Under the watchful eye of Head Chef Tim MacDonald, the galley on-board M/Y ELIXIR runs with military precision and is powered by a passion for culinary exploration. Chef and guests alike favour healthy cuisine, with the finest and freshest ingredients used to make innovative dishes. We spoke to Chef MacDonald to find out more about his favourite culinary practices and his experiences on-board M/Y ELIXIR – a stunning 55.0m luxury yacht for charter.

What is your favourite food to prepare for guests?

For yacht chefs, it is important to remember the golden rule: cook what the clients would like, not what you want to cook. But my favourite food to prepare for guests would be a dish from the macrobiotic menu that I have developed on M/Y ELIXIR. Macrobiotic cuisine comprises lots of power grains, nuts, seeds, seaweeds and fruits. As well as this, we prepare lots of seafood, salads, and pasta dishes in a buffet style; dishes such as sushi and sashimi bridges, seafood towers, carrot and beluga, and roasted vegetable salads are particularly popular among guests. I like to cook with locally sourced and organically grown produce – especially concerning seafood. Regardless of the itinerary and country, I am able to offer clients a healthy eating plan while on-board.

A few more of my favourite dishes to eat and prepare are the Australian salads or pressed salads that were all the rage in the 1980s in Sydney: smoked quail, avocado and BBQ peach or Andrew Blake’s sesame prawn salad with avocado and mango. These two are typical salads that I still make today for guests on any itinerary. I like to place a special emphasis on the food’s presentation: these bright, vibrant dishes are very fresh to the eye and are very healthy to eat.

In your opinion, what are the best destinations for food?

I love Italy. While in Sardinia recently, I was offered two local pastas to serve to guests by our provisioner. One was a simple mortadella and pistachio ravioli, and the other was a local hybrid between a Russian varenyky and ravioli, made from buckwheat flour. I was also given walnut, rosemary and cheese culurgiones, which are not typical in other regions, and truffled potato. Each of the foods does not possess a huge wow-factor, but does offer something authentic and delicious. I like experimenting with new ingredients; I am a product of my industry.

If I was to use my ceviche dish as an example, it is best prepared in Antigua – one of my old cruising grounds. In Antigua, you are forced to cook local but things have come a long way since the past. There are a few farms and plantations that are now selling produce. A local American lady even grows a smaller version of Koppet Kress products. Local wahoo and mahi-mahi fish can be found on the docks every evening. Ceviche of mahi-mahi with local avocado and grapefruits – fresh, acidic and pleasing to the eye, it’s a real crowd favourite. It is best enjoyed in true Caribbean fashion – for lunch at anchor. Simply put, all fresh ingredients are diced into edible chunks and marinated for about 4 hours before being freshened by local coriander, red onion and the typical spices of the Caribbean. The salad catches the eye if served with a wheatberry, roasted vegetable and herb salad.

Which are the best sources for ingredients?

The best place to buy ingredients is at local markets. All Captains like this as it saves money and the most difficult guests insist on this. But in reality, we know it’s just not possible. Try telling the sole chef on a busy Mediterranean yacht charter that they have to walk up to the hill and purchase daily ingredients and haul them back, before preparing breakfast, lunch and dinner for guests and crew. It’s just not going to happen.

The provisioner is king! I’ve had a relationship with Vivian Goldsmith from All Services now for 10 years. This season, the Van Gorsel Bros up in Holland have been the key to M/Y ELIXIR’s culinary success. With access to the world’s finest provisions, hot houses, meats and seafood, they ensure we are fully stocked with the best produce.

Our initial order of the seasons is stocked before set off. As we sail, a second local provisioner is used to purchase seafood from the sea, not the tank. This is another core principal on-board M/Y ELIXIR: seafood is all caught locally from the ocean. There is such a big difference between a lobster caught from the sea and one taken from the tank. The local supplier can also recommend such items as the ravioli that was sourced in Olbia.

What are some of the special meals that you prepare for guests?

A few years ago, I won the Antigua Yacht Show’s Chef Competition with my ice sculpture tower dish, called Aki-Maki. It comprises a swan ice sculpture that’s surrounded by fresh seafood. Culinary simplicity. The charter guests love her! I also make a multi-tiered cake for special occasions, which never fails to please. Multi-storeys of polystyrene fakes are topped by one real chocolate cake, dressed in berries, flowers, glitter and gold. Although, on M/Y ELIXIR everything is of the freshest and highest quality, meaning every dish is somewhat special.

