Tolga Cayalan
chef, s/y Blue Capricorn

With answers translated from Turkish to English by Cem Boz of Contact Turkey

How did you realize you wanted to become a chef?
I started off as a deckhand and worked my way up to first mate and now chef. My plan is to become a captain, so I am learning all the jobs.

What training did you undergo to become a chef?
I didn’t get special training, but even as a child, I was curious about cooking. When I was a deckhand, I watched the other cooks and learned.

What other yachts did you work on before joining Blue Capricorn?
I worked on a Turkish charter gulet the same size as this one, and before that I was onboard a private gulet.

When did you join your current yacht’s crew?
I came  here in January 2007 because I had worked with this boat’s captain before.

How do you determine what meals you will prepare for charter guests?
I like to read a lot about cooking. I learn new recipes and try new things. The design of this boat is better with space and refrigeration than my last boat, so I can make better food for the guests.

How important are guests’ preference sheets to you?
On the first day I make everything according to the preference sheet. But most people don’t know Turkish food, so I also give them a few samples of traditional dishes. Then we can see what they like of local food and adjust the menu for the week, because I am an expert in Turkish food—lots of vegetables, beef, fish, but no pork and lobster is rare. It’s fresh fish, crabs, chicken.

What are some of your specialty dishes, or often-requested favorites?
I love to make rice with seafood, with shrimp and fish right in the rice. You need to do it so that it doesn’t all stick together. 
    And chocolate soufflés for dessert. I can do those very well, plus cookies for afternoon tea.

What kind of charter guests are your favorites?
I like to cook for people of middle age because they’re more interested in trying new things. Very old people have strict diets, and very young people are always on diets. Ages 30 to 50, they appreciate trying new things.

What else should CharterWave readers know about you and Blue Capricorn?
I like to have people come to me with a different dish, to teach me new things. I love to share my kitchen with my guests. If they teach me something new, and we make it together, I love it. You can make any food by recipe. To learn from someone is better.


CharterWave editor Kim Kavin interviewed Tolga Cayalan following a lunch arranged onboard the 109-foot Blue Capricorn by broker Missy Johnston of Nothrop & Johnson Worldwide Yacht Charters. You may contact her or any reputable charter broker to book this yacht, which takes 12 guests with four crew at a weekly base rate of 18,200 euros per week, plus expenses.