Chef, 150-foot motoryacht Vita

Date interviewed: December 2009

I was impressed with the luncheon that you just performed for a handful of leading charter brokers. Where did you study the culinary arts?
I was born in Taiwan and came to Houston, Texas, when I was 2. I moved to Seattle in 2002. Between my heritage and the different styles of cooking in the Texas and Seattle regions, I had a lot of time to sample different kinds of cuisine.
I’d always had jobs as a waiter, and I actually went to the Art Institute in Seattle to study interior design. I eventually switched to culinary studies because I wanted to be a restaurant manager, but I needed to learn the kitchen stuff, too. I wanted to be able to have a backbone when I told a chef to do something a certain way.
I just had so much fun, that I kept on cooking.

Did you move immediately from school onto yachts?
No. One of my instructors placed me at a French restaurant in Seattle. It was an apprenticeship without pay, but I got to do a little bit of everything. It was a terrific experience.
After I got my culinary degree, I went to Hawaii to work for Norwegian Cruise Lines. I wanted to travel and take a break from cooking. I stayed one year as a waiter and assistant maitre’d.
When I was tired of that, the same instructor who had gotten me the job at the French restaurant helped me get aboard a private 112-foot Crescent motoryacht called Anchor W in Alaska. That’s when yachting grabbed me. I didn’t like the boat so much, but the yachting itself was really cool.

So you became a yachtie.
I did. The rest of the crew told me to go to Fort Lauderdale so that I could find work on another boat, and I went to a 165-foot Christensen motoryacht called Silver Lining. It was private, too. I didn’t discover charter until I was working as a freelance chef aboard the 113-foot Burger motoryacht Top Times. That was my first charter—and I loved it.
I got to be be creative. I got to dazzle. The people who charter, I learned, want to be wowed. And I got to wow them.

When did you join your current motoryacht, the 150-foot Trinity Vita?
I came aboard in May 2009. We cruised all over New England, and now we’re in the Caribbean. For the next summer season in 2010, we are going to the Mediterranean. I can’t wait to go shopping in all the markets over there. The markets are just legendary.

During the luncheon you just prepared, I noticed that you offered choices for both the appetizer as well as the main course. Is that something you typically do for guests during charters?
I do a buffet lunch, and then a dinner with choices. The reason for the choices is that when I see the guests’ preference sheets, people usually want different things. For me with the choices, the cooking isn’t any harder, and everyone gets what they want. I have to be a little more intense in my planning, but I don’t mind, because it makes the outcome so much better for the guests.

Everything you prepared today, from ricotta gnocchi to panna cotta, received rave reviews. I didn’t detect any theme running through the meal. Are there specialties you typically favor?
I would say that modern French is my specialty, meaning French techniques with a lighter touch. No heavy sauces. More natural.
But in general, I love to do things I’ve never done before. If you keep doing what you’ve always done, then you’re done.
Do I want challenging charter guests? Bring it on.  I’m as excited as they are.

Vita is part of the charter fleet at Northrop & Johnson. She takes 10 to 12 guests at a lowest weekly base rate of $170,000, and is available during some seasons for charter in tandem with the owner’s 136-foot J-Class sailing yacht, Ranger. Any reputable charter broker can tell you more or help you book a week onboard.