Welcome Back Aboard!

The boat’s back in the water, the veggie hammock is loaded up, and somewhere in the galley a lime is already making a break for the bilge. Season Two of Galley Club starts now, and this year we’re spending more of it on the water, cooking for you and cooking with you.

Quick hello if you’re new here: we’re Max and Theresa, a chef and a sommelier who spent years in fine-dining kitchens (The French Laundry, Eleven Madison Park, etc.), before trading them for a galley about the size of a phone booth. The mission of the Club hasn’t changed: real hospitality, scaled down to the reality of cooking on board, where it’s just you and your crew, one burner, and a cutting board balanced on the cooler.

If You Missed Last Season

Last season we served up a steady run of fan favorites — everything from dishes built on non-perishable staples to nutritious meals that keep the crew satisfied through a long watch — and proved a tiny galley is no excuse for boring food. Knot Your Average Mac & Cheese, for example, was three easy ways to take the elevator with a box of mac (the canned green chile version has no business being that good). From Tin to Table started with a tin you could store forever, and then, before you know it, five minutes is all that stands between you and an aperitif that tastes like a European terrace. You can scroll through all of last year’s recipes here.

What to Expect This Season

The goal for Season Two is simple: deliver easy ways to make galley staples taste delicious — and to have a lot of fun while doing it. The canned beans, the tin of fish, the bag of rice and the lonely lime, all turned into something great. We’re also embracing those relatable moments only boaters understand, like having to change out the propane tanks right when the food started to get warm. 

You can also expect some dock-and-dine recaps, because a hot meal you didn’t have to cook underway is its own kind of luxury (one cruisers understand all too well). If you’ve got a go-to lunch spot you love to tie up to? Let us know, and we’ll add it to the short list to feature for the group.

At the end of the day, we just want to do more cooking and more eating on the water: more dockside, more at anchor, more of those “what’s even left to cook?” nights that turn into the best meal of the trip, or at least a good laugh.

Who’s in the Galley

So who’s doing the cooking? Still us — Max and Theresa — but the crew is growing this year.

We’re bringing Lauren from Dockwa aboard to do some Galley Club cooking too. She cruises Maine aboard her boat, Maui, so you’ll catch her in the mix here and there this summer. She’s living proof that you don’t need a restaurant résumé to set a great table on the water, or to have some fun with the recipes we share here.

We're also calling on the community! Expect to see features created by Galley Club members sharing their own go-to meals and tricks from their own boats. If that sounds like fun to you... consider this your official invitation to get involved! 

How to Get Involved

We sent out a survey in Monday's Dock Talk newsletter, and you filled our inbox with preferences and ideas before the coffee was cold. Thank you for that! If you haven’t weighed in yet, take a few minutes with the Galley Club Season Two survey. It does two things: it tells us what you want to see this summer and what you’re actually working with in your galley — and it’s your chance to raise your hand if you’d like to get more involved! We'll be reaching out to those who expressed interest soon! 

TAKE THE SURVEY >>

Step Inside Our Galley

This all brings us to today... the launch of Season Two. It's safe to say we're just a littleee excited, so we're kicking things off the nosiest way we know how: a full tour of the galley we've actually been cooking in, aboard a Beneteau 39.3 called Mama Cita. We're walking though where the spices live, how two burners on a gimbal turn out dinner every night, and the small-space tricks we lean on all season. (Spoiler: our dish towels live in the microwave.) Come see where every recipe starts. Watch the full walkthrough on Instagram here:

We think galleys are some of the coolest spaces afloat, and we want to see how you make it work. Tag us (@TheGalleyClub) on Instagram or email TheGalleyClub@Dockwa.com with photos or a video tour of your own galley this season for a chance to be featured. Show us where the magic happens!

So that's Season Two for you: same tiny galleys, a bigger crew, and a standing invitation to get involved with your name on it. It's officially time to stock the galley and stay in touch. We'll see you out there.

Cheers,
Max & Theresa