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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. I am delighted to welcome this week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, a special group of guests, The Chefs: Jerome Brown aka Chef Rome, the chef to the stars with over 35 years of professional cooking, the go-to chef for celebrities worldwide; Chicago Chef George Outlaw specializing in elevated soul food with bold and unusual food combinations; Chef Sondra (Dra) Rhodes bringing creole and southern country cuisine to your table; and, Chef Ricky Simpson, Jr., The Kitchen Renegade, an Atlanta resident whose credo is “To enlighten people to a healthier way to make their favorite foods.” 
 
We were introduced to The Chefs on our recent bucket list cruise, the Soul Train Cruise, which we raved about in our reflections of the cruise several weeks ago on Ep 165 The Soul Train Cruise. It was our first Soul Train Cruise; we enjoyed it so much that we booked for 2026. Immediately after we boarded the Holland America Line Nieuw Amsterdam we became aware of The Chefs albeit in an indirect way. In the buffet we noticed some soul food items; for instance, there was Rick’s Ribs. Then at the main dining room, throughout the menu was soul food and New Orleans favorites. Things came into perspective when we read the tent card on our table mentioning The Chefs return to the Soul Train Cruise (for the third year) along with short bios of each.
 
I have hosted several fascinating celebrity chefs on The Joy of Cruising Podcast. This is the first time I get to host a team—each a celebrity chef in their own right.

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Relying on ship wifi is slow, unsecure, sometimes not available & at foreign ports travelers don’t want to pay their carriers’ high fees. Save $ with GigSky! Get a data package usable on the ship & in ports. Link to GigSky:  https://gigsky.pxf.io/nloxor. For a 10% discount use code: joyofcruising
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Hello, passionate cruisers! This is Paul. This week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am proud to welcome Dr. George Alexakis, a former colleague of mine from Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers. George is a Hospitality Professor at FGCU, who did some collaboration with the organization I led, which was the Office of Continuing and Off-Campus Education. George and I always had a good rapport given our mutual interests—not just in continuing ed but hospitality, which I had taught at my prior institution. George taught cruise management classes and led several cruises with students. He also garnered a reputation for putting together annual land trips to his homeland of Greece, popular with students, faculty, and the southwest Florida community. 


Dr. George Alexakis is a lifelong tourism and hospitality professional who began his career managing his family’s restaurant and banquet operations in Ontario, Canada. He went on to serve as a hospitality consultant and marketing manager for the renowned firm, Cini-Little International. Today, he is a full professor at Florida Gulf Coast University, where he teaches courses in culturally responsible tourism, sustainability, and a variety of other courses. An accomplished speaker and educator, Dr. Alexakis has presented across the globe on topics such as dynamic communication, exceptional customer service, and human resource development. He has taught in Italy, the Caribbean, Israel, and aboard major cruise ships. He holds a doctorate in higher education with a concentration in hospitality, a hospitality master’s, and a hospitality and tourism bachelors.


A prolific scholar, George has authored numerous articles and book chapters in the fields of tourism, entrepreneurship, and leadership. Each summer, he plans a tour for travelers to have an authentic experience of Greece—off the beaten path and beyond the postcard views. Very fluent in Greek and deeply connected to his heritage, George collaborates closely with a professional tour director and local guides to create unforgettable cultural experiences filled with heritage, storytelling, and—of course—fun. He proudly refers to himself as the “Mayor of Fun.”
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Find Dr. Alexakis Online
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/george7alexakis
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dralexakis/

Listen at www.thejoyofcruisingpodcast.com or Home

Relying on ship wifi is slow, unsecure, sometimes not available & at foreign ports travelers don’t want to pay their carriers’ high fees. Save $ with GigSky! Get a data package usable on the ship & in ports. Link to GigSky:  https://gigsky.pxf.io/nloxor. For a 10% discount use code: joyofcruising
​
Supportthejoyofcruisingpodcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/supporters/new
Support Me https://www.buymeacoffee.com/drpaulth
Contact Me https://www.thejoyofcruising.net/contact-me.html
Book Cruises http://www.thejoyofvacation.com/
US Orders (coupon code joyofcruisingpodcast)
The Joy of Cruising https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruising
Cruising Interrupted https://bit.ly/CruisingInterrupted
The Joy of Cruising Again https://bit.ly/TheJoyOfCruisingAgain

Intl Orders via Amazon