Behind every superyacht is a superb chef, Chefs At Sea provides a taste of what it takes to feed Floridas elite on the open seas. Behind every luxury yacht is a team of crew-members working tirelessly to create perfection for those on boardnot least of all, the chef. Responsible for pleasing palates whether in rolling seas, or on a small island location with very little available in local markets, or for guests with different food requests, yacht chefs have their work cut out for them. Once at sea, its up to the chef to be flexible, creative and accommodating 24 hours a day.
The lions share of the success of a charter rests on how satisfied the guests are with the cuisine, says Cindy Brown, president of New Yorkbased Ultra Marine Yacht Charters, which specializes in superyacht charters. If the weather is inclement, the focus [on cuisine] is even greater. Home to more than 45,000 yachts, Fort Lauderdale is a hub for service crew. In many ways, it is a dream jobgetting paid to travel around the world on a luxury vessel.
But for the chefs, many of whom began their careers at on-land restaurants, the transition can be a bit rocky. On board the 164-foot Arianna, Chef Stuart Ince mans the pristine kitchen. An award-winning chef from London who worked at The Waldorf Hotel as well as Michelin-starred LOranger and Moro, Ince took his first yacht job in 2001. Used to the large, delegated task staffs of a restaurant kitchen, Ince soon realized working on a yacht came with its own set of challenges.
Youre trying to replicate what youve done in top-end restaurants, but when youre on a yacht, you dont have that team, he says. So you have to reinventstrip a dish back to its elements, cleanse the cooking in a way, focus on the fundamentals. That means trading more complex preparations such as foie gras with layers of rabbit rillette, mushroom duxelles and prosciutto, for lighter and simpler dishes like poached lobster with mango, lime and coriander or slow-roasted duck with buckwheat, braised leeks, fennel and onion puree.
It also means learning how to use whats available. While chefs may stock the boat with certain provisions before sailing, their options for fresh ingredients depend on the ports of call. One guest from the Ukraine asked for light and elegant, and since we were in the south of France I could get great ingredients, recalls Ince. We could do a good bouillabaisse or a great piece of red mullet or John Dory with tomato concass with a glass of ros. Perfect.
The Arianna often sails in the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and New England; Ince says his favorite destinations are the south of France, northern Italy, Barcelona and New England because of the artisan producers and wealth of fruits and vegetables available. Southern Italy and the smaller islands of the Caribbean are more problematic. Ive been in some markets in Bequia and Martinique where one woman with four courgettes was the market, he says.
In those cases especially, the chefs creativity is called into play. On a day like that, you get fishermen to come to the boat, you draw things from the freezer, says Ince. If all you have are aubergines, onions and courgettes, you think of all the different combinations to keep it interesting. And sometimes, there are surprises that help the process, such as a bakery in the south of Italy in which the baker was also roasting onions and aubergines. The interior of the onions was soft with a smoky flavor, so Ince roasted them in his oven, adding sherry vinegar and oregano, and served it as a side dish for fish with sun-roasted tomatoes. It was a hit with the guests.
Kim Spiers, the chef on board the 92-foot First Home, has an easier time provisioning because the yacht stays closer to home. Cruising a circuit of Florida including the Keys and the Bahamas, Spiers has a group of purveyors that she regularly uses. Still, on a long cruise, provisions wear out and she must replenish stocksnot an easy task in the Bahamas, where options are limited and what is available is very expensive. Her solution is rigorous planning, both in menus and vacuum packing and freezing fresh ingredients. Menus reflect what has to be used first. Youll see berries and anything else thats delicate in the first few days, she says. Your hardier foods like squash and melons can go to the end. Given the limited storage area, if the cruise is 10 days or longer, youre probably sleeping with boxes of potatoes in your cabin.
Her favorite way to replenish is by catching fish from the boat or taking guests spear fishing and bringing home dinner. Reflecting a general trend, light and healthy preparations are favored: bakes, ceviche, gazpacho, Caribbean touches such as mango salsa and conch fritters, plus steaks on the grill served either on the deck or as a beach barbecue. When children are on board, Spiers will serve their favorites but in higher-end versionslike macaroni and cheese made with several aged cheeses.
