I would argue that over the past eight years, Peter Tobler has led the in-vehicle operations of Windstar and his job is the best job in the company. This is because Tobler has a visionary man in addition to overseeing many key functions, including housekeeping and public places, his gift for culinary arts has also removed the line with new achievements.
In Wind of Change, Windstar’s podcast, Tobler talks about his origins (he grew up in Switzerland and his career was later in the footsteps of his father (at least for a while), and a hotelier). After moving to the cruise industry, he worked for routes like Seabourn and Princess. It's a cool karma: “I want to connect two stories,” said Janet Bava, chief business officer of Windstar and host of Winds of Change. “We were interviewed (Chris Prelog, President of Wind Star), who talked about his career journey and how you actually hired his personal on Seabourn?
“It took me a while, about six months, to be the general manager of two hotels and six independent restaurants in Austria,” “Chris was the assistant general manager of a hotel at the time. I told Chris, I mean, that guy was already a genius: ‘If you’re interested in the cruise industry, please call me.’”
If Prelog's story about his first cruise contract at Seabourn takes place on Windstar's current Star Legend, then Tobler's first ship is the Seabourn Pride. Now is Windstar's star pride. What a karmic connection!
But for the conversation with Tobler, we want to focus on his legacy around Windstar’s food and beverage program. Here comes.
You have been working at Windstar for nearly nine years. How has its cooking plans developed since then?
We have embraced a more modern, more modern approach that reflects global cuisine, focusing on the ingredients, dishes and drinks of the places we visit. We have expanded our existing partnerships – with the James Beard Foundation and Gallo’s Lux Wine Program.
We have embraced a more modern, more modern approach that reflects global cuisine, focusing on ingredients, dishes and drinks from the places we visit. We have expanded our existing partnerships – with the James Beard Foundation and Gallo’s Lux Wine Program.
Peter, can you give us a quick, advanced observation to see what is going on in the cooking space on Windstar boats this year and beyond?
2025 Mark 10th anniversary of the official cruise partner of James Beard Foundation This is not just a dish created by the best American chefs, but also invites these chefs to host a voyage on board. This year, for such a significant milestone, our five James Beard Foundation cruises (and a few left if you want to sign up!) all the specialty chefs that are already the chefs of the partnership – our guests are happy to welcome them back.
We also have a relationship with the luxury department of Gallo Wines to provide quality wines and other educational tastings. This year, we created a new professional restaurant concept called Basil + Bamboo. Last but not least, Windstar returned to Alaska in 2026 and we are busy creating new food and beverage menus that reflect the region.
It's been a busy year.
Let's deal with these at once. Tell us about Windstar’s James Beard Foundation partnership.
The 10th anniversary is a big part of both of us. James Beard Foundation Our JBF hosted the voyage. I think what they do is an art form, what they do in a culinary scene is real art. And I think what we were able to plan on the boat was absolutely spectacular.
This year, we also co-hosted seven wine tours, four of which were a combination of James Beard Foundation chef and Gallo’s Lux wine. Similarly, our guests also like to These celebrity chefs and winemakers and wine ambassadors. They are a group of people from all over the world.
And you don't have to navigate the hosted cruise to feel the impact of James Beard. Amphora's menu continues to showcase recipes created by James Beard Chefs; it's part of our core product. These additions from these menus appear every day during the voyage.
Basil + Bamboo is Windstar’s first new professional restaurant in some time. Tell us about the new concept.
This spring, we launched our first basil + bamboo on Star Breeze in Tahiti. It's a mixture of Mediterranean and Asian cuisine, which is what we call the Mediterranean menu. Focus on both specific Asian dishes (mainly Japanese and some Indonesian), and of course the Mediterranean influence recipes. Other dishes that blend the two have been created, such as fuji
What should we order from the menu?
Everything and everything! My favorite meal with a larger table is to order a shared plate so we can all taste many different dishes. Basil + Bamboo offers snacks, raw bars and sushi/sashimi menus. The main course consists of the best fusion dishes in the fusion of the two regions; I like the flavored black cod with Spanish jam, beef medallion and creamy Parmesan polenta- with Ponzines.
So far, the feedback has been amazing. It is so popular that we have now created a second menu, as some of our guests want to sail back to back, and we want to make sure they have other options to choose from.
Will basil + bamboo run on other ships in the Windstar fleet?
It has been launched on Star Breeze in Tahiti. It will be part of Star Seeker which debuted in December 2025, and in the same month, Star Legend from Drydock will replace Cuadro 44 with Basil + Bamboo. Star Pride will receive a new restaurant in April 2026. When Star Explorer debuts in December 2026, it will also have Basil + Bamboo. (Editor's Note: Tobler pronunciation Basil as a bay class, not like Basel in Switzerland)
Next year, Windstar returns to Alaska for the first time in three years, and it’s the new star seeker! Does Windstar offer a new approach to the region from a culinary perspective?
The biggest innovation is that we focus on sourcing local food, not just for food, but also for beverages. For example, our ingredients (accompaniment and main ingredients) reflect the area we are traveling. We will have halibut, stone fish, King and sorcery salmon, Steelhead and Crab clusters, including our seafood selection.
Other dishes will include reindeer Kilbara and venison garlic sausage, venison gurashi and reindeer chili. There will be wild blueberries and leaf berry jam, birch honey, as well as pancakes and birch syrup.
Our focus is also on beverages. We will have Alaska beers like Husky IPA and Alaska Amber. And, if you are a vodka enthusiast, you need to try Denali Fireweed in Alaska.
Even with a new approach to food in the region, I think guests will still feel comforted knowing that we will still be using classic, signature dishes, vegan and vegetarians, and products offered by the James Beard Foundation chefs on every menu in Amphora.
One more thing: We will have another fabulous new way to experience Alaska in 2026, but I won't allow you to tell you yet.
I will notify you in time.
