Nicole Poirier
Chef, 154-foot sailing yacht Andromeda la Dea

Date interviewed: April 2008

How did you realize you wanted to become a chef?
My family is a family of amazing cooks. No one is a professional chef, but we grew up with a huge vegetable garden, an organic farm, and we’d sail to harvest our own lobsters and clams in Rhode Island. I basically grew up with dinner parties all around me, and it seemed like a natural transition after I realized that being in an office behind glass isn’t that much fun.

What training did you undergo to become a chef?
Initially, none, but after being in the yachting industry for a few years, I went to the Ritz Escoffier in Paris. I wanted to challenge myself. There’s nothing like working with people who are better than you to learn more. I also wanted to see a bit more of the world and travel, and it was everything I wanted it to be and more. I walked away with a lot of fresh ideas.

Why did you decide to work onboard yachts?
I grew up sailing on my parents’ sailboat, but I also grew up cooking. I was making meals for my parents as young as age 5. So the yachting and the cooking grew together for me.
     A cousin of mine was working on classic 12-meter sailing yachts in Newport, so I was exposed to the industry. I knew it was there. As soon as I decided not to be a stock trader anymore, I decided this was what I wanted to do. I buffed hulls, I did day work, I did whatever I could to get into the yachting business.

What yachts did you work on before joining Andromeda la Dea?
I joined the industry in 2003 and freelanced for two years, mostly with racing sailboats. I did some charters, but none on yachts bigger than 100 feet. I was pretty much flown around America to follow some of the race boats. It was amazing.
     In 2005, I decided to go to the Caribbean, and I sailed down on an 80-foot ketch. I was living in Antigua, working in a private villa, and I met an agent who called a captain and told him to snap me up because I was a big girl, and she didn’t trust skinny chefs. That was the 115-foot long Titan XIV, and I stayed for five seasons.
    After that, I wanted to travel and do some schooling. I left Titan XIV on good terms, ended up back in Antigua after my travels, and found Andromeda la Dea in January 2008.

What do you think makes Andromeda la Dea’s crew unique or special?
It always comes down to the crew. We have two captains who work on rotations, and we’re very selective about the crew who get hired. So we have the perfect fit for every single person. The second day I was onboard, I said I wanted to stay aboard for two years. That’s an unusual commitment in the yachting industry. That we get along, it makes people comfortable. People feel they can relax the minute they step on the boat.
      The average person who comes on a charter yacht generally spends a lot of time working, in offices, tending to patients, or doing charity functions. Usually, it takes a week for them to unwind. I appreciate the fact that on this boat, guests can reach that level of relaxation in 24 hours.

How do you determine what meals you will prepare for charter guests?
I’m in constant communication with the people coming onboard, or with their secretaries, before the charter. A lot of people don’t like to fill out preference sheets, so I try to get in touch via e-mail or telephone.
     It’s not difficult to talk about what you like. We get a few things down, I do a sample menu within a day or two, and we get approval or make changes. Ultimately, then, they don’t have to worry about getting food they’d turn away. And the menu is flexible along the way, of course depending on the availability of products.

What are some of your specialty dishes, or often-requested favorites?
I try not to repeat dishes, but a dish that I have had requested more than once is shrimp and avocado salad with spicy champagne vinaigrette, which I make with chili oil.

What cruising areas do you like best for incorporating local ingredients into your menus?
Every area has its great ingredients, so I couldn’t say I have a favorite. I love the little tiny strawberries in Maine in the summer, and having fresh lobsters dropped off there by a fisherman. But the tomatoes in Guadaloupe in the Caribbean in the winter, they’re amazing. It really just depends where we are. I like to cook everything.

What is a typical day’s menu that a guest might experience onboard Andromeda la Dea?
I like to say that my menu is flexitarian—by which I mean that I lean toward vegetarianism, with more vegetables, beans and legumes, less dairy, less meat. It’s more of an influence from the vegetables than chicken, red meat, anything like that.
     Seafood is what I like to do best, as long as it’s fresh. I’ll find the right recipe for whatever is fresh. People are trying to be more healthy and cut down on the bad fats, so I’m trying to lean towards that.

What kind of charter guests are your favorites?
All charter guests are the same to me. I want to please their palate whether they’re 5 years old or 75 years old. I’m always aiming to please the more distinguished palate, but what I do depends on what the client wants. It’s not important for me to feed my own ego. It’s important for me to feed them.

What else should CharterWave readers know about you and Andromeda la Dea?
I think Andromeda la Dea, as a whole, with the crew and the boat itself—the hot tub, the toys, the meals—is just the ultimate escape. If I could pick a boat to charter, I would choose this one. I would be more than happy to stay around if someone else was cooking for a week.

Andromeda la Dea is part of the fleet at Churchill Yacht Partners. Her weekly base rate is $125,000 for eight guests. Contact any reputable charter broker for information.