Throughout his career, Al Chapman has spent several months cooking \u201con ice\u201d \u2013 that is, in Antarctica. During the summer of 2021-22, the chef was one of three kitchen crew stationed at Scott Base, New Zealand\u2019s only Antarctic research station. The dining hall was the hub of social activity, serving breakfast, morning tea, lunch and dinner for up to 85 people at its peak. It\u2019s like working in a restaurant, Chapman says \u2013 one where you can sometimes see penguins from the kitchen.<\/p>\n
Speaking of penguins: Chapman is adamant they aren\u2019t eaten, unlike in the early days of Antarctic exploration. Not just because they\u2019re protected under the Antarctic treaty, or that starvation is no longer a serious concern; Chapman says it\u2019s important to serve food people like, especially when they\u2019re working in such an isolated part of the world, in extreme conditions.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf someone\u2019s had a rough day, a warm meal can really lift spirits.\u201d<\/p>\n
So in Antarctica<\/a>, what\u2019s on the menu? Chapman would serve fresh bread and croissants for breakfast, then curry or chicken Marbella (chicken with prunes, olives and capers) and collard greens for dinner. He\u2019s an enthusiastic baker too, turning out trays of brownies and bakewell tarts. He would sometimes run baking classes for station staff too.<\/p>\n Cheese rolls, or \u201csouthern sushi\u201d<\/a>, the rolled-up-grilled-cheese-sandwiches hailing from southern New Zealand, were always a hit. \u201cYou\u2019d put them out, and they\u2019d just be gone. People love that taste of home,\u201d Chapman says.<\/p>\n Chef Al Chapman with cheese rolls for staff at New Zealand\u2019s Scott Base in Antarctica. Photograph: Anthony Powell \/ Antarctica New Zealand<\/p>\n On the other hand, Paddy Rietveld says: \u201cNew things can go down well, because days can get really repetitive.\u201d Rietveld is something of a veteran of cooking on ice, having completed four seasons in Antarctica, including a 10-month stint at Scott Base this year as the sole chef for a crew of a dozen hardy souls. This winter, as the finisher to a meal of sweet and sour chicken, he made fortune cookies \u2013 and even wrote the fortunes that went inside. Thursdays were \u201cAmerican night\u201d with barbecue, burgers or nachos on the menu and 10 extra seats for staff from the nearby American-run McMurdo Station, the largest settlement in Antarctica with a winter crew of 150 to 200 people, and up to 1,200 in summer. The guest seats became so coveted a lottery system was introduced.<\/p>\n At the station, allergies and diets \u2013 vegetarian, vegan, halal \u2013 must be accounted for. An added challenge, say Chapman and Rietveld, is that food takes longer to cook in Antarctica, due to the lower temperatures and high elevation.<\/p>\n To help stretch out supplies and minimise waste, Chapman says ingredients must be repurposed as much as possible. Leftover vegetables from a roast meal might end up in a future stew, while chicken and beef from dinner might make its way into sandwiches or wraps for lunch the next day. \u201cIf you eat something in Antarctica once, you\u2019ll probably eat it again in a different form,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Those challenges are small fry compared to his most recent three-month season as the sole chef at SWAIS2C<\/a> camp. There, Chapman cooked in a tent, on an electric stove; in temperatures that could drop to -40C. Ingredients were ordered a year in advance and transported to camp via overland traverse, a 15-day journey over treacherous terrain, then stored in a makeshift freezer three metres under the ice.<\/p>\n The Christmas spread at the SWAIS2C field camp in 2024. Photograph: Al ChapmanAl Chapman, second from right, was the sole chef at the SWAIS2C camp from November 2024 to January 2025. Photograph: Anthony Powell\/ Antarctica New Zealand<\/p>\n