AmaWaterways has joined with James Beard Award-winning Chef Alexander Smalls to create a Signature Juneteenth Dinner for all Soulful Experience sailings beginning in 2025. The multi-course menu pays homage to the culinary traditions of the African and Black diaspora.
“Creating this Juneteenth menu for AmaWaterways’ Soulful Experience is deeply personal for me,” said Smalls in a press statement. “Every dish carries a story, a piece of history, and the resilience of a people who transformed humble ingredients into a vibrant culinary legacy. I wanted guests to taste not only the flavors but also the heritage, the struggle, and the triumph that each recipe represents.”
AmaWaterways’ Juneteenth Celebrations
Smalls, a Grammy Award-winning opera singer, restaurateur and author, brings his Gullah Geechee heritage and New Orleans Creole cuisine influences to create an authentic dining experience. His menu features historically significant ingredients and techniques, including corn-based soups utilizing every part of the crop, hush puppies with origins in outdoor cooking traditions, sweet pickled shrimp and deviled eggs. Each course is accompanied by cultural storytelling, providing guests with context about the historical significance behind the flavors.
The former owner of Harlem restaurants The Cecil and Minton’s, Smalls has earned international recognition for his work preserving and elevating the foods of the African diaspora.
The special dinner debuts this month and will feature on all Soulful itineraries in 2025 and beyond. Travel advisors should note upcoming sailings, including:
• Riches of the Mekong: Oct. 11-25, 2026
• Colors of Provence: Oct. 19-29, 2026 and Oct. 14-24, 2027
• Secrets of Egypt & The Nile: Nov. 11-22, 2026 and Jan. 18-29, 2027
• Swiss Alps & Rhine Castles: Dec. 15-24, 2026
• Wonders of Colombia: May 22-June 1, 2027
• Paris & Normandy Wine Cruise: June 10-19, 2027
“Our Soulful Experience river cruises celebrate the beauty and contributions of the African and Black diaspora, inviting travelers to connect with this rich heritage through the flavors, music, and stories that shaped it,” said Jazzmine Douse, Senior Director of National Accounts at AmaWaterways and visionary of the Soulful Experience sailings. “Partnering with Chef Alexander Smalls is such a gift. His culinary artistry and powerful storytelling will make our Juneteenth celebrations on board even more meaningful and unforgettable.”
Each Soulful Experience itinerary includes carefully selected land packages that highlight African and Black diaspora heritage in key destinations. Guests will explore cultural connections in cities such as Lisbon, Cairo, Paris, and Panama City, creating a comprehensive travel experience that extends beyond the cruise itself. The combination of Smalls’ culinary expertise and AmaWaterways’ immersive cultural approach offers clients a unique opportunity to experience history through food while enjoying luxury river cruising.
For more information, visit amawaterways.com.
