On Tuesday, 18^th June, Executive Chef, Marcus Mathyssek and Tournent Chef, Alfred Miles, from the Hyatt Regency Perth, swapped kitchens to cook up a feast for the Captain and some of his crew on board the American nuclear-powered submarine USS Jefferson City.

Likewise, Mess Specialist Chefs from the submarine demonstrated their culinary skills in the Hyatt’s 5 star restaurant kitchens too.

The Chef Exchange Program was inaugurated by US Navy chef Martin Mongiello of Submarine Group Seven, in Japan with the aim of allowing military and restaurant chefs to exchange culinary skills and ideas in each other’s kitchens for a day.

Since then, the project has been taken up and developed by Paul Graham, Chef Exchange Program Co-ordinator and former HMAS Stirling Petty Officer and Ms Vicki Mayell from the Catering Institute of Western Australia.

"The challenge was for the Hyatt chefs to prepare meals in the confined space of the submarine’s galley with restricted on-board food supplies, whereas the challenge for USS Jefferson City’s chefs was to prepare an exquisite range of eclectic dishes for restaurant and hotel guests," said Mr Graham.

"Cooking in the galley is about quantity rather than quality whereas at the Hyatt, the aim was quality as well as quantity," he said.

"Six chefs are usually assigned to turn out four meals a day for crew members who have been on deployment for up to six months."

"Storage, especially cold storage, is minimal, so chefs cannot always use the freshest of ingredients – notably when on long deployments," he said.

However, a good meal boosts morale and meals of up to seven courses can include crab, lobster and prime rib to the more casual offerings of hamburgers, BLT’s, and wholesome soup.

Whilst on board, the Hyatt chefs prepared a delicious meal of Braised Harvey Beef Cheek with Margaret River Marron, accompanied with Roasted Butternut Pumpkin and snowpeas.

More than a dozen respected restaurants from Hawaii, Singapore, New Zealand, Tasmania and Darwin have participated in the Chef Exchange Program during its two-year history.

USS Jefferson City was berthed at HMAS Stirling, Garden Island but left on Wed 19^th June. For a virtual tour of USS Jefferson City: www.penny.ca/adoptaship.

Fiona Cooper, Marketing Communications Manager, Hyatt Regency Perth,

TEL: 9225 1234, Mobile: 0438 933635

Paul Graham, Chef Exchange Program Co-ordinator