Noted Chef Regina Charboneau Joins American Queen Voyages

Renowned chef, restaurateur and cookbook author Regina Charboneau is the new culinary ambassador for fast-growing American Queen Voyages.

Charboneau, a native of Natchez, Miss., and sometimes dubbed The Biscuit Queen, is highly knowledgeable about culinary and agricultural traditions in many regions of the U.S., particularly the wildly divergent places along the Mississippi River and its tributaries.

Yet, as American Queen Voyages expands beyond river cruising to Lakes & Oceans and Expedition voyages in places like Alaska, Charboneau already has the background. In fact, she started her career as a cook in the Alaskan bush (she knows her salmon!) to earn money for culinary school in Paris. After cooking at a private club in Anchorage and operating restaurants in San Francisco, she returned to Natchez in 2000.

Charboneau actually was culinary director for the American Queen paddleboat when it started sailing again in 2012. She always remained a friend of the company as it went through changes over the years, but now the relationship has been solidified again.

“I feel honored and humbled that they thought of me,” she said in an interview with TravelPulse. “I’ve cooked professionally for 42 years, and this seems like the perfect thing at this stage of my life. All my experiences are coming full circle. It’s something I know I’ll enjoy, put my heart into and will be a great partnership.”

Charboneau will share her knowledge with American Queen Voyages passengers in several ways – by sailing on the ships, making recommendations of where and what to eat in port towns, as well as developing a recipe for each destination on the cruise itineraries. She also plans to coordinate special sailings featuring her chef friends.

For example, when a ship is in Pittsburgh, Charboneau might do a pierogi-making demonstration or provide a recipe for passengers, said Kari Tarnowski, senior vice president of marketing and sales for American Queen Voyages. In St. Louis, it might be toasted ravioli, along with the stories behind how these foods took root in certain cities.

“Regina can show them how to make them, and they can recreate it at home,” Tarnowski said. “We’re building on the idea of ‘Encounter Travel’ and ‘Discovery Runs Deep,’” two phrases used in the company’s recent rebranding.

“Regina is going to help bring that all together – the food and the culture, whether it’s on the Mississippi or Ohio rivers, an understanding of people and their backgrounds, and the stories that bring it all together,” Tarnowski said.

Charboneau also is the author of “Mississippi Currents: A Culinary Journey Down America’s Greatest River,” a meticulously researched collection of river recipes from St. Paul to New Orleans.

In October, she won the Golden Fork championship at Food Prize 2021 in Shreveport, La., in partnership with a local chef, Tootie Morrison of Abby Singer’s Bistro.

To kick off the new partnership, Charboneau is sharing holiday recipes that represent Rivers, Lakes & Ocean and Expedition experiences offered by American Queen Voyages. The recipes are for corn pudding stuffed with mustard greens representing Natchez, Montréal meat pie from Québec and Alaskan King crab chowder for Sitka, Alaska. For the recipes, click here.

“Many of our memorable travel moments have a food or culinary element, so we’re bringing that all together with Regina,” Tarnowski said. “We’re honored to have her working with us.”

American Queen Voyages is currently offering a special Year End Sale with savings of up to $5,600 per stateroom on select 2022 and 2023 sailings including Victory I and Victory II when booked by Jan. 4, 2022.