Spiers started working on boats 10 years ago, after perfecting her art at seafood houses in Maine. One of the biggest challenges she faced in the beginning was adapting to cooking on the water. The boat has great stabilizers, but if Im making souffls or crme brle, I have to schedule around weather conditions, she says. You dont want to be in mid-preparation when something hits.
Most of all, Ince and Spiers agree that resourcefulness is a yacht chefs mightiest weapon. After approving menus in advance, guests often change their minds and request something elseand the chefs job is to accommodate those requests. You have to be flexible and be ready for whatever comes your way, says Spiers. Find the full feature in our Fall edition of ONE Life Magazine.
Fall 2014s edition of ONE Life magazine shines a light on world trends, culture and design as the proprietary lifestyle publication of ONE Sothebys International Realty. With the launch of the latest issue, were blogging the unique content available in this exclusive publication. Behind every superyacht is a superb chef, Chefs At Sea provides a taste of what it takes to feed Floridas elite on the open seas.
Behind every luxury yacht is a team of crew-members working tirelessly to create perfection for those on boardnot least of all, the chef. Responsible for pleasing palates whether in rolling seas, or on a small island location with very little available in local markets, or for guests with different food requests, yacht chefs have their work cut out for them. Once at sea, its up to the chef to be flexible, creative and accommodating 24 hours a day.
The lions share of the success of a charter rests on how satisfied the guests are with the cuisine, says Cindy Brown, president of New Yorkbased Ultra Marine Yacht Charters, which specializes in superyacht charters. If the weather is inclement, the focus [on cuisine] is even greater.
Home to more than 45,000 yachts, Fort Lauderdale is a hub for service crew. In many ways, it is a dream jobgetting paid to travel around the world on a luxury vessel. But for the chefs, many of whom began their careers at on-land restaurants, the transition can be a bit rocky. On board the 164-footArianna, Chef Stuart Ince mans the pristine kitchen.
An award-winning chef from London who worked at The Waldorf Hotel as well as Michelin-starred LOranger and Moro, Ince took his first yacht job in 2001. Used to the large, delegated task staffs of a restaurant kitchen, Ince soon realized working on a yacht came with its own set of challenges.
Youre trying to replicate what youve done in top-end restaurants, but when youre on a yacht, you dont have that team, he says. So you have to reinventstrip a dish back to its elements, cleanse the cooking in a way, focus on the fundamentals. That means trading more complex preparations such as foie gras with layers of rabbit rillette, mushroom duxelles and prosciutto, for lighter and simpler dishes like poached lobster with mango, lime and coriander or slow-roasted duck with buckwheat, braised leeks, fennel and onion puree.
It also means learning how to use whats available. While chefs may stock the boat with certain provisions before sailing, their options for fresh ingredients depend on the ports of call. One guest from the Ukraine asked for light and elegant, and since we were in the south of France I could get great ingredients, recalls Ince. We could do a good bouillabaisse or a great piece of red mullet or John Dory with tomato concass with a glass of ros. Perfect.
The Arianna often sails in the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and New England; Ince says his favorite destinations are the south of France, northern Italy, Barcelona and New England because of the artisan producers and wealth of fruits and vegetables available. Southern Italy and the smaller islands of the Caribbean are more problematic. Ive been in some markets in Bequia and Martinique where one woman with four courgettes was the market, he says.
In those cases especially, the chefs creativity is called into play. On a day like that, you get fishermen to come to the boat, you draw things from the freezer, says Ince. If all you have are aubergines, onions and courgettes, you think of all the different combinations to keep it interesting. And sometimes, there are surprises that help the process, such as a bakery in the south of Italy in which the baker was also roasting onions and aubergines. The interior of the onions was soft with a smoky flavor, so Ince roasted them in his oven, adding sherry vinegar and oregano, and served it as a side dish for fish with sun-roasted tomatoes. It was a hit with the guests.
