What is your favorite part about this job?
“Interacting with people. I like to pass along my knowledge to other crew members and help them gain self-esteem, because I know what it’s like to start out as an apprentice. Encouragement is very, very important for new crew members, especially those who are in a low position like assistant cooks. I want to inspire them not to think of themselves as a cook but as a chef.”
What is the most challenging part about working at sea?
“Sourcing all the products you need to create your menu. The logistics for loadings can be very difficult. If you’re going to be in Antarctica for 18 days, and the ship is full but your storage capacity is not the size you need, you’re going to have shortages. And the majority of our guests are repeaters, so they know what to expect: the finest cuisine at sea. The other challenge is manpower. If we’re short one crew member in a particular restaurant, it shows. We do everything from scratch and we don’t cut corners.”
What is the coolest or weirdest thing about living on a ship?
“The coolest thing is waking up every morning in a new country or port. You’re in Barcelona today and wake up in Venice tomorrow—like, oh my god, how cool is that? You take a photo, like ‘Hey! Look, I’m in Venice!’ and send it to your friend; everybody starts to get a bit jealous. There’s just always something new to see, too, especially marine life. Dolphins, whales—all these things that people are just dying to see, right off your balcony.
The weirdest thing for me is trying to learn new languages: a little Hindi, a little Chinese, a little Indonesian, a little Filipino. Sometimes I mispronounce words and accidentally say things I shouldn’t!”
What is your favorite place you’ve traveled so far?
“Japan. Japanese people are the most disciplined in the world when it comes to respect. You walk on the street, they show you respect. You go to a restaurant, they show you respect. They also tend to be perfectionists, and as a chef, this is something I appreciate.
Tokyo, in particular, is always a highlight for me: the lifestyle, the technology, the lighting. It’s one of the most beautiful cities at night. And do you know they have one vending machine for every person? That’s, like, 15 million vending machines. Can you imagine?!
Kobe is another one of my favorite ports because there’s a restaurant right near the pier that serves the best meat in the world. And I love Mykonos because they have the best roasted octopus.
I also like shopping for our Chef’s Market Dinners. I go to the markets and buy local items, then come back to the ship and create a menu for guests inspired by all these new things. It’s pretty cool because a lot of the ingredients are ones guests maybe haven’t tried before. In Vietnam, for example, I brought back frog legs. People go ‘Whoa, this is delicious—but they seem a little small for chicken wings.’ And I say, ‘Sir, that’s not chicken—it’s actually frog.’ They’ll pause for a moment and then they go for more because it’s that fantastic.”
What is your favorite place to hang out on the ship?
“The crew bar. That’s the only place where you get to see all of your friends. Everyone works very long days and the ship is huge, so sometimes you won’t see a friend for weeks. But you can always call him up and say, ‘What’s up, man? Let’s go to the crew bar and have a drink.’
