Whether in the galley of a luxury yacht or the kitchen of a five-star restaurant, it’s the chef whose creativity, talent and knowledge bring everything together, transforming a constellation of fine ingredients into stunning and delicious creations for the pleasure of the fortunate diner. Geoffrey Fisher meets this challenge every day.

Born in Manchester, England, Fisher is 35 years old and, while he is at the top of his profession, continues to hone his skills. First, he was studying to become a designer for modern furniture and told me, “I loved art and won many prizes at school for my drawing skills and design of modern chairs and desks. But something inside me said I couldn’t just sit at a desk all day designing, so now I push myself and do 16 hours a day as a chef!”

His lessons in cuisine and hospitality began early in life, washing dishes in his parents’ restaurant, Whitewalls, in Lancaster, England. He watched the chefs run around like crazy to produce all of the food and thought, “I could do that!” His mom and dad recognized his talent and were a tremendous influence, encouraging him to get a formal education in the field.

Fisher attended Lancaster & Morecambe College and took a three-year chef/catering course. He learned everything from general basics and waiting to theory and cooking. He won best student chef three years in a row and became runner-up in the national competition, Nestle Toque d’or. In between classes, Fisher worked for his parents in their restaurant.

All of this put him on a “high,” but when he finished college in 1997, he started in another kitchen — without the comfort of working for his parents — and that’s when reality hit him. “Kitchens are hard places to be,” he said. “I was no longer the big fish. I was now the small fish in a very, very big pond.”

Fisher started at a restaurant called The Punch Bowl, where he stayed for 14 months, training with Steven Doherty, a well-known chef in London. “If you made a mess of your section, he certainly let you know about it,” said Fisher. “Steven helped me get into a job working at Foliage in London, which was the restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental. This was a fine dining, one-star Michelin restaurant. I worked up the ladder, 18- to 20-hour days. It was hard, but I wouldn’t be where I am today without it. Steven was a huge influence on my life and on my career.”

By 2002, at age 24, Fisher was head chef at the Swag and Tails, a restaurant in Knightsbridge near Harrods, where he stayed for nearly four years. “It was here I learned how to deal with people, order food, costing and the unpleasant duty of how to fire people,” he said.

Tiring of London and looking for a new adventure, Fisher decided to join a friend in Europe who was chef on the 47-meter M/Y Commitment, which happened to be doing the Monaco Grand Prix. “At first, I thought the idea of being a chef on a boat was crazy and not for me; riding the waves and trying to cook, no way. But after working that weekend in Monaco, how my view changed,” he said.

Fisher returned to London, gave notice at his job and started looking into a career in yachting. It was a shock not to get a job immediately; he was London-trained, an experienced restaurant chef and a top winner in school, but with no yachting experience. He was 26, jobless and homeless.

A month later, with a little help from his friend Oli McKeown, the chef on S/Y Twizzle, Fisher got his first job in yachting on 35-meter M/Y Wheels. “Unfortunately, I was not needed for six months,” he said. “During the interim, I worked in London in the Asian section of The Mandarin, where I was preparing Thai curries and Indian cuisine. Everything I learned during that time was great.”

He had only been on Wheels for six months when the boat was showing at the Antigua Yacht Show, and Fisher entered the Charter Yacht Chef Culinary Contest and I won the Best Use of Coffee competition with an espresso shot mixed with vanilla and pineapple syrups, Tia Maria and Malibu rum, all topped with homemade rum raisin ice cream and toasted coconut.

“Working on boats, the chef must be flexible,” Fisher said. “I always review the preference sheets the charter guests send prior to boarding and write out menus. I’ve learned to take them with a pinch of salt. Some may say ‘we like chicken’ and nothing more, so I make a point of having a chat with them as soon as possible when they arrive to find out not only what cuisine they like, but also what they don’t like, or if they have any allergies. Talking with the guests is important.

“We try to cater for all types and use local cuisine and products whenever possible. One charter group from Russia indicated they wanted seafood. I was in the galley making an oyster dish for lunch when they arrived with a 5-kilo bag of mussels they were so proud of. I smiled and said, ‘Yes, of course, I can do that for lunch, sir.’ The pressure in restaurants is tense, but completely different on yachts. On yachts, it’s intense because you never stop cooking. When it’s not the guests, it’s the crew.