Kim Spiers, the chef on board the 92-foot First Home, has an easier time provisioning because the yacht stays closer to home. Cruising a circuit of Florida including the Keys and the Bahamas, Spiers has a group of purveyors that she regularly uses. Still, on a long cruise, provisions wear out and she must replenish stocksnot an easy task in the Bahamas, where options are limited and what is available is very expensive. Her solution is rigorous planning, both in menus and vacuum packing and freezing fresh ingredients. Menus reflect what has to be used first. Youll see berries and anything else thats delicate in the first few days, she says. Your hardier foods like squash and melons can go to the end. Given the limited storage area, if the cruise is 10 days or longer, youre probably sleeping with boxes of potatoes in your cabin.
Her favorite way to replenish is by catching fish from the boat or taking guests spear fishing and bringing home dinner. Reflecting a general trend, light and healthy preparations are favored: bakes, ceviche, gazpacho, Caribbean touches such as mango salsa and conch fritters, plus steaks on the grill served either on the deck or as a beach barbecue. When children are on board, Spiers will serve their favorites but in higher-end versionslike macaroni and cheese made with several aged cheeses.
Spiers started working on boats 10 years ago, after perfecting her art at seafood houses in Maine. One of the biggest challenges she faced in the beginning was adapting to cooking on the water. The boat has great stabilizers, but if Im making souffls or crme brle, I have to schedule around weather conditions, she says. You dont want to be in mid-preparation when something hits.
Most of all, Ince and Spiers agree that resourcefulness is a yacht chefs mightiest weapon. After approving menus in advance, guests often change their minds and request something elseand the chefs job is to accommodate those requests. You have to be flexible and be ready for whatever comes your way, says Spiers.
Find the full feature in our Fall edition of ONE Life Magazine. Click here to subscribe to all future issues.
Fall 2014s edition of ONE Life magazine shines a light on world trends, culture and design as the proprietary lifestyle publication of ONE Sothebys International Realty. With the launch of the latest issue, were blogging the unique content available in this exclusive publication. Behind every superyacht is a superb chef, Chefs At Sea provides a taste of what it takes to feed Floridas elite on the open seas.
Behind every luxury yacht is a team of crew-members working tirelessly to create perfection for those on boardnot least of all, the chef. Responsible for pleasing palates whether in rolling seas, or on a small island location with very little available in local markets, or for guests with different food requests, yacht chefs have their work cut out for them. Once at sea, its up to the chef to be flexible, creative and accommodating 24 hours a day.
The lions share of the success of a charter rests on how satisfied the guests are with the cuisine, says Cindy Brown, president of New Yorkbased Ultra Marine Yacht Charters, which specializes in superyacht charters. If the weather is inclement, the focus [on cuisine] is even greater.
Home to more than 45,000 yachts, Fort Lauderdale is a hub for service crew. In many ways, it is a dream jobgetting paid to travel around the world on a luxury vessel. But for the chefs, many of whom began their careers at on-land restaurants, the transition can be a bit rocky. On board the 164-foot Arianna, Chef Stuart Ince mans the pristine kitchen.
An award-winning chef from London who worked at The Waldorf Hotel as well as Michelin-starred LOranger and Moro, Ince took his first yacht job in 2001. Used to the large, delegated task staffs of a restaurant kitchen, Ince soon realized working on a yacht came with its own set of challenges.
Youre trying to replicate what youve done in top-end restaurants, but when youre on a yacht, you dont have that team, he says. So you have to reinventstrip a dish back to its elements, cleanse the cooking in a way, focus on the fundamentals. That means trading more complex preparations such as foie gras with layers of rabbit rillette, mushroom duxelles and prosciutto, for lighter and simpler dishes like poached lobster with mango, lime and coriander or slow-roasted duck with buckwheat, braised leeks, fennel and onion puree.
