Princess Cruises has named the company’s first-ever “head of culinary arts” the cruise line announced this week. 

The company has tapped Chef Rudi Sodamin for the role, in which he will “bring an entirely new level of excellence and innovation to our culinary product, environmental dining experience, and service delivery,” according to Jan Swartz, Carnival’s group president serving Princess, Holland America and Seabourn. 

“Chef Rudi is a hands-on leader with proven ability to motivate teams to achieve new levels of creativity and inspiration,” Swartz said. 

Sodamin is currently the master chef for Holland America Line, a position he will retain. 

Most recently, Sodamin created Rudi’s Sea de Mer restaurant on three different Holland America ships, along gwiht a new Rudi’s Seagrill on Carnival Cruise Line’s Mardi Gras ship. 

“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.”