What are you doing / where are you working right now?
Relaxing at home before next contract
Who is your food hero (dead or alive) and why?
My Mother of course.
What three ingredients could you not live without?
Turmeric, Fresh coriander fresh ginger.
What are your three favorite cookbooks and why?
Escoffier, as a classically trained chef this was the bible, the dictionary of flavors, and more recently TARTINE books I have been studying about fermenting and sour dough production from masa Madre. I also make Kombucha and kefir.
What 3 kitchen gadgets could you not live without?
Cigar cutter to open quail eggs, silicone molds, slotted spatula as a general tool to flip scrape and whisk
What piece of equipment should every yacht have in the galley?
Convotherm convection oven
What would you say are some of the most over rated ingredients?
Truffles, Persimmons, Thousand year eggs
What would you say are some of the most under rated ingredients?
Apple cider vinegar, coriander stalks,
What has been the most popular (or requested dish) on a yacht by a guest so far? Salt baked whole fish a Mediterranean classic
If you were a guest on a yacht, who would you want to cook for you and why?
My Mother… because she’s not here anymore.
What music do you listen to in the galley (if at all)?
Reggae never fails
Best galley tip/hack?
Don’t let your menu exceed the capabilities of equipment space and time. Thus KISS! Keep It Simple Stupid.
What is the most difficult location you have ever had to provision in?
And what bit of advice can you give to figure out where to go? Down island in the Caribbean is always difficult and often thy don’t have bags or boxes to pack big provisioning then when you get to the taxi they will only let you fill the boot so it a four-taxi ride to the dock they it all had to be ferried out to the boat on anchor all this in the blazing sun. So, where possible Agents provide a great help for chefs but always try to have the agent pick you up to take you shopping so you can choose
What is the hardest part of your job?
Having every ingredient that the guests may ask for so you never have to say no to any request
What would you say to people who stereotype chefs as being pre-Madonna’s with big egos?
Most of this behavior comes from the pressure that is applied to young unexperienced chefs who want their vision projected on to the dishes and they require the help of the team around them to achieve this and so until they become confident and organized they can appear like egotistical monsters.
What is your attitude toward crew with dietary requirements?
I will do my best to give the crew what they need especially with dietary requirements the best thing with crew food is to separate as many elements as possible and keep it simple and healthy
What is the weirdest most bizarre thing you have ever been asked to cook?
I find sea urchins quite bizarre not that you cook them but still weird to crack open such a weird spiny beast to eat its eggs.
Name something you have cooked for guests that you are most proud of?
I cooked a clam bake on the beach of a private Island near Camden Maine while on charter, All the ingredients came from the island and the se around it, Clams Lobster, potatoes corn tomatoes lettuce peppers, zucchini peas carrots. The ultimate slow food dinner.
What one thing should all chefs do to help the environment?
I always take my own bags shopping with me when I shop to control plastic waste but it’s difficult with Agents they want to get the food on board in perfect condition but when you have one wild fish in a polystyrene box with plastic bags filled with ice plastic ice bricks and then wrapped in bubble wrap it goes a bit overboard with packaging.
What one thing can chefs do to limit food wastage?
With a good crew, there should never be much wastage left over guest food will always be enjoyed by the crew.
If you weren’t a chef, what would you want to be?
It’s something I’ve never really thought about I have always wanted to cook and when I’m cooking it doesn’t feel like I’m working.
Name:Â Scott Jamison
Years’ Experience as a chef: 35
Nationality: Australian
