José Pizarro, the Spanish-born, UK based chef is one of three new ‘local food heroes’ who are partnering with P&O Cruises to bring an authentic taste of the destinations visited by its newest ship Iona in 2020, the company said in a statement.
Iona’s maiden winter season will be spent in Spain, Portugal and the Canary Islands, and guests will be able to enjoy the culinary creations of José. The chef is a master of tapas and dedicated to showcasing Spanish cuisine in his three prestigious London restaurants and will now do the same on Iona. Joséis designing a bespoke tapas menu for The Glass House, as well as signature Spanish dishes, such as paella in a new dining option- Taste 360.
To bring local flavours into Iona’s dining experiences whilst in the Norwegian Fjords, P&O Cruises has enlisted the help of celebrated Norwegian chef Kjartan Skjelde and photographer and home cook Marte Marie Forsberg. Kjartanhas created a six course Norwegian tasting menu for The Epicurean restaurant on Iona. Marte Marie is designing a bespoke range of local dishes which will appear in Taste 360. Guests dining in Iona’s main restaurants will be able to sample Norwegian flavours too, with special local dishes appearing across the menus.
P&O Cruises president Paul Ludlow said “One of the best ways to explore a destination is to try the native dishes that tell stories of the history, culture and lives of the locals. Our new local food heroes will be champions of fresh, seasonal ingredients and recipes that fly the flag for their homelands. We are privileged to have chefs of their calibre helping us to create authentic dining experiences that reflect the ports we are visiting during Iona's maiden year.”
José Pizarro is from Cáceres in Spain and has now lived in London for 20 years. He grew up on a farm and was inspired by the cooking he saw in his mother and grandmother’s kitchens. In his early career José worked in the Michelin-starred El Chapín de la Reina restaurant in Madrid, before being appointed head chef at award-winning El Mesón de Doña Filo. José then moved to London where he found work at the prestigious Eyre Brothers restaurant before co-founding the Brindisa restaurants.