“As much as I love to cook, there are days when I just want a day off to catch my breath, but you bite your lip, find your strength again and get on with it.”

Fisher has cooked for a number of celebrities, including Simon Cowell of “American Idol” fame and Michael Schumacher, the German Formula race car driver. “It was fun,” said Fisher, “but to me all charterers are celebrities, or at least I treat them as if they are.”

Fisher has proven to be a loyal, long-term team player, staying on the job for years before making a change. From Wheels he joined the 43-meter Slipstream, then moved up with the owner and crew to the new 60-meter yacht of the same name when she was launched in 2009. He is still working there now.

Fisher met his fiancé, Gosia Miejiluk, while he was in London working at the Swag and Tails, where she was a waitress. Soon after their introduction, he left to take the job on Wheels. A stewardess on Wheels gave notice, making way for Miejiluk to start her yachting career with Fisher. “It was quite hard at first to live and work together in such a confined space,” he said, “but we managed. We worked on the 43-meter Slipstream and then both moved to the new 60-meter Slipstream.”

After a few years, Miejiluk decided to give up yachting and follow her dream of making dresses. She opened a seamstress shop in Malta, which has been very successful. “We like Malta and will be married there,” said Fisher. “I’m half Maltese, on my mother’s side, and English on my father’s side. Although we lived in England and I grew up there, most of my family now live in Malta, and that is where Gosia and I will live. There are many advantages to living in Malta instead of England, one of them being the weather.”

When I asked Fisher what he loves about being a chef, he told me, “Being a chef is all about passion. If you don’t have it, don’t go there. It’s long, unsociable hours. It’s not a job; it’s a way of life. Being a chef, you learn something new every day, by working with other chefs, reading books, even watching cooking programs on TV. I plan to continue being a chef, and in time would like to own a small restaurant in Malta. In the kitchen, it’s said you’re only as good as your last service. In yachting, I always say, you’re only as good as your last charter.”

A native of New Zealand, Jan Robinson sailed the Caribbean on her 65-foot yacht for more than 20 years as a charter chef and yacht captain. She now divides her time between homes in the US Virgin Islands and Charlotte, North Carolina.

Roast Fillet of Sea Bass with Herb Crushed Potatoes, Red Pepper Compote, Steamed Asparagus & Beetroot Dressing

4 (8 oz.) Fillets of Wild Sea Bass

2 Large Potatoes

2 Red Pepper

1 Bunch Asparagus

2 Pieces Cooked Beetroot

½ Small Bunch Parsley, Chopped

½ Small Bunch Chives, Chopped

1/3 Cup Cream

4 oz. Butter

1 Tbsp. Honey

1 Tbsp. White Wine Vinegar

1 Lemon, Juiced

6 oz. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Trim the sea bass, and check and remove any pin bones or scales. Store in the fridge until later.

Peel the potatoes, cut into quarters, place into saucepan and cover with water. Add salt and boil until cooked. Strain off the water, return to the pan, add chopped herbs, cream and 2 oz. butter, then season with salt and pepper. Mix well and crush the potatoes instead of making mash.

Peel the red peppers with a peeler, but keep the peelings. Top and tail the pepper, and remove the inner seeds. Cut the pepper into 1/4 inch dice, again reserving any trimmings. In a sauté pan, sweat down all of the peelings and trimmings, add honey and vinegar, salt, and pepper, and reduce until well cooked. Add this mixture to a blender and blitz well, then pass through a sieve and reserve sauce. Sweat the pepper dice in another pan until tender (approx. 3 minutes). Add to pepper sauce.

Peel the asparagus, trim the bottom and place into pan, then add water, 1 oz. butter and a pinch salt. Reserve until later.

Place cooked beetroot, lemon juice and 3oz. olive oil, salt and pepper into blender, blitz and check seasoning.

Heat 1 large frying pan and add oil. Season fish portions and place skin-side down into pan. Cook on heat for 3 minutes, then add 1/2 oz. butter and place pan into oven for approx. 4 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the asparagus. Reheat the potatoes and pepper compote.

Take out fish, plate potatoes and peppers, place fish on top, add asparagus, then finish the plate with a drizzle of the beetroot dressing. Serve and enjoy! Feeds four people.

Tags: chef, Geoffrey Fisher