Cruise & cuisine
A PINCH OF S . A . L . T .
We sit down with Adam Sachs , director of S . A . L . T . ( Sea and Land Taste ) for Silversea
How did you end up working with a cruise line ? I come from the world of storytelling . Before Silversea , I had a long career as an editor and writer , working at magazines with a focus on food , travel , profiles and cultural stories . I was the editor-in-chief of Saveur , the globally focused food magazine based in New York , and before that I wrote a cookery column for Bon Appétit . I was also a writer and contributing editor at Travel + Leisure , Condé Nast Traveler , GQ and many more . At the heart of all those roles is a real passion for telling stories about people , what they eat , traveling around the world to get to know a place through its cuisine and digging deeper into the culture behind it . So I was thrilled when Silversea CEO Barbara Muckermann reached out with an ambitious and exciting concept to develop a deep-dive culinary program that had the potential to be unlike anything else in the industry . Working with her to create S . A . L . T . has been a very natural extension of that storytelling and drive to see the world through the lens of culinary culture and tradition .
What does your work with Silversea entail ? I ’ m a bit like an editor : I think about the stories we want to tell and then work with experts who know the field better than anyone else . I work with a bunch of very talented people across all teams from Silversea , including geniuses of procurement , the chefs from our always-innovating culinary team , the incredibly detailoriented and knowledgeable shore experience team , wine experts , cocktail creators and dedicated onboard S . A . L . T . hosts who lead and help create our cooking classes .
A big part of the job , long-term , is looking at the regions and countries we visit and figuring out what are the great food stories to tell and how we can better appreciate a place — whether that ’ s looking at a destination that might be somewhat unfamiliar to even seasoned travelers , or finding ways to create deeper appreciation of places we ’ ve traveled a lot and think we know well .
A lot of this is about working with great contributors and leveraging their knowledge and networks . This means working closely with people like the author , baker and Italian culinary authority Laura Lazzaroni , who has helped shape our experiences all around Italy ; or the chef and writer Rawlston Williams , who ’ s assisting with menus and programming in the Caribbean ; and Nicholas Gill , an expert on all things food-related in South America and Iceland . These people — as well as authors , chefs and experts — help us polish our menus and distill our approach to a place .
We work with them to design our shoreside adventures and they often come to help guide them and then deliver engaging onboard programming . So the job is never really over in that sense — there ’ s always more fascinating stories to uncover and voices to bring into the program .
Are guests craving more authentic experiences ? I think modern , informed travelers are looking for experiences that feel real and connect them to a place . When it comes to food , it ’ s nice to enjoy a wonderful meal with a good view , and certainly that ’ s some of what S . A . L . T . is about . But taste is fleeting and often what you truly remember are the experiences , the context of where you tasted something , what you learned about a place , who you were with and the stories of the people you met along the way .
Food and culture are always interconnected : how people grow and prepare their food , the rituals and traditions behind what they eat , where and how they celebrate — it all provides a wonderful lens into who they are .
What inspires you in the kitchen ? I absolutely love to cook , though I have no formal training and wouldn ’ t last a minute in a professional kitchen . One of the very lucky aspects of my job , though , is exposure to a lot of great restaurants around the world and getting to look over the chef ’ s shoulders and ask them questions . I never take that access for granted and am always looking to pick up tips I can use at home , or ideas for dishes I can share in the form of stories or recreate for our guests .
Improvement in the kitchen requires constant practice , which means staying put and sharpening your skills . But for me , ongoing inspiration , travel and having access to great meals is a crucial part of appreciating what ’ s on the plate and learning to cook well . images : Matteo Imbriani ; Lucia Griggi
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