Week 2
10 July 2006

Ernest Stelly – Cook

Ernest comes from Beaumont, Texas. He’s been cooking at sea for 18 years and is employed by Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO).

Career path: Ernest was trained on board ship by a cook who was retiring. He has never worked as a cook on land.

Job duties: On this cruise, Ernest and his co-workers prepare food for 40 people each day. The work shift is 7 days a week, 12 hours a day. They plan the menus and purchase food in port. Sample quantities of food purchased for this 40 day trip were: 120 kg each of chicken and bacon, 200 kg of ground beef, 40 kg of kiwi fruit, 45-50 kg of tomatoes and 200 kg of potatoes. The food for this cruise was purchased in Chile, so the weight measurements are listed in kilograms rather than pounds.

	Wake up your math brain: You need to go to the store and buy food for a 15 day trip for 30 people. Calculate in pounds the amount needed of each of the foods listed above. Look at the photo below advertising apples. If Ernest bought 40 kg of apples, how many pounds would he have and how much would he have to pay in U.S. dollars. (You need to look up the conversion rate from Chilean pesos to U.S. dollars.)
Apples for Sale

What Ernest enjoys most about the job: He enjoys traveling and meeting new people. Ernest has been all over the world, visiting the Philippines, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, Australia, Africa, Europe, Chile, and Antarctica.

Geography question: Has Ernest been to all the continents?

The most difficult part of the job is menu planning. Ernest used to have a rotating schedule of menus, but he found that most people don’t like to be able to predict what they are having on a particular day of the week (e.g. Meatloaf Monday, Seafood Friday). So he and the other cooks have to constantly plan menus that are varied and balanced.

Even when the seas are rough, cooking continues. The stoves are specially made so that the pots can be tied down when the ship is in turbulent waters.

Job forecast:  According to Ernest, there are always openings on ships for cooks. He says it’s a good job that pays well and is something that people should consider as a career if they like to travel.

Parting Thoughts: “The Antarctic Program is a great one to be involved in. Come down and visit!”

Lorenzo Sandoval - Kitchen Co-worker	Nestor Silverio  - Kitchen Co-worker
Alejandra Monje - Kitchen Co-worker