Darroze and Ángel León: this trio has gone in search of authentic local recipes of the destination ports of a Costa cruise and reinterpreted the recipes. The result is a "journey within a journey" in which the typical flavours of a destination are presented in culinary terms by the master chefs. Costa guests can now take these taste journeys on board: In the new Archipelago restaurant and with the help of the Destination Dish, a menu offered daily to all guests in the main restaurant.

Archipelago: Culinary delights

The new restaurant format offers a special culinary journey that begins in the guest's cabin with a personal invitation. At the heart of this journey is a selection of three menus, one from each chef. Each tells a different story of sustainability and gastronomic discovery.

All three menus consist of five courses, with coordinated beverages that reflect the spirit and culture of the destination the ship is visiting the next day. Guests are also provided with a narrative in which the chefs explain the creative genesis of the dish.

Like Costa, the Archipelago restaurant is also committed to sustainability. The chefs' menus have been created with great care in the selection of ingredients - mainly sourced from local producers - and their processing to avoid waste. The decor and concept of the restaurant itself is also influenced by the theme of sustainability. The driftwood used to decorate the tables was collected by the "Guardiani della Costa". This environmental project, promoted by the Costa Crociere Foundation, is the largest civilian coastal protection project in Italy. In addition, for every dinner served at the Archipelago, Costa Crociere donates a portion of the proceeds to the Costa Crociere Foundation to support its environmental and social projects.

The Archipelago restaurant is currently on the Costa Smeralda and will soon be launched on other Costa ships.

Destination Dish: The culinary journey is included for all guests

Guests also embark on the new Costa culinary journey in the main restaurants. Every evening, guests can choose the "Destination Dish" included in the price to accompany the changing Mediterranean dishes: This, too, has been created by one of the three Michelin star chefs, reinterpreting the traditions and flavours of the place guests are visiting the following day.

For example, Bruno Barbieri introduces guests to Marseille with a ratatouille of sea bass meatballs and potatoes with aioli sauce, and Mykonos with pearl barley friselle, tomatoes and cheese with cooked swordfish tartare, oil and lemon.

Hélène Darroze takes guests through the streets of Lisbon with a gratin of whipped baccala and roasted potatoes with breadcrumbs and soppressata, takes them to Palma de Mallorca with roast suckling pig, sweet potato puree, juice and sobrassada and to Valletta with grilled cod fillet, asparagus and fish stew with marjoram.

Ángel León evokes the atmosphere of Marseille with his personal version of bouillabaisse and takes his guests to Palermo with a medallion of confit pork shank, Sicilian-style couscous with saffron, and Dubrovnik with a tartare of langoustines marinated in white wine, garlic, parsley, citrus and pepper.

On the subject of sustainability and the Archipelago project, Barbieri explains: "In our work with Costa Crociere, we have always put sustainability at the heart of our projects. The fight against food waste has been my biggest goal for years. I have found a great ally in Costa, which has always fully supported me in the creation of my menus, from the selection of raw materials to their preparation."