It also means learning how to use whats available. While chefs may stock the boat with certain provisions before sailing, their options for fresh ingredients depend on the ports of call. One guest from the Ukraine asked for light and elegant, and since we were in the south of France I could get great ingredients, recalls Ince. We could do a good bouillabaisse or a great piece of red mulet or John Dory with tomato concass with a glass of ros. Perfect.
The Arianna often sails in the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and New England; Ince says his favorite destinations are the south of France, northern Italy, Barcelona and New England because of the artisan producers and wealth of fruits and vegetables available. Southern Italy and the smaller islands of the Caribbean are more problematic. Ive been in some markets in Bequia and Martinique where one woman with four courgettes was the market, he says.
In those cases especially, the chefs creativity is called into play. On a day like that, you get fishermen to come to the boat, you draw things from the freezer, says Ince. If all you have are aubergines, onions and courgettes, you think of all the different combinations to keep it interesting. And sometimes, there are surprises that help the process, such as a bakery in the south of Italy in which the baker was also roasting onions and aubergines. The interior of the onions was soft with a smoky flavor, so Ince roasted them in his oven, adding sherry vinegar and oregano, and served it as a side dish for fish with sun-roasted tomatoes. It was a hit with the guests.
Kim Spiers, the chef on board the 92-foot First Home, has an easier time provisioning because the yacht stays closer to home. Cruising a circuit of Florida including the Keys and the Bahamas, Spiers has a group of purveyors that she regularly uses. Still, on a long cruise, provisions wear out and she must replenish stocksnot an easy task in the Bahamas, where options are limited and what is available is very expensive. Her solution is rigorous planning, both in menus and vacuum packing and freezing fresh ingredients. Menus reflect what has to be used first. Youll see berries and anything else thats delicate in the first few days, she says. Your hardier foods like squash and melons can go to the end. Given the limited storage area, if the cruise is 10 days or longer, youre probably sleeping with boxes of potatoes in your cabin.
Her favorite way to replenish is by catching fish from the boat or taking guests spear fishing and bringing home dinner. Reflecting a general trend, light and healthy preparations are favored: bakes, ceviche, gazpacho, Caribbean touches such as mango salsa and conch fritters, plus steaks on the grill served either on the deck or as a beach barbecue. When children are on board, Spiers will serve their favorites but in higher-end versionslike macaroni and cheese made with several aged cheeses.
Spiers started working on boats 10 years ago, after perfecting her art at seafood houses in Maine. One of the biggest challenges she faced in the beginning was adapting to cooking on the water. The boat has great stabilizers, but if Im making souffls or crme brle, I have to schedule around weather conditions, she says. You dont want to be in mid-preparation when something hits.
Most of all, Ince and Spiers agree that resourcefulness is a yacht chefs mightiest weapon. After approving menus in advance, guests often change their minds and request something elseand the chefs job is to accommodate those requests. You have to be flexible and be ready for whatever comes your way, says Spiers.
Find the full feature in our Fall edition of ONE Life Magazine. Click here to subscribe to all future issues.
Fall 2014s edition of ONE Life magazine shines a light on world trends, culture and design as the proprietary lifestyle publication of ONE Sothebys International Realty. With the launch of the latest issue, were blogging the unique content available in this exclusive publication. Behind every superyacht is a superb chef, Chefs At Sea provides a taste of what it takes to feed Floridas elite on the open seas.
Behind every luxury yacht is a team of crew-members working tirelessly to create perfection for those on boardnot least of all, the chef. Responsible for pleasing palates whether in rolling seas, or on a small island location with very little available in local markets, or for guests with different food requests, yacht chefs have their work cut out for them. Once at sea, its up to the chef to be flexible, creative and accommodating 24 hours a day.
The lions share of the success of a charter rests on how satisfied the guests are with the cuisine, says Cindy Brown, president of New Yorkbased Ultra Marine Yacht Charters, which specializes in superyacht charters. If the weather is inclement, the focus [on cuisine] is even greater.
