caroline ford

American, 29 yrs
Non-smoker, No tattoos
STCW 95, US Passport, ServSafe Food Handler Certification, Driver License
  Charismatic, Even-tempered, Collaborative, Self-motivated

Objective: With my experience on private and charter motor yachts, I enjoy creating unique memories for guests through food and entertaining. I prefer healthy, from-scratch cuisine inspired by international flavors and local, seasonal ingredients. Currently available for positions with Captain Benjamin Siek. Online resume available : captainbenjaminsiek@webs.com.

culinary experience
Chef/Chief Stewardess M/Y Reflections 85’  July ’15-Nov ‘15

South Florida, Bahamas     Captain Benjamin Siek

Charter and Private charter program

Provisioned and prepared all meals for up to 9 guests and 4 crew.

Maintained close working relationship with owners ; completed all private and charter accounting under strict guidelines. 

Trained stewardess new to industry. Managed all interior duties including: interior contractors, uniform ordering, inventories, purchasing new soft goods, beverage and floral provisioning.

Assisted mate with towing 30’ Everglades, docking, line handling, and exterior maintenance.

Chef/Stewardess M/Y Diamond 120’  October ’14- July ‘15
South Florida, Bahamas, NE,  Captain Walter Hastings

Private program. 

Provisioned and prepared all meals for owner trips ranging from 4-8 guests and 4 crew. Frequent cocktail and dinner cruises for up to 20 people. 

Creative vegetable and protein centered menus with attention to special diets (vegan, gluten-free) and balanced eating. 

Maintained close working relationship with owners. Managed and completed all interior duties: cleaning and organization, laundry, provisioning, flowers, uniform, inventories, purchasing new furniture/decor, and bookkeeping. Hired freelance stewardess for guest trips. 

Assisted mate with docking, line handling, and exterior maintenance. Directed interior contractors and hired dayworkers during winter yard period. 

Chef, M/Y Angelika 95’  July ’13- August ‘14

USVI, BVI, St Maarten, St. Barths, U.S. East Coast,   Captain Jacob Ewing

Provisioned and prepared breakfast, lunch, and formal dinner for 6 guests and 4 crew. 

Maintained close communication with owners and their guests who preferred clean eating and place-based cuisine. Focus on farmers’ market produce, local meat, fish, and dairy, healthy grains, and whole grain/alternative flour baking.

LongHouse Food Scholars Program, August 2014
Rensselaerville, NY

Month long residential, immersion program for food media. Worked with founder and author, Molly O’Neill, and working media professionals to build portfolio and develop food multimedia content. Scholars shoot and edit mini-documentaries, conduct interviews, gather oral histories, and create stories for various platforms.

Chef, M/Y Francine 151’ Dec ’12- June ’13  & Dec ’14
Fort Lauderdale, Captain Bart van der Horst

Freelance chef for the owner’s final party of the season and the delivery to Fort Lauderdale. Provisioned and catered a vegetarian lunch for 30+ upon arrival; prepared all meals for crew of 7. After trip, hired on as full-time chef for the season in NYC and CT.

Cuisine for owner is strictly vegan, organic, and seasonal.

Returned to boat in 2014 as crew chef for two week delivery to FLL.

Chef, M/Y Portofino 118’ Nov 19-28, 2012  
Key Biscayne, Captain Rafael Tarrau

Freelance owner trip. Prepared meals for 6-20 guests and 4 crew for breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily. 

Included several children, a severe nut allergy, gluten-free, kosher, vegetarian, and lactose-free diets.

Chef, M/Y Vitesse 100’ May ’12- September ’12   Turks and Caicos/Bahamas
Captain Jared Lindsey  

Fractionally owned yacht - 8 separate families. Breakfast, lunch, and formal dinner daily for 8 guests and 4 crew.

Two day turnaround between each owner trip. Provisioned within a strict budget.

Specialized in healthy menus focused on fresh produce and whole grains. Variety of allergies and special diets- vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, etc. Daily breads, baked goods and desserts. I have also traveled to one owner’s home in Austin, TX to provide cooking instruction and assistance on healthy eating.

Recipe Development, Testing & Food Writing

Head recipe tester for cookbook author, Martha Holmberg.*
Assisted Martha on a video shoot for craftsy.com in 2013: Mise en place, food prep, styling. Crêpes: 50 Sweet and Savory Recipes;  Modern Sauces

Food stylist and Editorial Director for OurFoodShed.com

Bi-monthly article- recipe development, writing, styling for Home By Design.

Food Styling Clients
Pure Beef cookbook by Lynne Sampson Curry Photographer: David Reamer
MIX Magazine
Assistant food stylist to Lucy Neilson for Polara Studios
John Valls Photography
Harvest PR
Edible Portland
The Oregonian- FoodDay

Higgin’s Restaurant
Pantry Cook- Portland, OR September 2009- September 2010

Prepared and plated salads, hot and cold appetizers, and desserts with local, seasonal ingredients. Organized and managed station daily; led pantry team through service.

