I am Tracey, 28 years old, South African and am an advocate for tasty ánd nutritious food. I joined the industry 5 years ago, after completing a Bachelors in Business Management, on a sail boat in Palma as a stew/cook working for an Israeli family. I would spend the summer days in the galley with the owner´s daughter who taught me all the secrets of Israeli food and food culture. Before yachting I was always cooking or learning about food; at Varsity I would host lunches for my friends consisting of freshly baked bread with melting butter and jam, I learnt about Indian food from my best friends dad (who is from India), vegetarian pies and vegan fritters from my great aunt, tarts and desserts from my mother, butter cookies from my gran – the list of inspiration is endless. After that first season, I got a job as a chef on a tiny 25m charter boat and have been working as a chef ever since. I completed an Advanced Culinary Techniques course at Le Cordon Bleu, spent time in some of the best kitchens in South Africa and recently completed a Nutrition Science course from Standford University. I believe that food can prevent and reverse many illnesses and thus focus on the nutritional values during the composing and preparation of my dishes – food is indeed a natural medicine gifted to us by nature. I enjoy photography, art, yoga and am always up for an adventure!
