Cyril Millet trained as a chef in his native France before taking up a first commis position at the Savoy hotel in London. "It was quite frightening for a French country boy," he remembers. "I think, the first few months, my brain was switched off and my nerves were doing the job, but things were going well."
He rose to chef de partie status, but dreams of travel took him away from the Savoy to jobs in Canada, the Caribbean, Ireland, Algeria, and finally the Antarctic.
Why the Antarctic?
In 1997 I saw an advert in Caterer & Hotelkeeper for a chef-manager position in the Antarctic. At the time I didn't even know this kind of job existed. I applied but was turned down. I was really disappointed, because I have always been interested in reading books on science, and this was a chance to see scientists at work.
For the past five years, this job was stuck at the back of my mind. Then, last year, a strange coincidence happened. I was working in the middle of the Sahara on an oil rig, and often shared my lunchtime with one of the pilots who flew us from Hassi Messaoud in Algeria to our base. One day, I asked him where he worked before, and he just said: "Oh, I spent 14 years flying for the British Antarctic Survey (BAS)."
That was it, the position was probably still there. This had to be my next step.
How did you get the job?
The pilot gave me all the addresses and phone numbers that I needed to apply to BAS in Cambridge. I sent my application and got an interview. Ten minutes after the end of that interview, the head of HR came to me and said: "I have something stupid to ask you, Cyril. Do you want the job?" Yes, yes, yes, I do! I spent the rest of the day wandering around in Cambridge, not knowing where I was going, but screaming: "Yes!" and grinning from ear to ear.
How did you get there?
I flew from Heathrow to Madrid, then Santiago de Chile, then the Falklands. I'll never forget the day I flew to the Antarctic. The sky was absolutely clear; we could see the mountains 180 miles away; the ocean was displaying the most beautiful contrast of deep blue waters and pure white icebergs. That kind of sight gives me a tremendous feeling of strength and confidence. Our planet is so vast and beautiful - how could our lives be restrained in any way?
How did you feel when you started the job?
Usually, when a chef starts at a new place, he has to learn the different menus, read the contract, get used to the mise en place system, and so on, but nothing like that down here. The chef I had to replace for the winter worked all summer with me, as there are about 100 people to feed during the summer.
She was a truly fantastic woman, knowing exactly what's important in life and what's not. It was all about improvising, creating, having fun and, above anything else, pleasing people. Normally, a chef tries to impress people - customers, colleagues, managers. Only now do I fully understand how wrong and useless this is. Pleasing them is a far better way for everyone.
So, my first impressions of the job were freedom, friendship and vastness. Looking out the kitchen's huge window in the morning, I could see the ocean, the mountains, the glaciers and the icebergs, peacefully floating away. Then Isabelle would turn up and shout across the dining room: "Good morning, love!" And I knew it was going to be a very good morning.
Are there special qualities or skills you need, apart from being a chef?
I hold an Advanced Diving Certificate and a boat licence, which can be useful down here, but the most important quality here is tolerance, especially in the winter, when there are only 23 of us on the station for seven months.
Chefs have a reputation as bad-tempered maniacs. This kind of behaviour just would not do down here because, if you start looking for mistakes, laziness or any other negative things, you might find them, and upset yourself and the people around you over insignificant details. So, it is just best to not start the process at all.
Is it difficult to deal with the lack of fresh produce?
It's something I knew about before coming, and something I had to accept. I try to make the best of what I've got, and it is just as much fun.
For my first two months I secretly played a game. The aim was never to serve the same dish twice. Then I realised that some recipes are always popular, so people love having them from time to time. So, my silly game stopped when I cooked lasagne for the second time.
Another problem down here is dealing with best-before dates - everything gets ordered six months in advance so, by the time it's sailed down, most products are not far from the use-by date. Everybody is aware of that and, so far, it's never been a problem.
I am used to HACCP regulations, so I just keep handling food correctly, and don't play around with leftovers. Most of my "customers" keep telling me they don't eat as well back home. But I have to say that, whatever meals I produce, the "cooked English breakfast" will always be the most popular one. Must be something to do with their nationality!
What did you prepare for the mid-winter celebration on 21 June?
A seven-course dinner including: platters of beef carpaccio, smoked salmon, Parma ham, served with bruschetta, crŠme fraŒche, olive oil, toast and a few condiments; consomm‚ of chicken and garlic topped with a Parmesan souffl‚; ballotine of salmon and haddock served with a butter sauce and a red pepper coulis; lemon sorbet in a Champagne glace topped with vodka; fillet of beef Wellington with black pepper and brandy sauce; cheeseboard with biscuits and home-made breads; nougat glac‚ on an apricot coulis.
That's quite a feast.What is the policy on alcohol?
During the summer, we are allowed to have two beers or two units of stronger alcohol each day, and four on a Saturday night. For the winter, we order our alcohol bond in advance and drink it as we like. You just have to make sure you pace yourself and don't run out before the end of winter!
Can you keep frozen goods outside?
No, they'd defrost in the summer and get buried under snow in the winter. We have four big freezers in the building next door.
What are the good things about working in the Antarctic?
Extraordinary views, pure environment, enthusiastic colleagues, skiing, boating, flying, diving, walking, reading, laughing. No banks, no mobile phone, no money, no advertising, no television, no shopping, no bills. It's also a great opportunity to meet people working in a different field than catering. From time to time, everyone comes to give a hand in the kitchen - scientists, mechanics, field assistants, engineers. They are all keen to learn a few cooking tips, and they are always ready to share their own passion for their jobs.
What do you miss?
I miss my family and friends back home, but we keep in touch through e-mails and phones, so I am not completely forgotten. The only thing that bothers me down here is time - days and weeks are flying away at an incredible speed. There were so many things I planned to do during the wintertime - it is quite frustrating to see the time passing so quickly before my eyes.
Walk-out freezers
The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) has been carrying out scientific research in the Antarctic since 1944 and, as the volume of research has grown, so has the catering service.
The BAS has three stations on the Antarctic mainland, at Rothera, Halley and Signy, and two stations on South Georgia. Four chefs are employed during the summer period (November to March) and two in winter, when the number of personnel drops because it is harder to get people in and out.
The BAS uses Hull-based food supplier Turner & Price, which specialises in Christmas hampers. Turner & Price packs provisions into boxes which can be picked up by hand, as most BAS stations do not have wharves with cranes.
The orders are based on Royal Navy messing calculations - so much beef per person per year. The food is loaded on to the BAS's own ice-strengthened logistics ships, the RRS Ernest Shackleton and RRS James Clark Ross. The trip from Hull takes about six weeks. All five stations are served by ship, and often do not see a delivery for six months. Halley, the most southerly and remote site, receives only two deliveries per year, around December and February.
Chefs must hold an extra year's-worth of supplies at all times in case the ship can't make it. In summer, some fresh produce is occasionally flown in from the Falkland Islands, but during winter, from April to October, the weather and heavy sea ice makes it very difficult to access stations.
The BAS recruits at least two chefs a year to work for periods of four, six or 18 months, starting in October/November. To find out about opportunities with BAS, contact the personnel department.
Contact
Personnel Department
British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET
E-mail: employment@bas.ac.ukTel: 01223 221508/7
Fax: 01223 362616
Web: www.antarctica.ac.uk/employment/vacancies