Caribbean Culinary Adventurer

by Marianne van Toor & John Lund

For some lucky people, the Caribbean is cooking.

Malaspina Culinary Arts (Powell River Campus) graduate Paul Gisborne (now Silverthorn) has been cooking up a storm on mega power and sailing yachts since 2003.

Before completing Malaspina’s program in the year 2000 – the last class taught by now retired chef Wolfgang Goudriaan – Paul was offered a job at the Westin Resort and Spa in Whistler where he completed a three-year apprenticeship under Executive Chef Hans Stierli in April of 2003.

With his apprenticeship papers firmly in hand and a penchant for adventure, Paul embarked on a 9-month contract as chef on a mega yacht in the Bahamas. While his first week was traumatic, he soon got into the groove of preparing gourmet meals and such exotic treats as a $400 lobster salad for brunch while cruising all over the Caribbean. He had an unlimited food budget and frequently spent $5,000 US per week on food flown in from all over the world. 

In January of this year, after several other jobs in the Caribbean, Canada and the US, 25-year old Paul landed his current position on a 110-foot sailing yacht named Unplugged, owned by six wealthy European families.

Asked how Malaspina prepared him for life as a chef on mega yachts, Paul responded, “Wolfgang taught us that food is fun, and you should reflect that in your plates. In this lifestyle, people come here to enjoy themselves and so cooking fun food is very important. Also, Wolfgang taught me that cooking, for the most part, is playing your audience and you can do a lot with your personality.”

In the small galley of Unplugged, Paul is a one-person show who prepares gourmet meals for as many as 12 guests and seven crew members, and he is also responsible for shopping and such unglamorous tasks as washing dishes, scrubbing pots, and mopping floors.

But he loves every bit of it. 

“Wolfgang trained us in all aspects of the trade and instilled in us a passion for cooking. You have to have a passion for food and really love what you’re doing or you won’t make it. I don’t think someone could pull off the long work hours of this job if they had a 9-to-5 attitude,” he said.

Unplugged has been in Sint Maarten for the past month, being readied for its owners to fly in from Europe and be sailed around the British Virgin Islands for several weeks, after which she will cross the Atlantic and spend the winter in Antibe, France where Paul’s culinary adventures will, no doubt, continue. 

Marianne van Toor & John Lund recently retired from Malaspina’s Media Relations & Publications department and met Paul Gisborne (Silverthorn) and Unplugged on their recent vacation on the island of St. Maarten.