The Philippines is an archipelago, rich in history, beautiful scenic spots, kind and cheerful people, and iconic foods! No wonder, many tourists fall in love with the country easily.

If you are watching Travel Channel’s “Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern,” you may have seen how Andrew Zimmern excitedly tasted balut (duck embryo), which Philippines is famous for. According to the American television personality, food writer and chef, who visited the Philippines in 2014, the Filipino food would be the next big thing in the international cuisine.

Filipino foods may lack attractive presentations that Korean and Japanese foods offer, but definitely it is one of the best when it comes to flavor. Forget about balut or lechon (roasted pig) that you often see on the television.

If you are coming to the Philippines for the first time, you shouldn’t miss the top 6 must-try dishes of the country:

Food# 1: Kare-kare

Kare-kare is one of the well loved dishes by the locals as well as foreigners. It is the second most popular dish next to Philippine’s Adobo. The dish is a stew with rich, savory peanut sauce or ground peanuts, oxtail, calves feet, beef stew meat, pork hocks, pig feet and offal or tripe.

The stew can be composed of vegetables or seafoods, instead of meat, such as mussels, squid and prawns. Kare-kare is a complete meal because it also has vegetables, including eggplant, asparagus beans, Chinese cabbage, daikon and green beans. The dish is eaten with bagoong (shrimp paste) that can be added with chili.

Food# 2: Halo-halo

Halo-halo (mixed together) is a favorite dessert of the Filipinos made of shaved ice, various sweets, including gulaman (agar jelly), sweetened banana and then topped with ube (yam), leche flan, or ice cream and evaporated milk. Sometimes, it is also mixed with boiled sweetened chickpeas, sweetened kidney beans, sugar palm fruit (kaong) and coconut sport (macapuno). Sugar is also added to the dessert and placed in a tall glass or a large bowl.

Food# 3: Pork Sisig

Pork sisig is another signature Filipino food that is so popular in bars and restaurants throughout the country. Zimmern once touted the dish as “one of his favorite dishes.” It is made from chopped pig’s face, pig’s ears and chicken liver. The dish originated in Pampanga (province) and is seasoned with chili peppers, calamansi (calamondin), topped with sunny side up egg, and served in a sizzling iron plate.

Food# 4: Sinigang

Sinigang is a very popular Filipino stew or soup that has a unique savory and sour taste. It is almost similar to the Malaysian dish called Singgang.

The stew is one of the favorites of the Filipino families. The original version of sinigang is cooked with tamarind, giving it a one-of-a-kind sour taste.

Sinigang is called a one-pot meal because it is complete with the main ingredient that can be pork or beef or seafoods, tamarind, tomatoes, vegetables, such as okra, water spinach (kangkóng), white radish (labanós), taro corms (gabi), yardlong beans (sitaw) and eggplant (talóng). It is often garnished with long, green peppers to add spice.

There are several variations of sinigang, including: sinigang sa miso, sinigang sa mangga (unripe mango), sinigang sa bayabas (guava), sinigang sa kalamansi (lemon), sinigang na isda (fish), sinigang na baka (beef), sinigang na baboy (pork), sinigang na hipon (shrimps) and sinampalukang manok (chicken with tamarind).

Food# 5: Puto at Dinuguan

If you’re new to the country, you shouldn’t miss puto (rice cake) and dinuguan. Dinuguan,often prepared during fiestas is a flavorful stew cooked with pork or pork offal, such as kidneys, lungs, heart, snout, intestines and ears. It is mixed with the gravy of the pig’s blood, vinegar, garlic and chili. The dish is often eaten with puto.

Food# 6: Adobo

Adobo compared to other Filipino dishes is a dish that has reached its popularity in the international scene. It is the most iconic dish of the Philippine cuisine. The word adobo came from the Spanish word adobar that means “to marinate.”

Adobo is made of pork or chicken or both and marinated in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, black peppercorn  and bay leaf. The dish is so popular that it is cooked even by foreigners.

Marie Sandoval is a chef, certified food lover and food blogger. Her passion in cooking is seen in her several recipe books that she herself has written. Aside from cooking, Marie loves traveling and discovering different cuisines, she is also a life coach. Visit the Official site here.

For food fans, one of the big things about visiting any place is sampling the local cuisine – trying new dishes or new twists on classic dishes, unusual ingredients or simply something made a different way.  So if you are planning a trip to San Jose Costa Rica or any other part of the country, what kind of cuisine will you encounter?

