ROCKY MOUNTAINEER

Creating gourmet delights in Canada from a kitchen on the rails

Behind the scenes with Rocky Mountaineer’s mobile galley

Y E A R S I N C A N A D A - C E L E B R A T I N G - 20

Towering above the world, covered in pristine snow and fringed with lush alpine forests, the tantalising beauty of Canada’s lofty Rocky Mountains seems picture postcard perfect. With the launch of Rocky Mountaineer three decades ago, the grandeur of the majestic ranges has been made accessible to guests on board the luxurious railway. While the railroad is no doubt an engineering marvel, every minute that the train is in motion, even more marvellous forces are at work inside it. Throughout the awe-inspiring train journey, guests are treated to high quality food made with the finest local ingredients. From gourmet snacks, to three-course lunches, each elegantly plated meal is carefully planned by a full culinary team, overseen by award-winning chefs working out of a tiny moving kitchen… less than eight metres by three metres in size. Equipped with everything you’d expect to find in a normal-sized commercial kitchen – steam ovens, stoves, grills, fridges, and dishwashers – the on board kitchen is one of the smallest commercial kitchens in the world. Working out of this tiny kitchen is no mean feat. The culinary team of around 105 people undergo an extensive training program to make sure they are comfortable and, most importantly, safe in the environment. Needless to say, safety is paramount in a moving kitchen flawlessly serving 700,000 plates of exquisite fare every year. The on board culinary team has strict regulations – pots can only be filled half-way for boiling, all the shelves have safety rails, fridges and oven doors have safety catches, and deep frying and open flames are a strict no-no.

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So how does the team manage to do such a top-notch job, day after day? With clockwork precision.

Rocky Mountaineer has a commissary kitchen in Kamloops, a mid-point on its two-day routes, where the team loads up two days’ worth of food. Getting the correct quantities of ingredients is of vital importance, as popping out to a shop to pick up provisions is not an option. Being mindful of the on board inventory is also important, given fruit and vegetables ripen quicker on the train due to the vibrations.

Knife work on board the moving kitchen can be a challenge, but Executive Chef Dan Stierhof has it covered, “The trick is to use the counter as ballast, leaning your body against it to absorb the movements of the train and not let it affect your cutting.” Baking, however, is a bit of a wager as the movements of the train can toss the product around in the oven and affect the process.

Meal prepping on board starts at 5.30 am with breakfast and does not stop until the last plate of the three-course lunch has left the gallery. Every year the menu is refreshed and tasty variations are added throughout the season. The team puts in many hours of practice to ensure the menu is delicious, as well as feasible to make in the tiny kitchen in large quantities.

Given all the challenges of working in the mobile matchbox kitchen, what are some of the perks? “You never get bored” says Chef Dan. “The scenery outside the window is quite literally constantly changing. During service, you don’t have time to appreciate the view, but when you get a moment to take it all in, it never fails to amaze me.”

A Salmon, GoldLeaf Service B Guests in GoldLeaf dining room C Lunch Service D Granola Parfait, GoldLeaf Service E Pacific Prawns F Rocky Mountaineer