Chef Gill's Victories at SeaThe Galley Maestro on the Spirit of Endeavourby Martha Hollis
This is exactly what Cruise West’s website claims: Many people expect employment on board a cruise ship to be a working vacation, quite the contrary. The pace is fast, the work is hard, the hours are long and you can’t go home at day’s end…For those who enjoy the challenge, the people, and the places, working on a small ship is often the most rewarding job they’ve ever had. But working long days in repetitive tasks can become disheartening and frustrating. Add to this the additional challenge of working and living in the same environment, in extremely tight quarters, and with the same people for extended periods of time. Adapting to this type of lifestyle has proven to be overwhelming for many. “So I thought I would have to work for these guys—they are so honest,” smiled Gill. I caught up with Chef Gill on a seven-day cruise disembarking from Cabo San Lucas for a leisurely passage in the Sea of Cortes. I assiduously tested every meal, snack, and cocktail hour appetizer. But, that is my job as a professional eater. And I had to work diligently at swimming, snorkeling, hiking on the remote beaches where the ship’s Captain tucked us away and the cruise directors found more activities. (See related story “Small Ship Cruising in Baja: Not the Exclusive Domain of the Ultra Wealthy”). Searching for the gray whales, watching birds takes a lot of calories, as do shore excursions for shopping, meeting traditional craftsperson's, going to fiestas, and touring historic missions. Most of the food supplies trucked from California come in weekly at the La Paz port. “Using a U. S. supplier helps guarantee a constant level of quality and availability,” said Gill. “If we run out of something here, we just make substitutes,” said Gill. “The perishables are carefully inventoried and used. The local, fresh rock lobsters are served the same day.” “You work 16 hours per day,” smiled Gill “and for four weeks straight. Then you get two weeks off.”
One evening the tall, athletic, redheaded chef started his dinner orientation, his guide to gourmet cruising with "Tonight's soup is a roasted tomato and onion—it’s a beautiful soup. First you roast off the tomatoes…oh, I am going too fast…I always go too fast…but I have dinner cooking…Then tonight we are having Grouper Onasis. This is an item I brought with me from Florida. You saut� off the fresh grouper filets. Top it with shrimp and Feta cheese, then hit it with a swirl of beurre blanc. It is very nice…" And so the talk continued explaining the hearts of palm salad with raspberry vinaigrette, freshly baked focaccia, other entr�e choices of roast pork, pasta or a vegetarian item followed by a generously rich, Mexican chocolate bread pudding. Smiling engagingly he asked for questions, so that his audience would be totally informed and led knowingly to sublime enjoyment. Gill then exited downstairs back behind the scenes in the galley to follow-up on his offers.
Dress is whatever (but never a coat and tie nor fancy dresses). I saw everything from shorts and sandals to crisp white cotton skirts and colorful cruise wear. Service is professional and friendly especially as your waitperson may be someone totally engaging with whom you kayaked during yesterday’s beach outing. And Gill, himself, when he finds a spare minute can pop right out of the back galley door onto the deck and snorkel, kayak, read, do paperwork or drop a line for lazy fishing. But these moments are brief, as there will be hungry cruisers anxiously awaiting Gill next meal’s creations. Gill is a self-diagnosed foodie claiming, “Some people love to talk about sports, but I love cooking. I just love everything about it.” Gill had just recently finished Culinary School. He studied even though he had fifteen years experience—much in five-star resorts. A more mature and eager student Gill said “…but there were many culinary things I just wanted to learn so I went to chef school in Lakeland, Florida. I could fill in the gaps.” “Baking was always my biggest weakness,” continued Gill. “I did not know the classic techniques. The actual studying to learn the proper procedures was invaluable. I could still learn more.” On the Baja Cruise West ship, the cuisine is upscale American with a Mexican flair. The staff takes extreme care not to make dishes searingly hot going instead for flavor from chilies and lots of fresh ingredients. Gill’s salsa is a fiesta of flavor without any of the nasty jalapeno side burns. (Heat seekers can add jolts at the table). I asked Gill to share a recipe. He chose “Grouper Onasis, people love this dish.” And having dined on this admits the friendly surrounds of the Spirit of Endeavour, where it was prepared a la minute, I knew why. GROUPER ONASIS
Saut� the filets in whole butter (or oil). Add shrimp and cook until the translucency disappears. Note: At this point the shrimp is only half cooked and the carryover heat should finish the cooking and shrimp should be opaque by time of plating. In a separate pan quickly saut� diced tomatoes in just enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Add Feta cheese just before serving. Plate grouper fillets. Top with shrimp and tomato Feta mixture. Swirl with beurre blanc sauce. For more information contact:Cruise West, from mid-December through mid-April two small ships, the Spirit of Endeavour and the Spirit of '98, provide 1 week adventure cruises departing from Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico through the Bay of Cortes, http://www.cruisewest.com, 800-888-9378 America West Airlines have frequent flights connecting through their Phoenix hub. No meals are served on flight so that you may enjoy Gill’s cuisine even more. http://www.Americawest.com or 800-2 FLY AWAY or 800-235-9292 See related story "Small Ship Cruising in Baja Not the Exclusive Domain of the Ultra Wealthy" Images: copyright 1999 SearchWrite -Updated 4-7-99- |
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“I found this job searching on the Internet,” explained Marshall I. Gill, III, executive chef on the Spirit of Endeavour, a 104 passenger small, elegant ship. “ They (Cruise West) discouraged you from taking it; they told you how difficult it was.”
Gill is a personality plus person, like many of the other staff members. Nightly during the cocktail hour as performer Jani provided her hauntingly beautiful music, Gill made an entrance to explain to the diners the evening’s lineup. The menu had been posted all day, but having the chef describe preparation and ingredients makes the whole experience much more exciting. It is also a daring time for the maestro of the galley to leave—but his staff of four plus borrowed helpers from other cruise jobs always seemed to keep it all under control.
The passengers wandered into the spacious dining room surrounded by giant windows and glorious views of the sea, islands, mountains and occasional whales. Seating is open with most tables accommodating four to six. It is a great opportunity to meet new passengers while enjoying the dining. 
Gill prefers to saut� the filets in whole butter as it gives a nice sheen to the fish. Be careful not to overcook the shrimp, as carryover heat will finish the job. He prefers an Italian brand of Feta. He suggests being very careful with salt as the Feta contains quite a bit. Kosher salt has the most flavor.