| Winning Chefs from Newport Show |
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| Written by Kim Kavin |
| Tuesday, 30 June 2009 07:41 |
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This is Merrilie Insch, the chef onboard the 88-foot Broward motoryacht Essence. Odds are that you've never heard of her. She's entirely new to the business and has yet to perform her first charter--which makes it all the more impressive that she took first place in the chowder cook-off among all the chefs at last week's charter yacht show in Newport, Rhode Island. Her winning recipe was Thai green curry chowder with king prawns, certainly a new spin on the traditional favorite. My guess is that she'll bring a lot of new ideas to her charter yacht's galley, based on her background of cooking at cold-climate ski resorts in Australia. Apparently, her slow-roasted pork and white chocolate cheesecake are drool-worthy. I landed this exclusive interview with Insch the day after she won the chowder contest. Just a few hours later, the winner of the charter show's overall cooking competition was announced: Patrick Roney, chef aboard the 115-foot Crescent motoryacht Kapalua. You may remember him from this exclusive interview that I snagged in April, after he was invited to participate in California's prestigious Pebble Beach Food & Wine event. Roney's winning menu included beet salad with horseradish chevre and poached oyster, followed by oyster clam and chorizo stew in a grilled pineapple bowl, followed by kale and chorizo ragu with garlic scape and scallion flan, drizzled with scallion purée. I didn't get to taste any of those dishes, but I did attend a cocktail party aboard Kapalua at the boat show, and the hors d'oeuvres that Roney produced were beautiful as well as delicious. The theme was Hawaiian night, and the whole fish presentation was outstanding. Both Essence and Kapalua still have available dates for charters this summer in New England, if you want to enjoy award-winning cooking along with your views of the coast. Essence is part of the fleet at The Sacks Group Yachting Professionals, while Kapalua is part of the fleet at Northrop & Johnson. Any reputable charter broker can help you book a week onboard either yacht. Comments (0)
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