Epicurean Expeditions
by Atlas™

Chef Christy Rost is the nationally televised host of the cooking and lifestyle series “At Home with Christy Rost” on Amazon Fire, Apple TV+, Roku, Samsung TV, and YouTube TV. Christy also hosts ‘Celebrating Home’, a series of 5-minute cooking segments for ABC, CBS, and NBC, and “A Home for Christy Rost: Thanksgiving” on PBS and CREATE TV. Christy was mentored by Master Chef Martin Yan of Yan Can Cook (PBS) and her early career garnered the guidance of Julia Child. Christy is widely acclaimed for her expertise in cooking and entertaining, home decor, tablescapes, and food and wine pairings, ensuring every gathering is a memorable experience. She uses local and sustainable ingredients to create impressive recipes that dazzle tastebuds and are easy to recreate in viewers’ own kitchens. Christy has lived in Paris and her menus are influenced by her travels and conversations with farmers, vintners, distillers, and culinary artisans. Her cookbooks and TV productions are a testament to her passion for celebrating each day around the table. Based in Texas, Christy films primarily in her 1898 historic Colorado home “Swans’ Nest.”

Paulette Mitchell is an internationally recognized author of 14 cookbooks, celebrated for her quick-to-prepare multicultural recipes with a gourmet touch, several of which have received prestigious Gourmand World Media Awards. In addition to her writing, she is the producer of a Telly Award-winning travel and culinary video series featuring global food markets, unique ingredients, and international cooking techniques. Paulette is also a culinary instructor, food and travel writer, and recipe developer for websites and publications. As a photographer, she captures the essence of worldwide destinations to create engaging slideshow lectures. A popular guest chef and lecturer on cruise ships for more than 25 years, she has traveled to 130 countries, drawing inspiration from her global experiences to enrich her storytelling and culinary creations.

Christian Orner is a distinguished private chef and chocolatier based in Poole, Dorset, UK, and the founder of SALT Co. With nearly 20 years of experience, Christian has honed his culinary craft in Michelin-starred restaurants and brings a refined yet imaginative style to his work. A graduate of Bournemouth and Poole College with diplomas in Professional Catering, he launched SALT Co. in 2017 to offer bespoke tasting menus and handcrafted desserts. Of Norwegian and English heritage, Christian draws on Northern European, French, and Italian influences to create bold, inventive cuisine. He has been recognized with multiple culinary awards, including a GOLD at the Destination Awards 2020 and accolades for Best Chef and Best New Business.

Stephan Pyles, 2-time James Beard award winner, celebrated chef and founding father of Southwestern Cuisine, shares his culinary legacy and passion for hospitality. He is a 4-time cookbook author and host of the Emmy-award winning PBS cooking series “New Tastes from Texas.” He has cooked for 6 American presidents, 7 First Ladies, Mikhail Gorbachev, and Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. With a remarkable career spanning over four decades and numerous prestigious awards, Chef Pyles brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the dining experiences aboard Atlas Ocean Voyages.

Join Chef Paula Lambert, hailed as an American pioneer of artisanal cheesemakers. Her Dallas Mozzarella Company celebrates over 40 years of cheesemaking, and in 2022 she was named one of the Top 50 Cheesemakers in America by Food & Wine Magazine. Since its foundation in 1982, her company has grown to produce more than 30 artisanal cheeses, most of which she herself has created and developed. She is the author of The “Cheese Lover’s Cookbook and Guide” and “Cheese, Glorious Cheese!.” Her many accolades include the James Beard Foundation’s Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America, the Career Achievement Award from Mary Baldwin University, and Award of Excellence from the Dallas Historical Society for Creative Arts. Traveling extensively, she teaches cooking classes throughout the US, Italy, France and Ireland.

Canadian celebrity Chef Massimo Capra is best known for his roles as host on his own television series “Gourmet Escapes,” judge on “Chopped Canada” and chef-host of “Restaurant Makeover” – the last two both popular on the Food Network. He is the owner of Massimo’s Italian at the Sheraton on the Falls Hotel and Boccone at the Toronto Pearson International Airport, as well as his namesake restaurant, Capra’s Kitchen, in his hometown of Mississauga, Ontario. Chef Capra is the author of “One Pot Italian” and “3 Chefs: The Kitchen Men,” which received the gold Canadian Culinary Book Award in 2011.

Master Foodie™ Mara Papatheodorou is a nationally established entertaining specialist. As a culinary specialist and historian, she highlights the diverse stories and connections of cuisine and culture worldwide through facts, flavors, flair and folklore. As a 12-year editor at Bon Appétit Magazine, Mara scouted and produced the “Entertaining with Style” section that highlighted how real people entertain around the world. She was the producer of their award-winning annual international Special Collector’s Editions that highlight Italy, France, Greece, Spain, Mediterranean Islands and the British Isles. She works as a Tastes & Traditions expert with food companies and Master Chefs developing recipes, menus and promotional consumer campaigns.

Jon Schlegel completed his first dream of opening a restaurant by age 30 when he founded Snooze, an A.M Eatery where the motto was, “It only takes a moment to make a difference.” He then moved onto his second dream – living abroad before he turned 40. He and his family moved to Monforte d’Alba in Piemonte, Italy, in 2013 and settled on the Ginestra Hill with their own small Barolo vineyard. There, Jon worked and learned from wine producing families with generations of experience.

Michael’s interest in geology began with mineral-collecting trips to Norway and soon became the focus of his degree at Cambridge University. In 1974, he set off to Canada for a PhD at McGill University and has worked there ever since, except for research sabbaticals in New Zealand, France, Belgium, and Chile. He has studied active volcanoes in Chile, Montserrat, Hawaii, California, New Zealand, Iceland, British Columbia, and Greece. He has also examined older rocks in Canada, the UK, Jamaica, Burundi, and India, as well as the oldest rocks around: meteorites. His first book, ‘A Geological Companion to Greece and the Aegean,’ was co-written with the archaeologist Reynold Higgins and explored the connections between geology and archaeology. His latest book, ‘The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: Science, Engineering, and Technology,’ investigates the relationships between culture and science through these iconic landmarks.