From Sea to Table, Chef Courtenay Kohlhauser Explores and Cooks B.C.

Photo courtesy of Convergence Studio.

“As it turns out, I thrive in a dynamic cooking environment,” chef Courtenay Kohlhauser explains. And dynamic it is. In 48 hours, she will be leaving Nelson, B.C., on another multi-stage commute to board a 70-foot ketch-rigged sailing vessel in Bella Bella, B.C. Once aboard Ocean Wayfinder, originally built as a luxury personal yacht, now expedition craft for ecotourism and citizen science excursions, she’ll cook for 10 guests and three crew. The eight-day itinerary will have Ocean Wayfinder meandering around the Great Bear Rainforest’s islands, beaches, and fjords.

As head chef for Outer Shores Expeditions, Kohlhauser needs to produce extraordinary culinary experiences in remote environments. Planning begins months in advance. Her farmers, coffee roasters, fish, and meat suppliers are apprised of sailing dates and ports of call where logistics need to be ironed out and coordinated.

Photos courtesy of Convergence Studio.

“Step one is about sourcing good and accountable provisions in the early season.” Food served aboard Ocean Wayfinder, and Outer Shores Expeditions’ other expedition vessel Passing Cloud, is integral to the ethos the company was founded upon: local, sustainable, and premium quality. These trips are encounters with sensitive and wonderous ecosystems where relationships in the natural world are part of the immersion, so Kohlhauser goes to extraordinary lengths to connect the dots.

Menu planning and supply lines with her suppliers of farm produce, fish, and meat are negotiated a month and a half in advance of each trip. What ends up on the guests’ plates throughout the trip needs to relate to shore excursions, marine coastlines, cultural protocols, and the entire functioning ecology of the places they visit. These lofty goals require quick thinking, knowledge, and resourcefulness when plans don’t work out as expected.

“Well, in the nine years that I’ve been doing this, I have never had an ingredient order result in what I was expecting to receive,” Kohlhauser says, laughing, when asked how she pulls off refined dining for weeklong trips through sensitive and protected environments—and when the nearest grocery store is days away.

Orders placed by email or phone calls get lost or aren’t ready on time. Weather events prevent supply chains from reaching remote community pickups, and strange substitutions show up in orders based on the whims of the person packing the order, she says.

“I’m constantly piecing together as many parts of the puzzle that I can.” Part of this is practical. She raids her own garden for thyme, oregano, and other sturdy fresh herbs that can travel with her. “And I’ll fly with a backpack full of B.C.-grown corn, shishito peppers, and cherry tomatoes, all from the Nelson Farmers Market, because they are in season right now.”

Photos courtesy of Convergence Studio.

“Many epic adventures are involved when getting provisions to our ships,” says Outer Shores Expeditions founder and president Russell Markel. He mentions a recent order of wild-caught fish that missed its float plane transport in Port Hardy, destined for the ship in Bella Bella, that involved a series of taxis and inflatable boat handoffs as it was raced out to the departing ship and welcomed by cheering crew and guests.

Markel founded Outer Shores Expeditions while completing his post-doctoral work at UBC in zoology and marine ecology. His company is carbon neutral and certified with a gold rating by Green Tourism Canada. Markel’s vision of guiding small groups of people through extraordinary locations so that education and ecotourism create a positive effect makes Kohlhauser’s role central to the experience.

“Courtenay is much more than our chef,” Markel says. “She’s also a certified deckhand and Gwaii Haanas backcountry guide with training in wilderness first aid and marine emergency duties. She’s even been called upon to steer the ship through the night across Hecate Strait.”

“Our favourite times are when she comes out on excursions, to ancient Haida villages or bear-viewing shore visits and contributes her knowledge. Then she arrives back on board and delivers—yet again—another incredible dinner.”

Photo courtesy of Outer Shores Expeditions.

Photo courtesy of Convergence Studio.

Photo courtesy of Convergence Studio.

Whether it’s perfectly plated salmon after a walk in a northern B.C. “salmon forest” learning about the nutrient cycles in salmon-spawning riverways, or the surprise of sea asparagus (“It tastes like green beans”) and kelp pickles on a beautifully constructed plate at night after a shorewalk, Kohlhauser lives for the moments when guests understand the connection of the meal with the place they have just visited.

“We curate these experiences to give our guests the sense of connection and a reverence for these magical places. If we can instill a sense of wonder on their shore walk and then have them arrive back on the boat and see things like kelp and sea asparagus, or Nootka rose flowers in the pavlova, foods that they have just seen that day reflected on the plate, it is pretty impactful.”

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