This cruise chef has his own herb garden at sea
Hanging out in the sociable lobby of Scenic Eclipse II with German-born-and-raised-chef turned global citizen, Tom Goetter, is an education in what you can grow on board a discovery yacht these days.
The ship’s executive chef has stopped short of loading up milking cows and laying hens. But Goetter is proudly describing his two large urban cultivators, which produce 32 types of herbs – all grown in water only, without soil, given that presents all sorts of biosecurity issues for ships sailing in various territorial waters.
Scenic Eclipse II’s executive chef, Tom Goetter, dials up the flavour and spice.
(The urban cultivators are purchased from a hydroponics company of the same name based in Surrey, British Columbia. The company creates indoor gardening appliances that can grow herbs, microgreens, vegetables, and flowers).
“The technology is incredible,” says Goetter. “We can produce around 60 kilograms a month of all sorts of delicious, fresh herbs including basil, oregano, Greek fennel – also wheatgrass for guests’ shots in the morning. It’s a game changer for Antarctica cruises, where you obviously can’t load up fresh produce each day.”
Aged in his 30s, Goetter was a finalist on Top Chef: World All-Stars in 2018, before coming on board with Scenic in 2019. Originally from the central-west German town of Mainz, he’s now sailing on Eclipse II, commanding the ship’s 10 dining options.
His culinary pedigree is solid, including time spent in the kitchens of a number of Michelin-starred restaurants, such as American chef Thomas Keller, founder of such famed eateries as The French Laundry in Napa Valley, and Per Se in New York.
Goetter is so enthusiastic about the possibilities of growing food at sea using cultivators, he’s helping to create an 80-page manual on the topic.
Urban cultivators are perfect for growing herbs and the like at sea.
Reducing food waste is also close to his heart. Eclipse II has 12 dehydrators on board, and Goetter says they have decreased organic scraps by around two-thirds. That result has also been helped by Goetter’s decision to cook mainly à la carte meals, with just one buffet offering – in the Yacht Club.
“Getting creative to reduce waste is very satisfying,” he says. “If the kitchens are peeling 50 kilograms of carrots, instead of throwing out the skin, we poach and dehydrate it to dust, then use it as a garnish or in a spice mix, or give it to the bar for use in cocktails.”
It’s the same fate for strawberries, cranberries and other fruit and vegetables: “Dehydration is a massive tool that’s super successful.”
And while Eclipse II is a luxury discovery yacht for just 228 guests (with 176 crew), Goetter feels no need to have lashings of traditional, expensive showy culinary items, much of which goes to waste.
“Lobster, tenderloin, foie gras: These foods tend to get people really overexcited for no good reason. I don’t like dishing up huge qualities of that sort of stuff just to impress guests.
“I want seasonal, fresh produce to use in meals that calm guests down, if I can put it like that.”
The menus on Eclipse II tend to reflect the destinations, so dishes change. The most popular restaurants on board – the hardest to get into – are the invitation-only Chef’s Table @ Elements and Night Market @ Koko’s, featuring a teppanyaki grill on which the chef cooks up a storm while giving diners a running commentary on the most famous night market dishes from Asia, India and the Middle East. There’s contemporary fine dining at French Lumière, which also has a Champagne bar.
Goetter and his team went through more than 3000 recipes to curate the on-board menus for Eclipse II. And ahead of the yacht’s arrival in Australia next April to ply the Kimberley, he will create another 500 or so dishes suited to the region. “The exciting thing about cooking is the challenges never end, especially at sea,” he says.
The writer sailed on Scenic Eclipse II earlier this year as a guest of Scenic Cruises.
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