October 1, 2011
The new stew waltzed into the galley and announced she was a vegan. Not a vegetarian, not a semi-retired vegetarian who experiments with fish, but a strict, no-dairy, no-meat, not-even-gelatin-derived-from-an-animal-or-its-cousin, certified vegan.
My question to her was, "OK, did you inform the captain of this?" (My first thoughts ran to the captain and why he didn’t warn me the new hire ate differently from the rest of the crew.)
Turns out, she didn’t.
Now as chefs, being thrown a new diet doesn’t surprise us. If it’s not a new crew member with special dietary requests, you can bet the next guests onboard will have special eating requests. You get used to it. But you have to be told.
On a recent yacht, I didn’t learn the new chief stew was a vegan until I saw her picking over the food I had prepared and picking out organic vegan items at the store, creating a higher food cost that I was accountable for.
I suggest that those in hiring positions ask one simple question: Do you have any eating preferences?
Throughout my career, I’ve noticed that most crew who eat differently do not want it known because they are worried they won’t get the job. When I asked that vegan stew if she’d told the captain, that was her reply.
If a new hire withholds this tidbit, what else are they not telling the captain or the owner? This seemingly minor detail not discovered during the hiring process can escalate a food budget and add to the work burden of the chef.
A special food diet that belongs to the crew might be the last thing they want to contend with. Of course, diet shouldn’t be a dealbreaker when it comes to hiring crew, but it’s important that chefs know up front so they can prepare.
To make life onboard easier, here are some ideas for chefs to consider to keep the food budget in place, fill the vegans’ needs, and keep all crew satisfied:
1. Occasionally replace the meat in a meal with beans to add fiber, texture, color and most importantly, protein. Mix it with rice for carbohydrates that supply energy, especially for the outside crew.
2. Use whole grains instead of potatoes for more fiber. The ancient grains such as amaranth, quinoa, and spelt have never been chemically altered. They are an excellent source of omega 3 oils and are high in fiber, a much needed component of a healthy digestive system and healthy heart.
3. Instead of white bleached flour, try substituting oat, whole wheat or rye flour in breads.
4. Consider having a large salad for lunch with the protein on the side for those who want meat, thereby saving you time in preparing individual plates to order.
5. Consider menus that cater to both the special diet needs person as well as the meat and potatoes type of crew. Try a hearty faux-beef stew using seitan and fresh vegetables.
6. Meatless dishes such a eggplant lasagna or a hearty vegetable and bean soup with leafy greens can offer a filling combo.
With a little give and take, tweaking a menu with substitutions will help you to find the right combinations that your entire crew will like and keep the budget down. If you try to do separate meals all the time, you will find that your tolerance of other's preferences for food will run out.
Cooking some vegetarian dishes will not only add to your culinary repertoire, it might also offer you some new inspiration.
For this month's vegetarian recipe, click here.
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