Sail the World With the James Beard Foundation

As I sipped a robust cup of French roast while leaning against the bow railing of our yacht, we glided into the sapphire waters of Taiohae Bay, deep in the South Pacific. I was arriving on a soft pink dawn at Nuku Hiva, the largest of French Polynesia’s Marquesas Islands — and about as far away from any mainland as you can get. The initial plan was to navigate toward the region’s lesser-known Tuamotu Islands and then circle back through Bora-Bora, Mooréa, and a few other Society Islands, but an escalating cyclone forced a quick reroute far north to the most remote part of Polynesia. Unlike most other ships in the region, the 312-passenger Star Breeze was nimble enough to change course quickly and keep us in sunny, idyllic waters.

For years, I resisted cruises. The idea of spending several days on a big ship in the middle of the ocean with thousands of strangers never appealed to me. But a globe-trotting friend convinced me I would feel differently sailing on a small, all-suite ship with other adventurous travelers who care as much about visiting unique destinations as they do exceptionally good food and wine — especially with a cruise line that has partnered with the James Beard Foundation. 

That’s how I found myself embarking from the Quai d’Honneur in French Polynesia’s capital, Papeete, on Windstar Cruises’ 11-day Tahiti & the Tuamotu Islands voyage. My 277-square-foot stateroom was both capacious and cozy, and the minibar was stocked with intriguing French wines, including a beautiful Thibault Liger-Belair Burgundy that I uncorked to kick off my expedition. 

Two levels up on Deck 8, in the heart of the Yacht Club, a library flanked an inviting living room carrying smartly chosen nonfiction titles, including a few cookbooks I’d always intended to read yet had never found the time for. The notion that I could grab a decadent dark-chocolate pot de crème from the coffee bar and sink into the blue velvet easy chairs to devour Larousse Gastronomique helped me downshift quickly into vacation mode. 

Just opposite the library in the Star Grill, a sign for a smoked-cherry old fashioned scrawled on the blackboard just above the carving block caught my eye. The cocktail provided a precursor to grilling expert Steven Raichlen’s meat-centric menu, which included smoked pastrami with a piercing black pepper–coriander crust and a crispy-skinned Peruvian chicken (an excellent in-room dinner some nights later, while I nursed a sunburn from four-wheeling around Huahine to take in its breathtaking turquoise lagoon).

Throughout the journey, the ship’s chefs wove the Tahitian, French, and Chinese flavors common to the region into every meal. As we made our way back to lower French Polynesia, I spent a few nights dining at Amphora, the white-tablecloth restaurant in the belly of the ship on Deck 3. One evening, I ate seared tuna and caramelized scallops served over a vanilla cream sauce that offered a velvety texture and subtle sweetness, a pleasant foil to the briny fish. Amphora’s menu includes dishes created by James Beard Foundation chefs, and on subsequent evenings, 2002 F&W Best New Chef Hugh Acheson’s Lyonnaise salad with frizzled chicory, tart apple, poached egg, and bacon vinaigrette made for a flavor-packed starter, as did chef Jennifer Hill Booker’s delicate citrus-brined shrimp dotted with a sun-dried-tomato oil and sweet peas.

Excellent culinary experiences took place off the ship as well. On Tahaa, under a blazing sun, 15 fellow passengers and I ambled our way to one of the island’s famed vanilla farms. Seeing how one of French Polynesia’s most prized exports is grown and processed into extracts, powders, and flavored rums for bakers around the world proved both captivating and delicious. 

Windstar sails Tahiti all year round, and food lovers should consider booking the seven-day Tahiti & Mooréa Culture Through Cuisine Cruise Tour, which includes an extensive excursion around Mooréa, tasting poisson cru (marinated raw fish), firi firi (a coconut-milk doughnut), and many other Polynesian delicacies. One of the expert guides, Caroline Teura Raimbault, led my excursion, imparting a wealth of local food knowledge along the way. If your arrival coincides with the Sunday Papeete Market, line up early with the locals to buy a plate of pua roti: succulent, crispy-skinned roast pork smoked with sugar and Chinese spices. After just one mouthful, I had to admit that my friend was right: Vacationing via small ship was more delicious than I could ever have imagined. 11-day round-trip Tahiti & the Tuamotu Islands cruise from $5,299, windstarcruises.com.