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He did not have to think twice in providing an answer. His contacts on St. Marten or St. Barths would have the white truffles, while the Mia Elise’s agent in the Caribbean might know of an ostrich egg in the neighborhood, and failing that, Chef Loggerenberg would contact his U.S. supplier, who has access to any product from American game farms. Once the ostrich eggs had been transported to the yacht by helicopter or seaplane, he says that he would “proceed to create a hunter style ostrich omelet with capers, crispy shavings of pancetta and Manchego cheese, drizzled with nutted butter and paper thin white truffle.”

He once prepared a belated Valentine’s Day dinner for a couple, served on the sundeck at sunset. The five course dinner led to a quartet of designer desserts, themed on earth, wind, fire and water, because on a previous charter the couple had told him that those were all the elements of their love. In praising Chef von Loggerenberg after that epicurean’s delight, they said that one of the appetizers, Moo Shu bundles, reminded them of a dish they often enjoyed together during college study breaks that had taken place forty years in the past. The Mia Elise version of it must have been delectable; they requested Moo Shu bundles many more times during their charter.

Versatility is a word often used to describe Chef von Loggerenberg. Kelley Smitten of Elite Yacht Charters (www.eliteyacht.com) remarks that he is highly adept at providing for family cruises; the parents will have their foie gras terrine with a cognac aspic accompanied by 1982 Pétrus, and the children will have a deep-fried Snickers bar, if that’s what they want. Chef von Loggerenberg will not only give them the deep-fried Snickers bar of their lives; he’ll do so with no attitude.  Kelley also says that Chef von Loggerenberg is a passé maître at tuning into guests’ individual needs; if one member of the party is allergic to pheasant, it need only be said once and then that person will not be served any dish with pheasant ingredients. 

Chef von Loggerenberg serves many themed meals, French and Italian cuisines being frequently represented of course, but he also creates Asian or Greek culinary events and can realize requests for virtually any other desired cuisine. When he isn’t on a charter, he loves to read the best of the international food press, dine in highly rated restaurants and compare notes with other top drawer professionals. Guests on a Mia Elise charter are the beneficiaries of his continual cultivation.

He counts himself lucky that the setup of the Mia Elise propitiates his shining. The WiFi and Fleet-77 satellite system, internet and various phone services allow him to arrange for delivery to even the most secluded destinations of everything from fleur de sel salt to quail’s eggs and gianduja chocolate. Ozone systems in the yacht’s refrigeration maintain a clean flow of oxygen in each refrigerator so products can be stored at pristine freshness.  The full displacement steel hull and Zero stabilizers make for smooth cruising, which also is of help in the preparation of gourmet repasts.

Chef von Loggerenberg says that most guests enjoy a healthy lifestyle and that as part of it he provides Mediterranean/Californian cuisine with sparing use of cream, butter and flour. That accent on healthfulness carries over into his activities as a dive master. In his adolescence he began diving in the Great Barrier Reef of North Queensland. His most exhilarating dive ever took place in the Walker Key in the Bahamas. Once the group of divers was on the ocean floor, a big chunk of frozen meat and fish was lowered about 15 feet below the water line and then 50 or so bull, reef and hammerhead sharks raced in to tear that chunk apart. Not only did Stephan von Loggerenberg take underwater pictures and survive, he would do it again. But if being in such proximity to 50 hungry sharks isn’t your cup of tea, you could enjoy a gentler, picturesque dive in his company; he rates the Turks & Caicos area and its wall dives as prime, with multitudes of colorful sea life and a depth that makes you feel you are floating in space. 

The Mia Elise crew work graciously as a team under the expert direction of Captain Brett Fillis. An experienced megayacht captain, he has great familiarity with all the ports and a reputation for faultless organization. Friendly by nature, he also is ultra-responsive to guests’ temperaments and needs. On one occasion, a guest requested to spend some time sailing; Captain Brett promptly located and had brought yacht-side a 25-foot sailboat. Setting an equal tone of graciousness aboard the Mia Elise is Head Stewardess Jennifer Rochac, who prides herself on having provided world-class service with tireless attention to detail on yachts around the globe, from Antarctica to the Mediterranean.

The Mia Elise is sparkling new, yet has already experienced rebookings from charter parties enchanted by her majestic classic elegance. The collection of rare books and leather-bound literary works on her library shelves and the Yamaha baby grand piano in her main salon add to her civilized ambience, while her collection of water sports toys is top notch.  Rich in amenities including full entertainment centers and electronic libraries in each stateroom as well as high grade utilitarian features such as a garbage freezer making for an environmentally sound cruise, the very best aspect of a Mia Elise charter is nonetheless her crew’s commitment to making guests feel as if they are the yacht’s owners. So close your eyes for a moment and imagine the sublime poetry of being comfortably ensconced in the Mia Elise’s sundeck Jacuzzi with a flute of Krug’s Clos du Mesnil blanc des blancs in your hand, the bottle kept chilled in a Christofle champagne bucket . Is there any better way to seize the day? 

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