Now in its seventh year, the prestigious and competitive Culinary Contest was held November 10 2011 at Village Cay Marina and was a highlight of the annual BVI Charter Yacht Society Boat Show.
A change in weather forced a change in the judging venue. Charter yacht chefs presented their dishes on board their yachts. Each chef was given 20 minutes for the judges to review their entry. Davide Pugliese, of Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, Andy Nedenthal, Executive Chef at Scrub Island, and Coordinator and Judge Captain Jan Robinson, author and owner of Ship to Shore Inc., went from yacht to yacht making their decisions in a competition they say just keeps getting bigger and better every year.
Overall Winner, taking 1st place in Desserts and 2nd place in both Entrée and Appetizers was Carlene ‘Carly’ Williams, a Londoner aboard the76ft catamaran Akasha. Although she received a Fine Arts Degree from Oxford Brooks University, Carly found her passion to be in cooking and photography. On graduating she travelled the world and had many “food experiences from her time spent in Argentina and Australia.” In Thailand she took cooking and fruit carving courses. While in New Zealand, she says she gained insightful inspiration far above the carrots and marmite sandwiches she had been living on. Carly started her yachting career in 2006, and for two years worked as a sous chef with Kiwi chef Christian Roberts on the 150ft M/V Were Dreams. The yacht cruised worldwide, including the Far East and Mediterranean. Christian taught her everything including, how to use a knife, saying – “stand correctly to cut correctly.” Captain James Micklem joined Akasha as crew along with Carly. For a year Carly worked alongside chef Veronica Williams, and when Veronica moved ashore Carly became Akasha‘s chef.
Tara Chaille, aboard the 57ft catamaran Soterion, took 1st place in both Appetizer/Salad and Entrée categories. Tara was born in Indiana, USA. When she was 14, her parents chartered a yacht in the BVI and she knew then that she wanted to be a charter yacht chef. When it came time to go to college Tara wanted to go to culinary school, but her parents persuaded her to go for a degree in Elementary Special Education instead. While at college she spent her evenings and weekends working at high-end restaurants as a waitress, made friends with chef Scottie Mole, and for a case of Guinness, weekly, she learned everything she needed to know – from grocery shopping to plating. Each summer Tara worked as a scuba instructor in the BVI, where eventually she met sailing instructor met Sasha Bouis. They started dating and talking about the charter industry. A year later they landed their first job on a boat.
Angela Smith aboard Caribbean Dream was on the podium again this year taking 1st place in Best of Bean and 2nd place for Desserts. Angela was born in Glen Falls, New York, and learned to cook while staying with her grandmother in the summers. At 14, she was the assistant baker at a prestigious boy’s camp. Following a short stint in the Marine Corps, Angela moved to Houston and completed her chef training in Culinary, Pastry and Restaurant Management. From there she spent 14 years running her own catering/special events company. In 2004, Angela moved to Hawaii and became the Corporate Pastry Chef for Y. Hata & Co., the largest foodservice distributor in the islands. She was also the pastry adviser/coach for the Army Culinary Olympic Team and worked as executive chef/kitchen manager for the two Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse restaurants in Maui. Tiring of the corporate world, Angela accepted an executive chef/operations manager position with a local day sail charter company where she met Captain Glen Becker. After working together on several boats, Angela and Glen bought Caribbean Dream. For them it has been a dream and Angela “keeps on cooking!”
Event sponsors: All at Sea, Caribbean Cellars with Veuve Clicquot, Colombian Emeralds with Wenger, and Caribbean Mountain Coffee with Radio Doctor.
Captain Jan Robinson holds certificates from the Culinary Institute of America, The Ritz Cooking School, and the Cordon Bleu. Her Ship to Shore Cookbook Collection is available at your local marine or bookstore. Or visit www.shiptoshoreINC.com email CapJan@aol.com or call 1-800-338-6072 and mention All at Sea to receive a discount.
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