April 2, 2006

Funded by the National Science Foundation Office of Polar Programs

Location: Latitude 62° 08.4515' S, Longitude 55° 35.4543' W

Straits of Lemaire

Air Temperature: 1°C

Working in the culinary field abroad

I've had the pleasure of working in the culinary field on land for about 12 years. I'm originally from New Orleans. I traveled around in the states: Colorado Springs, Co, Santa Fe, New Mexico and Cape Elizabeth, Maine. I worked in the culinary field in all of my travels. All of my experiences in these places have been beneficial to the overall development of my craft. Working in the culinary field abroad for E.C.O. is another experience all together. I can't really say which is better for my growth in my industry, but my experiences working on a ship up to this point are truly something that will stay with me forever. I've had the opportunity to travel to the Bahamas, Key West, Hawaii, Guam, Japan, New Zealand, Chili, and Antarctica with E.C.O.

In all of my travels I've tried to take something from each place that could benefit and stimulate a learning experience and applied it to the culinary field. One of the things that stand out every time that I think about what I've gained in development, is the interaction with people from all over the world. I think it's very interesting to ask somebody from another country what types of foods do they consume on a daily basis. I must say just that type of connection has opened my eyes to how broad my field is. When I look back before I started with E.C.O. I never realized how I was limiting myself to just a few types of cuisine. Working in the culinary field abroad changed my attitude and appreciation for what I do.

There are benefits to working in a professional restaurant on land I admit. However there are benefits of working on a ship. Take for example: I don't have to commute in rush hour traffic to get to work, I just open my door and “bam” I'm at work. Although some days may be grey and cloudy, when things clear and the sun is bright I've never seen so much beauty as I've seen in Antarctica. The crisp cool clean air combined with sunsets that will make you sigh and appreciate the simple things in life we take for granted. And last but not least, take for example the emotional experience of “relief” we all felt today when we officially set sail for port. That is something that will get better every day that will pass. The energy in the air you could not cut with a knife. With all that said, I guess it's really just all about the experience. It's something that's embedded with you forever.

Robert Van Voorhis
Edison Chouest Offshore

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