Al the Antarctic deep-field camp chef

There are many home comforts that our on-ice team had to learn to do without, but delicious meals was not one!

With a camp of 27 people, things would quickly get challenging if the crew had to self-cater. We were very fortunate to have Antarctica New Zealand camp chef Al Chapman on site preparing three delicious meals for the team a day, six days a week.

Tasty, nutritious food, and full bellies are vital when living and working in the challenging conditions of the deep-field. The camp chef has a key role for maintaining team wellbeing and happiness, integral to the success of any field season.

The remote location and harsh environment present unique challenges for a chef. The food is brought in at the start of the season via the traverse, around 3-4 tonne for the season. Most of it is frozen, and anything fresh disappears very early in the season. Some of the supplies at KIS3 this year had ‘wintered’ over on site, left behind from the previous season.

The food is ordered a year in advance, so that it can be shipped to Antarctica via sea to reduce the carbon footprint and air cargo requirements. This means the chef must come up with meal plans from an inventory of food that they didn’t order themselves. To reduce food waste, leftovers are creatively incorporated into future meals.

Boiling water takes significantly longer due to the cold temperatures and exceptionally dry air, making the coordination and timing of meals more tricky.

From all the glowing reviews of The Void Café, it’s clear that Chef Al managed these challenges admirably, serving up tasty and varied fodder, and keeping the troops happy.

Scott Base’s Sausage Roll Tuesday tradition even made it out to KIS3, a regular fixture on the schedule.