The Chronicle Herald (Provincial)
Serving supper on HMCS Oriole
Have you ever wondered what it is like to cook meals out on the open water for stretches at a time? How would swells and intense waves impact your ability to get a meal out for a crew of over 20 people three times a day?
I was recently asked if I would be interested in preparing a meal for the crew of the Royal Canadian Navy’s oldest vessel, the HMCS Oriole, as part of its centennial celebration. I thought this would be the ideal opportunity to uncover what food service is like out on the open water.
Sailor First Class Travis Burke of the Oriole’s crew worked with me to prepare and serve the meal for the barbecue supper served onside during their visit in Charlottetown. Burke has been in the Navy for five years and his role is diverse.
“I not only cook and order the food, but I also help out with the sails," he says. "As chief cook, I am what they call main make and break IC, so that means I am in charge of breaking the running backs on the main sail when we are tacking and jibing so we can sheet out.”
All hands on deck seems to be the mantra. It was amazing to see how helpful everyone is; if a load can be lightened through teamwork, that is what happens.
This is very similar to my experience as a chef on land. There are many colloquialisms in the cooking industry that have been derived from terminology from the armed forces, and teamwork makes the dream work is one of such sayings.
I ask Burke what drew him into cooking.
“I grew up with a family who loves food and with a father that also has a passion for cooking, so it has always been something that I’ve enjoyed and was always something I wanted to learn more about," he says.
"Food on any ship is a big part of maintaining morale so being able to do what I can to keep people fed and happy is a big job, but is a lot of fun as well.”
What about the challenges of cooking at sea?
“Every job, every kitchen and every ship provides its own challenges. Whether it be maneuvering around while the ship is constantly rolling, or the tight spaces, or the limited storage space, it can be character building," he says.
"On the Oriole, one month into the sail, my oven stopped working, so that in itself was my biggest challenge. Imagine cooking in a galley the size of a closet with no oven.”
FAST FACTS ABOUT THE HMCS ORIOLE:
• It was built in 1921 as the flagship for the Royal Canadian Yacht Club (RCYC) in Toronto.
• In 2021, both the RCN and the RCYC are celebrating Oriole’s 100th anniversary.
• Oriole is a sturdy ocean cruiser and valuable for teamwork and seamanship training. Its participation in racing is primarily to give inexperienced crews further opportunities for training.
• Ketch-rigged, Oriole is a near relative to a schooner but differs in that its mizzen mast is smaller than its mainmast and is steeped further aft.
• When fully rigged, HMCS Oriole set 13,133 square feet of Dacron sail. These tremendous sails are all manhandled; there is not a winch on the ship. Oriole’s hull is steel; however, its decks, cabin house, skylights and hatches are all made of teak.
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF CHIEF COOK TRAVIS BURKE ABOARD THE HMCS ORIOLE
• 05:30 - Wake up and turn on the equipment to preheat
• 05:45 - Start preparing breakfast
• 07:00 - Crew wakey-wakey; start serving breakfast
• 08:00 - Clean up and start soup
• 10:00 - Serve soup
• 10:15 - Start preparing lunch
• 12:00 - Start serving lunch
• 13:00 - Clean up
• 13:30-1400 - Start supper
• 17;00 - Serve supper
• 18:00 - Clean up
TYPICAL DAILY MENU ABOARD THE HMCS ORIOLE:
Breakfast:
• 2-3 types of meat - usually bacon, sausage and bologna
• Eggs any style
• Potatoes
• Beans
• Pancakes/french toast
• Fresh Fruit
Soup:
• Soup of the day — whatever works with the menu/possible leftovers, etc.
Lunch:
• Sandwich bar (lettuce, tomato, cucumber, peppers, pickles, onions, cheese, two types of meat)
• Main course
• Starch
• Vegetable
• Salad (depends on the day)
Supper:
• Same as lunch minus the sandwich bar but usually includes dessert
SERVING A MEAL TO THE CREW
The barbecue supper I cooked up for the crew included a golden potato salad and grilled flank steak. I think simple comfort food is the sort of meal I would be craving when I return to land, and so this served as my inspiration for the menu.
Chef Ilona’s All-purpose Grill Rub
This rub is great on kabobs, steaks, ribs, chops or shellfish.
This recipe is based on ratios you can make a big batch to last for a while with enough to give some to your guests to take home with them, or you can make a small, one-cup batch.
Ingredients:
• 8 parts brown sugar
• 3 parts kosher salt
• 1 part paprika
• 1 part of each of the following: cumin, coriander, black pepper, garlic powder and mustard powder
Golden Potato Salad with Double Mustard Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
• 2 kgs Yukon Golds, peeled, cubed
• 8 ribs celery, sliced
• 1 large red onion, very thinly chopped
• 1/2 cup each chopped dill, chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley
• Mustard Vinaigrette
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 3 Tbsp whole-grain Dijon mustard
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
Directions:
Prepare vinaigrette using vinaigrette method of emulsion.
Toss potato salad mixture with enough salad dressing for the mixture to be well, and evenly coated, but not dripping.
The potato salad will be good for three to four days.
Go online: See a video of Chef Ilona Daniel preparing a meal for the Oriole at Saltwire.com
Chef Ilona Daniel's food column runs on the first Friday of each month. She welcomes comments from readers by email at chef. ilona.daniel@gmail.com or on twitter: Twitter.com/chef_ilona