Regent Seven Seas Cruises Launches Floating Pastry Academy in Partnership with The Butter Book

Regent Seven Seas Cruises has launched a new fleetwide training programme for its pastry and baking teams, partnering with online culinary education platform The Butter Book to formalise professional development for chefs across the ultra-luxury line.

What the Floating Pastry Academy involves

Announced on 4 August 2026, the Floating Pastry Academy is a three-year initiative combining chef-led digital instruction with hands-on practical assessments, supervisor validation and mentoring. The programme, built on more than 25 years of culinary education experience from The Butter Book, is designed to standardise pastry and baking training across Regent's entire fleet rather than leaving it to vary ship by ship.

Bernhard Klotz, Vice President of Food & Beverage at Regent Seven Seas Cruises, said the partnership gives the line's pastry chefs access to high-quality training and new techniques, describing it as a way of formalising the artistry behind each pastry into a structured career pathway for the chefs who create it.

Sébastien Canonne, a Meilleur Ouvrier de France and founder of The Butter Book, said the partnership was an opportunity to preserve Regent's culinary heritage while giving its teams access to world-class education and structured career advancement, adding that the academy would help elevate pastry standards across the fleet without sacrificing technique or artistry.

Where guests will see the difference

The training supports pastry and dessert offerings served throughout the fleet, including afternoon tea and dessert menus in Chartreuse and specialty treats at Coffee Connection. It will also extend to future dining concepts, including Azure, a new venue set to debut aboard the upcoming Seven Seas Prestige.

Wesley D'Silva, President of Regent Seven Seas Cruises, framed the investment as part of the brand's long-term approach to luxury travel, saying that behind every exceptional dining experience is a team of skilled professionals, and that the academy represents an investment in both their careers and the guest experience they help create.

Part of a wider group effort

Regent's move follows a similar partnership announced earlier this year between sister brand Oceania Cruises and The Butter Book, which launched what was described as the cruise industry's first Floating Pastry Academy. That earlier programme, developed with Oceania's Executive Culinary Director Chef Eric Barale, went on to win the 2026 F&B@Sea Trailblazing F&B Technology Award. Regent's launch extends the same model to its own ultra-luxury fleet, reinforcing a broader push across Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings' three brands — Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises — to invest in structured culinary career development at sea.

Sources

1. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings investor relations: "Regent Seven Seas Cruises® Elevates Culinary Craftsmanship Through New Partnership with The Butter Book®"
2. Cruise Industry News: "Regent Upping Its Dessert Game with New Pastry Academy"
3. Porthole Cruise and Travel: "Regent Seven Seas Partners with The Butter Book"
4. Cruise Arabia: "Regent Seven Seas launches fleetwide Pastry Academy with Butter Book"
5. ITTN: "Regent Seven Seas Cruises Launches 3-Year Baking Excellence Initiative for Chefs Fleet-Wide"