When I got the chance to go on a cruise around the Galapagos, I figured I could survive on lettuce and bread crusts or whatever the ship had on hand, as long as it meant I’d get to see marine iguanas. I was surprised to learn that the Ecoventura line employs chefs professionally trained to cook for the likes of me.

I spent a week on the Letty, a 20-passenger ship, in late January/early February. We visited many of the southern islands in the Galapagos. When we weren’t hovering over rare wildlife on the islands or admiring fabulous fish through our snorkel masks, the kitchen crew were plying us with snacks, treats and wonderful meals.

For vegetarians, vegans, diabetics and gluten-free folks, the option of staying on a boat with a crew who understands your diet will make your trip exponentially easier, less stressful and more enjoyable than trying to fend for yourself on land.

As the week went on and the onslaught of beautifully prepared, cheerfully served snacks continued, I grew more and more curious about the people behind the food. Mostly I interacted with Jairo Rengifo, the bartender and dining room manager who served the food and protected me from non-veg dishes with his eagle eyes. Every morning when I showed up for breakfast, he’d call to the kitchen crew, “Teresita is here! Where are her vegan yucca cakes?”

On the final night of the cruise, I got to interview chef Xavier Mancayo and assistant chef Roberto Urgiles about life in the ship’s kitchen. Since a two year-old Ecuadorian child has a better vocabulary and speaks more complete Spanish sentences than I do, our excellent naturalist Orlando Romero translated for us.

Both Xavier and Roberto are from Guayaquil, Ecuador, where they trained at Escuela de los Chefs. Xavier has worked for Ecoventura for four-and-a-half years, while Roberto started working for the company one year ago. Usually the duo work together on Ecoventura’s other ships, the Eric and the Flamingo, but this week they’d been asked to work on the Letty. The two of them compose the entire kitchen crew. As Orlando told me, “No other people are allowed to go into the kitchen to work with them. They have responsibility of the kitchen.”

Their long day starts early, preparing for breakfast at 7:30. Lunch was served around 12:30, and dinner about 7:00. In between, they prepared snacks. Every time we returned from snorkeling or walking onshore, they had plates of pastries, appetizers like mini quesadillas and pitchers of juice waiting. And always something special hidden away for me. Once they made me a whole plate of fresh pineapple and green maraschino cherry kabobs.

Xavier said they average at least one passenger with a special diet every week, whether it’s vegetarian, gluten-free, lactose-intolerant or diabetics who have to watch out for carbs. While not all special diets were covered in their initial culinary school training, they have picked up a lot in continuing education classes. Their schedule has them working eight weeks straight, then four weeks off. Ecoventura sends them to school in Guayaquil for at least one week during almost every vacation, Roberto said.

Xavier and Roberto are particularly talented at carving fruits and vegetables, a specialty they learned at culinary school. One day we came back from snorkeling and found an amazing display of their artistic prowess. It’s mind-boggling to think how they found time for this achievement in between their regular duties.

The Ecoventura’s menus are coordinated by a chef in the company’s mainland Ecuador headquarters. “Every day, on all the boats, it’s exactly the same,” Roberto said.  A week’s worth of food is bought before each cruise starts. They manage to keep everything very fresh, including the many salads they served for the daily lunch buffet. Even if they hadn’t made me special entrees, I would have had plenty to eat from all the salad and fruit.

Both Xavier and Roberto plan to continue their kitchen careers. Xavier would like to one day own a ceviche restaurant in Guayaquil. He made me a vegan version of this seafood soup, which was excellent. Roberto would like to one day be the chef that sets the menus for all the company’s ships. He sees lots more training in his future. Despite his accomplishments and talent, he considers himself more a cook than a chef. He wants to one day be a “chef chef,” as Orlando put it.

I also learned a bit more about the crew’s living arrangements. The captain has a private cabin next to the bridge, the two naturalists share a room and the remaining eight crew members all bunk together in a big cabin with two bathrooms. Despite the long hours, close quarters, and eight weeks straight of working, every single crew member showed me nothing but respect, courtesy and good cheer. As someone who gets cranky pretty easily, I was really humbled by how they managed to do this.

Okay, now for a few animals!