News Article

Cooking graduate experiences many career opportunities


7/11/2007 1:55:28 PM


Anthony Gatherall (left), a graduate from College of the North Atlantic’s cooking program, recently met with one of his childhood idols from the culinary world, Jacques Pepin. Gatherall, who graduated in 1992, is now employed as an executive chef with Oceania Cruise Lines.

A chance encounter set Anthony Gatherall on his career path more than a decade ago, and since that time he has embarked on a very satisfying profession in the culinary industry.

Formally of Bay Bulls on the southern shore, Gatherall began his studies with College of the North Atlantic’s (CNA) Seal Cove campus.

“It was quite a fluke that I did the program,” recalls Gatherall. “I was along for the ride when my friend registered for another course. I took a look around and by the time he was done, I was signed up for the cooking program.”

However he says if it wasn’t for his instructor, Leo Maloney, he may never had finished the program.

“Leo was my culinary instructor and I guess you could say mentor, as he pushed me from day one to go for what I wanted when I really didn't know what that was myself. I attended Seal Cove campus as an unemployed high school drop out at 25 years old. I probably would have left the course a half a dozen times over but he kept pushing. After graduating from the cooking program at Seal Cove, and with the urging of Mr. Maloney, I attended the Culinary program at Holland College in Prince Edward Island in 1992.”

After completing the two-year program at Holland College, Gatherall went on to complete an apprenticeship in Italy and France.

“I went to Northern Italy and did an apprenticeship for classic French cuisine, which was a little strange because most people who went for apprenticeship in Italy did Italian cuisine. I had a connection in a hotel that was a classic French–based restaurant.”
He then worked in various settings from the east coast of Canada to Vancouver and points in between.

“I didn’t have an opportunity to use a lot of what I learned… but then I got a job with Holland America Cruises. With Holland America, the food was like going shopping at Costco – it’s a family cruise and the food was based on volume. They were very good to me but it’s not fine dining.”

He accepted an opportunity to work for Silver Seas Cruise line, which was the number one luxury cruise line at the time. That company merged with the failed Renaissance Cruise Lines and renamed the organization Oceania. He’s been with the company ever since.

“When they took up the failed Renaissance and started Oceania, 75 per cent of the culinary department moved to Oceania. That was roughly four years ago.”

He now divides his time between travelling the world with Oceania and his home base of Victoria, BC.

“I’m an executive chef, which means I’m in charge of the entire food operation. Currently we carry 800 guests and 450 crew so I’m responsible for all food production from top to bottom. I have 80 cooks and 67 utility workers that I’m responsible for and we have five restaurants on board.”

While he has a lot of responsibility as executive chef, he says he has a great staff working with him.

“I’m doing the same as what any chef would do at any hotel or major resort. It’s all about organization and your staff. As long as my middle managers are doing what they should, then I have an easy life. I’m very well staffed,” he continues.

“In a run of a day we do about 4,500 meals. It’s all done on board and everything is done from scratch. We change our menus every season and put a lot of work into it. Our culinary department is all from France. The standards are very high. As far as production goes, nothing comes out of a can – everything from our croissants upwards – it all starts with flour and butter.”

But he attributes his work ethic to the beginning of his training – his time at CNA.

“I got so much from that nine–month course because you learn about the industry standards and it prepares people for the real world. Those who come out of a trained program like the one I did at CNA, they learn from those in the industry and are much better prepared to work.”

Now 40 years old, Gatherall never would have predicted that his chance decision to take cooking would have led him to a career working in the cruise industry.

“If someone had told me then that I would be doing what I’m doing now, I would never in a million years have believed them.”

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Fore more information contact:

Glenda McCarthy
Public Relations Assistant
College of the North Atlantic
(709) 643-6408

Or

Tanya Alexander
Public Information Officer
College of the North Atlantic
(709) 643-7928