🐋 Chef de Partie — Expedition Ships, Alaska to Central America

🍽 Opportunity Lindblad Expeditions is hiring a Chef de Partie for its small expedition ships, the National Geographic Quest and National Geographic Venture, which spend the year working from the glaciers of Southeast Alaska down through Baja California's whale nurseries to Central America. The rotation is 8 weeks on, 4 weeks off — a real block of time off between voyages, not scattered days. 👨‍🍳 Role - Assist the Head and Sous Chef with guest meal prep, buffet setups, canapés and action-station service - Take primary responsibility for crew meal preparation - Manage inventory and sanitation compliance in a working shipboard galley - Potentially lead junior galley staff as experience develops 🌎 ChefJobs Abroad Analysis Small expedition ships like the Quest and Venture carry a fraction of the passengers of a standard cruise liner, which changes the kitchen's whole rhythm — closer to a boutique hotel kitchen than mass catering, but done at sea with genuinely wild scenery outside the porthole. The pay structure is daily rather than monthly ($180-190/day, base plus guaranteed gratuities), and because room and board are covered during rotations, most of that is take-home. The trade-off is real: 10-12 hour days with no days off during the 8-week stretch, and shared crew quarters in a remote, at-sea environment. This suits someone who wants the lifestyle change more than a gentle introduction to shipboard work. ⭐ ChefJobs Rating: 7.1/10 ✅ Best Fit - Chefs with (or willing to obtain) STCW, TWIC and USCG Medical Certification — Lindblad assists with training during onboarding - Those who want genuinely wild, changing scenery — Alaska glaciers to Baja whale season to Central America — built into the job - Chefs who value a real 4-week block of time off over scattered days between shifts - Candidates comfortable with 10-12 hour days and no days off during an 8-week rotation - Cooks used to, or willing to adapt to, compact shared crew quarters and limited connectivity at sea - Anyone who wants US health insurance and 401(k) matching alongside a seagoing role — uncommon in this niche