Basics of the cuisine

Some describe Costa Rican cuisine as a mix of comfort food and traditional home cooking with a Latin flare.  The country has many family owned and operated restaurants that are small in size and called ‘sodas’ offering some of the best traditional or modern types of Costa Rican cuisine.

Generally, the food isn’t as spicy as in some parts of the region and the ease of sourcing fruit and vegetables means there are plenty of flavors on offer.  If you read a good guide on the country such as the Travel Excellence Costa Rica Travel Guide you will also see that the tap water in the country is safe to drink so there’s no need to rely on bottled water.

Traditional dishes

Gallo Pinto is a breakfast dish that is comprised of beans and rice that is popular in both Costa Rica and Nicaragua.  The basic ingredients are mixed with a range of other ingredients to add the taste including cilantro, onions and peppers.

Casado is more a type of dish than a specific one – it is a combination of ingredients served on a plate and usually includes rice, beans, tortillas, salad, fried plantain and a different meat or fish.  Where you are in the country often dictates what meat or fish you receive and there is usually a glass of fresh fruit juice served with it.

Light meals

Chifrijo is a bar dish that combines rice and beans with either fried pork meat or skins and is topped with a mix of avocado, chimichurri, lime and pica de gallo.  It is served with homemade tortilla or plantain chips and is perfect with a cold drink.

Chicharrones is another popular snack meal that is served at family gatherings and at bars as well as at celebrations.  They are made from fried pork rinds – so be aware of your cholesterol levels!  The dish is so popular that there is an annual fair in Puriscal dedicated to it.

Patacones are peeled and sliced green plantains that are quickly boiled then flattened and fried until crispy.  They are then finished with lime and salt then served with refried beans, avocado, pica de gallo or even shredded cabbage.

Fun cuisine

The cuisine of Costa Rica can definitely be described as a fun one with lots of traditional dishes and fun light meals to enjoy.  Plus, you can always get a good supply of international classics that you will recognize if you are a little unsure about trying something unusual.

With summer coming to a close, we’re heading into the season of dinner parties. Whether it’s Christmas, Hanukkah, or Thanksgiving, you might be hosting a dinner party in the near future.

As a good host, you want every single one of your guests to enjoy themselves, and that includes satisfying their stomachs. So, here are some tips for planning the perfect party to cater to all dietary needs and restrictions.

Vegetarian Options

More and more people are choosing the vegetarian lifestyle so it is important to include these guests in your meal preparations. Good thing for you though, vegetarian menus are fairly easy to prepare. Some great dishes include:

• Broccoli and Cauliflower Bisque
• Cheese Souffle
• Stuffed Squash or Eggplant
• Apple Pie
• Mushroom or Butternut Squash Lasagna
• Bruschetta

Vegan Options

A vegan menu is a little harder than a vegetarian menu and will require more consideration. Your dishes must not only be free of meat, but also free of dairy products such as eggs, milk, and cheese. Read up on a vegan lifestyle if you’re unfamiliar with what it entails. Some safe dishes include

• Potato Stuffed Artichokes
• Carrot Ginger Soup
• Roasted Chickpeas
• Cheese Dip with Vegan Cheese

Gluten-Free Options

The number of gluten-free eaters has tripled in the past five years. Therefore, it’s virtually impossible nowadays not to have at least one gluten-free guest. This one isn’t easy though, as many common menu items include gluten. However, here are some delicious ideas you can consider adding to your dinner party:

• Gluten-free pasta
• Deviled Eggs
• Potato Frittatas
• Roasted Turkey
• Prime Ribs

Another tip for gluten-free guests is to serve wine instead of liquor or beer as these most likely have gluten included in their recipe.

Ketogenic Options

Another huge diet that has taken off is the ketogenic diet. Characterized by low levels of carbohydrates and a reduction in sugar, the keto diet is pretty easy to cater to. However, without the use of sugar, it can be hard to find keto-friendly options for desserts. Here are some ideas for you to surprise your guests with:

• Sugar Free Peanut Fudge
• Chocolate Mousse with Stevia
• Low Carb Jalapeño Poppers
• Keto Pigs in a Blanket

Many of these dietary options are easy to cater for as long as you pay attention and know the exact restrictions for each diet. You should also make sure that everything is labeled during the party, and be sure not to mix dishes. You should not put meat dishes on the same plate as the vegetarian options.

Other than that, these tips are sure to help you plan the perfect party to satisfy every guest’s tummy.