Food & Restaurant PR
Food writing assistant for Bette Sinclair PR, including press releases and client communication. Organized media events for local restaurants, farmers’ markets, and food and beverage producers. 

Portland Culinary Alliance
2012- President; 2011- Vice President
Organized local culinary educational and networking events. Wrote newsletter.

In Good Taste Cooking School
Assistant cooking instructor at local cooking school.

Time Inc.- Cooking Light
Test Kitchen Intern- Birmingham, AL January 2009- July 2009

Cooked recipes for review and redevelopment with test kitchen and editorial staff. Edited recipes after passing test kitchen review. Prepared and styled food for photo shoots. Wrote regular blog for the Cooking Light Web site.

*Martha Holmberg is the founding editor of MIX Magazine in Portland, Oregon. Cookbook author, former food editor of The Oregonian and former publisher and editor of Fine Cooking Magazine.

education
Western Culinary Institute-Portland, Oregon
Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts Certificate
University of Missouri-Columbia, Missouri
Bachelor of Journalism- Strategic Communications, Minor in Theatre
GPA: 3.8/4.0
Magna Cum Laude from the Honor’s College
Kappa Tau Alpha National Honor Society
Top 10% of graduating Journalism class Dean’s Honor Roll-Fall 2004- May 2008 Chancellor’s Excellence Awards-May 2007

references
Jacob Ewing- Captain M/Y Angelika
760.815.3436
captain@yachtangelika.com

Bart van der Horst- Captain M/Y Francine
954.253.0007
bvdh2000@me.com

Joei Aranha- Provisioning Agent
1.242.327.7769
errands@islandpurveyors.net

Martha Holmberg- Cookbook Author
503.467.6121
martha.holmberg@gmail.com

Danielle Centoni- MIX Magazine Editor
mix.danielle@gmail.com


Letter from M/Y Vitesse Owner
Ronda Gray

To whom it may concern,

Caroline Ford was the chef on our boat, Vitesse. She had to quickly fill in Turks and Caicos with a 24-hour notice when there were some issues with the former chef. We've had multiple chefs on the boat in the 5 years and Caroline is by far the best chef we have ever had! She is calm, flexible and takes pride in every dish she creates. Her meals are served promptly and garnished exquisitely.

Anyone who is lucky enough to retain Caroline as an employee will be thoroughly pleased.

Kindly,
Ronda Gray
Austin, Texas

512-658-6240Martha Holmberg
Martha.holmberg@gmail.com
www.marthaholmberg.com
503-467-6121

RECOMMENDATION FOR CAROLINE FORD

I have worked with Caroline Ford over many years and in many contexts. And if she’d stop sailing around the world on those goddamn yachts, I’d work with her again!

I first worked with Caroline when she was our test kitchen intern at The Oregonian newspaper, for which I was the editor of the food section. She arrived at The O with great experience already, having graduated from culinary school and then spent a long stretch of time with Cooking Light magazine.

She was a reliable and competent presence in our kitchen, testing recipes and helping to develop original recipes, and she did a lot of our food styling for photography. Caroline also worked in several capacities for our full-color food magazine, MIX. Photography was a huge component of that book, and Caroline did a lot of food styling as well as recipe testing.

Caroline and I continued to work together on my own work. She has been my main and highly trusted recipe tester for my cookbooks, in particular Crepes and Modern Sauces. She developed recipes for the crepe book, as well.

We most recently worked together on a video project – a series of instructional videos I did for Craftsy.com. Caroline came with me to the studio in Denver, where she helped me work out the class sequence, all the mise en place, and the actual food prep and styling.

As I mentioned, I would work with her again in a heartbeat, and I would very much like to see her have the chance to develop the writing and media side of her career. She has a strong interest in joining food and writing, and is ready to push deeper into the writing side.

Feel free to contact me for any other information on Caroline Ford.

Danielle Centoni

Food Editor
Portland, Oregon

To whom it may concern,

When I took over the helm of MIX Magazine, a food and drink magazine in Portland, Oregon, the outgoing editor offered me several words of advice. The best advice, which I followed as often as I could, was that I hire Caroline Ford for recipe testing and food styling. 

Caroline was always impeccably professional. She arrived on time, worked hard and efficiently, and was a pleasure to be around. But what really stood her apart from other testers and stylists was her innate talent. She handles food with care and precision, and has incredible depth of knowledge. She could quickly discern when a recipe was going awry and knew what to do to salvage it. When Caroline was on the job, I could let go and relax, because I knew everything would turn out beautifully.

She also expressed the keen insight and insatiable curiosity of a true food lover. She’s passionately engaged in the food world.
Sincerely,
Danielle Centoni
daniellecentoni@gmail.com
503-952-6017