Trips usually last 48 hours and the four-member crew works around the clock

 Trips usually last 48 hours and the four-member crew works around the clock, with three men on duty while one sleeps."I make a list of what people want to eat," Garcia says, adding that he creates meals based on his shipmates' preferences and dietary requirements. When a new crewmember es aboard, Garcia asks about food preferences, medical issues and allergies that he takes into account when planning menus.The cost of the food is divided equally among the crew and subtracted from each fisherman's pay."He does a good job," says Capt. Alexander Lagace, crew leader and son of the ship's owner, Lou Lagace."I really like hot, spicy Asian food," the captain continues, adding that he particularly favors Garcia's delicious curries.The shipboard chef says he is happy to have a refrigerator and a food processor two conveniences that weren't found on many fishing boat galleys just a few decades ago when frozen foods and perishables were stored on ice below deck.

"I don't like waste," he says. "I try to be a frugal cook. My cooking style is to feed four hungry dudes who eat a lot of carbs and calories."For Wicherski, working in the Alaska's galley is a far cry from the days when the cook had to rise at 4 a.m. to light the kerosene stove to prepare breakfast, had to keep meat on ice, or had to work on some boats that didn't have a shower.Like the Mariette, the Alaska is also based in New Bedford."Times have really changed," begins Wicherski, a Fall River resident who like Garcia is also the son of a fisherman. He is part of a crew that fishes for scallops in an area located 20 to 80 miles offshore from the beginning of March until Christmas, and cooks for the men assigned to his 10-hour shift.Before heading out to sea, the longtime cook, who has been fishing mercially for 30 years, consults with the ship's captain, who determines the length of each trip.

Groceries for the F/V Alaska are purchased at a warehouse club and a supply store.The captain "asks me what I feel like making," says Wicherski, who receives input from the crew about what they'd like to see on the table during a voyage.Like Garcia, he adds that one of the biggest problems he encounters at sea is cooking in tempestuous weather."Food flies out of the refrigerator," Wicherski says, adding that when the weather is rough, he cooks easily prepared meals such as small roasts, chicken pies and fish.