T e sun glistened off the reddish scales, a stark contrast to the green peak of Bora Bora I could see jutting up beyond the ship’s pool deck, just a short distance away across the teal lagoon. T e view was alluring, but my attention was focused on the catch in front of me. T is was no ordinary fi sh. It was a 100-pound moonfi sh, freshly caught in the sea surrounding French Polynesia, and I was about to see it fi lleted for dinner that night.


As the head chef sliced into the great creature, much to the awe of the surrounding audience of cruise guests, it became clear: dining on T e Gauguin is a culinary adventure.


T is is because Paul Gauguin Cruises doesn’t just serve seafood on board; it dishes up locally caught, custom-ordered seafood. At the start of each sailing, the chef on board lets a local fi shing crew


know what type of fi sh and how much he wants for the week and then the fi shermen set out to catch that exact order.


T e order depends on the menu for the sailing. For T e Gauguin’s La Veranda restaurant, French celebrity chef Jean-Pierre Vigato, who owns the Michelin-starred Restaurant Apicius in Paris, has designed dishes as well as a degustation menu. Chef Vigato adapts his French-inspired cuisine to use local products from the islands.


Chef Jean-Pierre Vigato


While on Motu Mahana, I overheard Chef Vigato say that he always travels with a pepper grinder in his suitcase. Later, I asked if there were any other culinary tools he takes with him on his travels. His answer was all about ingredients, not tools.


Chef Vigato often brings spices and other ingredients, like seaweed, with him on his travels for two reasons: fi rst, because he’s not always sure what will be available where he’s visiting, and second, so he can introduce new fl avors and seasonings to the locals he may be cooking with.


He emphasized that the fi rst principle for French cooking is the quality of


ingredients. He strongly believes that an excellent dish can be prepared using the simplest of ingredients— as long as the ingredients are fresh and of good quality.


Paul Gauguin Cruises | www.pgcruises.com


21


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84