Home to more than 45,000 yachts, Fort Lauderdale is a hub for service crew. In many ways, it is a dream jobgetting paid to travel around the world on a luxury vessel. But for the chefs, many of whom began their careers at on-land restaurants, the transition can be a bit rocky. On board the 164-foot Arianna, Chef Stuart Ince mans the pristine kitchen.
An award-winning chef from London who worked at The Waldorf Hotel as well as Michelin-starred LOranger and Moro, Ince took his first yacht job in 2001. Used to the large, delegated task staffs of a restaurant kitchen, Ince soon realized working on a yacht came with its own set of challenges.
Youre trying to replicate what youve done in top-end restaurants, but when youre on a yacht, you dont have that team, he says. So you have to reinventstrip a dish back to its elements, cleanse the cooking in a way, focus on the fundamentals. That means trading more complex preparations such as foie gras with layers of rabbit rillette, mushroom duxelles and prosciutto, for lighter and simpler dishes like poached lobster with mango, lime and coriander or slow-roasted duck with buckwheat, braised leeks, fennel and onion puree.
It also means learning how to use whats available. While chefs may stock the boat with certain provisions before sailing, their options for fresh ingredients depend on the ports of call. One guest from the Ukraine asked for light and elegant, and since we were in the south of France I could get great ingredients, recalls Ince. We could do a good bouillabaisse or a great piece of red mullet or John Dory with tomato concass with a glass of ros. Perfect.
The Arianna often sails in the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and New England; Ince says his favorite destinations are the south of France, northern Italy, Barcelona and New England because of the artisan producers and wealth of fruits and vegetables available. Southern Italy and the smaller islands of the Caribbean are more problematic. Ive been in some markets in Bequia and Martinique where one woman with four courgettes was the market, he says.
In those cases especially, the chefs creativity is called into play. On a day like that, you get fishermen to come to the boat, you draw things from the freezer, says Ince. If all you have are aubergines, onions and courgettes, you think of all the different combinations to keep it interesting. And sometimes, there are surprises that help the process, such as a bakery in the south of Italy in which the baker was also roasting onions and aubergines. The interior of the onions was soft with a smoky flavor, so Ince roasted them in his oven, adding sherry vinegar and oregano, and served it as a side dish for fish with sun-roasted tomatoes. It was a hit with the guests.
Kim Spiers, the chef on board the 92-foot First Home, has an easier timeprovisioning because the yacht stays closer to home. Cruising a circuit of Florida including the Keys and the Bahamas, Spiers has a group of purveyors that she regularly uses. Still, on a long cruise, provisions wear out and she must replenish stocksnot an easy task in the Bahamas, where options are limited and what is available is very expensive. Her solution is rigorous planning, both in menus and vacuum packing and freezing fresh ingredients. Menus reflect what has to be used first. Youll see berries and anything else thats delicate in the first few days, she says. Your hardier foods like squash and melons can go to the end. Given the limited storage area, if the cruise is 10 days or longer, youre probably sleeping with boxes of potatoes in your cabin.
Her favorite way to replenish is by catching fish from the boat or taking guests spear fishing and bringing home dinner. Reflecting a general trend, light and healthy preparations are favored: bakes, ceviche, gazpacho, Caribbean touches such as mango salsa and conch fritters, plus steaks on the grill served either on the deck or as a beach barbecue. When children are on board, Spiers will serve their favorites but in higher-end versionslike macaroni and cheese made with several aged cheeses.
Spiers started working on boats 10 years ago, after perfecting her art at seafood houses in Maine. One of the biggest challenges she faced in the beginning was adapting to cooking on the water. The boat has great stabilizers, but if Im making souffls or crme brle, I have to schedule around weather conditions, she says. You dont want to be in mid-preparation when something hits.
Most of all, Ince and Spiers agree that resourcefulness is a yacht chefs mightiest weapon. After approving menus in advance, guests often change their minds and request something elseand the chefs job is to accommodate those requests. You have to be flexible and be ready for whatever comes your way, says Spiers.
Find the full feature in our Fall edition of ONE Life Magazine. Click here to subscribe to all future issues.
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