Princess Cruises has revealed chef Rudi Sodamin will become its first head of culinary arts, effective immediately.

Sodamin is currently the master chef for Holland America Line, a position he will retain as he takes on his new role for Princess.

“Chef Rudi is a hands-on leader with proven ability to motivate teams to achieve new levels of creativity and inspiration,” said Jan Swartz, group president serving Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn and P&O Cruises Australia brands.

“Princess is already well-known for its strong culinary culture.

“We are bringing in chef Rudi to build the kind of excitement and dining experiences that will impress our guests.

“He is the perfect person to bring an entirely new level of excellence and innovation to our culinary product, environmental dining experience, and service delivery.”

Sodamin began his career at the age of fourteen with a kitchen apprenticeship in Kurhotel Heilbrunn in Bad Mitterndorf, Austria.

“I see food as the way to our guests’ hearts, and the individuals on the Princess Cruise culinary team bring great heart to what they do and take tremendous pride in their work,” said Sodamin

“My goal is to grow that pride and lead the culinary workforce to new performance heights through innovative approaches to teamwork and creativity, collaboratively creating new signature interactive dining experiences, and motivating this talented team to new levels of culinary artistry.”