Rudi before HAL

[3rdGenCunarder]

OK, I admit it: I'm a paper hoarder. I've been trying to thin the files of cruise stuff, and today I came across a magazine-style ship info booklet from QE2 in 1992. There was an article about their Assistant Vice President of Food and Service, Rudolf Sodamin. He was a chef, then Exec chef on Vistafjord (which belonged to Cunard then), then moved to the NYC office, where he designed menus, oversaw service, and managed food purchases.

 

I don't know how long he was at Cunard after that.

 

[avian777]

According to my sources, Rudi was at Cunard for 11 years,  from February 1987 –  July 1998 ...

Edited April 30, 2019 by avian777

[rkacruiser]

3 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

OK, I admit it: I'm a paper hoarder. I've been trying to thin the files of cruise stuff, and today I came across a magazine-style ship info booklet from QE2 in 1992. There was an article about their Assistant Vice President of Food and Service, Rudolf Sodamin. He was a chef, then Exec chef on Vistafjord (which belonged to Cunard then), then moved to the NYC office, where he designed menus, oversaw service, and managed food purchases.

 

I don't know how long he was at Cunard after that.

 

 

Greetings fellow paper "collector"!  ("Hoarder" has such a negative connotation.) 

 

Interesting information about Rudi.  Don't quite understand, however, why that background qualifies him as being a "Celebrity Chef". 

[3rdGenCunarder]

21 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Greetings fellow paper "collector"!  ("Hoarder" has such a negative connotation.) 

 

Interesting information about Rudi.  Don't quite understand, however, why that background qualifies him as being a "Celebrity Chef". 

 

He had already written a cookbook by the time of the article and had a second one coming out. Maybe that counts?

 

[Fredrik]

I have several cook books from his time with Royal Caribbean in my book case. Just google him and rccl and you will get many hits.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I do remember reading somewhere that Rudi worked for RCI.

[avian777]

5 minutes ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

I do remember reading somewhere that Rudi worked for RCI.

Your memory is good - he was at RCI immediately after leaving Cunard in July 1998

[AncientWanderer]

32 minutes ago, Fredrik said:

I have several cook books from his time with Royal Caribbean in my book case. Just google him and rccl and you will get many hits.

 

I have one of his RCI cookbooks as well.  We enjoyed the dining on RCI ships back in the day when Rudi was their head chef.  After he left, it seemed to slip quite a bit and we gradually quit sailing with RCI.

I have great respect for Rudi Sodamin.  He seems to know how to work within budgets in a very creative and appealing way -- which has to be quite challenging sometimes.  It's no wonder he has received so many awards in the culinary world.