SEAsoned: A Chef’s Journey with Her Captain
Victoria Allman
NorLights Press
www.norlightspress.com
978-1-935254-37-9, $15.95, 2011
What do you get when you combine a new captain, his chef wife, an inexperienced crew of two, a struggling boat that generates one new problem after another, and a slew of intolerable and inconsiderate guests? As long as you have author and chef Victoria Allman stirring the pot, you’ll get “SEAsoned: A Chef’s Journey with Her Captain”. Her new book, released by NorLights Press, dishes out tasty tales and plenty of hearty laughs at the not-so-glamorous side of yachting on the high seas.
“SEAsoned” dives right into the deep end of her adventures. Her husband, Patrick, has finally earned himself the position of ‘captain’; with him at the helm and his chef wife, Victoria, manning the spatula, their enthusiasm has them setting sail for exotic waters. But as each set of guests turns out to be more exasperating than the last, their eagerness melts into mayham and they learn that if it can go wrong, it probably will. Including savory recipes that capture the local flavor of their destinations, “SEAsoned” is part cookbook, part memoir, and all heart.
“SEAsoned” gives readers a delicious look at life as a yacht chef and captain’s wife. With a spirit similar to what “Under the Tuscan Sun” did for Italy, Victoria Allman is the ‘Francis Mayes’ of the sea. You feel her zest for the savoring each port’s flavor while still taking her surroundings – whether billowing storms, broken ships, awful clients, or even a lack of food – with a fantastic sense of humor….even if it is after the fact. Her easy to follow recipes deliver that extra something to put her readers into the story. It’s like taking a cruise without leaving home yet being able to sample the mouthwatering cuisine in your own kitchen. Simply delectable!
“SEAsoned” is an appetizing read for those craving sea tales, international flavor, and hysterical yachting adventures. Those who enjoy memoirs and cookbooks (but as Allman says in her disclaimer at the beginning of the book, “Although these stories have all happened to Patrick and me over the past twelve years in yachting, I fictionalized other characters and yachts to protect the extremely guilty”) will love her wit and fascination with the tastes around her. “SEAsoned: A Chef’s Journey with Her Captain” is truly an entertaining ride – bon appetite!