Ship to Shore Chef to visit Algonac on April 13

Chef Catherine Schmuck will be signing her books

By Barb Pert Templeton

She loves food. Eating it, making it and even shopping for it. 

Sharing that love as a longtime chef, restaurant owner and author has been Catherine Schmuck’s pleasure. The fact that many of her ideas and recipes in the kitchen were born from her time on board cargo ships traveling the Great Lakes is a unique bonus. 

This Saturday, April 13, Chef Catherine will be at the Maritime Museum in Algonac from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. signing her Great Lakes cookbook, “Ship to Shore Chef.” The other special guest will be author Roger LeLievre, launching the 65^th anniversary edition of ‘Know Your Ships.’ Admission is $5 at the door and that will be subtracted from the total purchases made from either Chef Catherine of Roger Lelievre. The event is being hosted by the Algonac-Clay Historical Society. 

On her website, Chef Catherine notes that she was born and raised in Brockville, Ontario to German parents who immigrated to Canada in 1954. When she was a child, her family spent every Sunday walking around Blockhouse Island enjoying an ice-cream and ship watching. 

Since her passion for ships started at a young age, after high school she spent 13 years sailing on various ships on the Great Lakes serving as a chef. After that, she took her love of cooking and opened a restaurant, Creperie Catherine in Mont Tremblant Quebec. After two dozen years in the business, she realized she missed the adventure of sailing and returned to ships in 2019. 

To date Chef Catherine has written three books, her first was “Ship to Shore Chef Book: Recipes and Stories as I Sail Through My Day,” next was the children’s book, “The Stowaway Adventures” and now her latest work, “More Recipes and Stories As We Navigate Healthier Eating” is available for pre-order until June 1st at www.shiptoshorechef.com.

Although Chef Catherine is currently working on board the Spruceglen, a bulk carrier ship in Canada, Blue Water Healthy Living caught up with her to pose some questions about her impressive career as a chef, restauranteur and author. 

Blue Water Healthy Living: How and when did you begin your career on board different ships? 

Chef Catherine Schmuck: I started sailing in 1981. I was 19 years old. I was working in a restaurant bar. A gentleman used to come in every afternoon for a beer and one day he asked what I was planning to do now that I had graduated school. I shared with him that my younger sister and I had planned a trip to Europe and he simply asked “Do you want to make a lot of money and have a lot of vacation? I was 19, the answer was simple. When I went home to tell my family, Lorraine said she would go with me. 

BWHL:  What made you want to pursue a career that included working/living onboard a ship?

Chef Catherine: The adventure. My parents are immigrants from Germany. They moved to a country where they didn’t know anyone or know the language. Adventure is in our DNA.

BWHL:  What months of the year do you typically spend on a ship?

Chef Catherine: I typically sail one month in the early spring and then June, July, August and then Nov, Dec, Jan. I do relief jobs which means I go to many different ships to give the regular cook a break. 

BWHL:  What’s the largest crew you’ve ever been responsible for feeding? 

Chef Catherine: The largest crew I cooked for was in the early 90’s before crew cuts. I cooked for a crew of 32. At that time, we were four in the galley, three during the day and one making short order items during the night. We are now only one or two in the galley depending on the size of the crew. The crew sizes are between 17 and 24 now

BWHL:  How do you decide what the menu will be day to day? Do you get input from crew – likes/dislikes?

Chef Catherine: When I join a new ship, I survey the crew and take note of what they don’t like to eat. I also ask how they like their steak cooked, if they like deep fried fish on fish and chip night or baked fish and I also ask if they like curry, and if they like spicy food. With this information I put together my menus and can make sure that I have something for everyone. I have been known to change my mind about my menu as little as an hour and a half before meal hour. sometimes I wake up and don’t feel like making something that I had planned on. 

BWHL: What’s a typical day for you onboard the ship? How many hours are involved in prep/cooking/serving?

Chef Catherine: In general, I work eight hours a day. When I work with a second cook, the second cook makes breakfast, desserts and salads and I am responsible for lunch and supper. 

BWHL:  What do you do with your down time on the ship?

Chef Catherine: During my time off, my favorite thing to do is walk on deck. I also work on my blog and interact with the people that follow my stories (on Facebook and at her website.)

BWHL: Been on board when a storm came up? What was that like? 

Chef Catherine: In the mid 80’s I was on a tanker. It was rolling and I was seasick. I went to see the captain to quit the job and he said “It’s not always like this, it’s just a small hurricane.” I was so afraid. We were off the coast of Nova Scotia. 

BWHL:  Can you describe what your living quarters are like? Do you have cell, computer and cable TV?

Chef Catherine: Each ship offers different accommodations. Some are less nice but I always bring some little decorations to make it homey. I also travel with my own pillow. The company I am with now has just installed Starlink and we have great internet service. 

BWHL: Where (generally) does the ship travel to during the season? 

Chef Catherine: The season runs from March to January. The last few ships I have been on run from Superior Wisconsin loading ore for Quebec, or Thunder loading grain to Quebec City. I have also been on tankers that carry fuel and ships that carry salt. 

BWHL: Can you share some information about your latest cook book?

Chef Catherine: My latest cookbook is a continuation of the first cookbook with photos and stories about sailing. The difference in the new book is that all the recipes in the new book are prepared without sugar, grain and flour. Both Lorraine, my sister and I have lost over 100 lbs each, when we changed the way, we prepared food. I also make these recipes for the crew and some of them have become crew favorites. 

BWHL: What made you decided to write a children’s book?

Chef Catherine: I actually wanted to write a children’s book when I sailed in the late 80’s and 90’s.  I thought of writing a cookbook after my restaurant years (Creperie Catherine. Mont Tremblant Quebec.) My customers always said I should write a cookbook and when I returned to sailing in 2019, I had the time to write the cookbook and shared by stories and photos on social media. Writing a children’s book was a lot of fun and there will be more. Since writing a children’s book I see things differently and look forward to sharing the stories in a series of stories. 

BWHL:   What’s your favorite meal to prepare for the crew – appetizer, entrée, dessert?

Chef Catherine: If I ask the crew what I should make before I leave. they often ask for butter chicken (it’s in the book). I also get requests for a recipe that I developed myself, it is one of the meals that is prepared without sugar called beet-meat shepherd’s pie. I love making soup and I make homemade bread, a crew favorite. I love to make homemade apple crisp and use my mom’s recipe. It is in the book. I also love coconut cream pie and pecan pie and my cookies are popular with the crew. 

The Maritime Museum is located at 1117 St. Clair River Drive in Algonac.