Chef Patricia Clark decided to try ChatGPT in the galley – and add some manners and humanity to the process.
I have been sporadically learning AI prompts the last few months and thinking a lot about how to maintain compassion in the rapidly changing world. In the short term, my version of that is to speak to AI as I would a human.
I recently had a two-week guest trip of 10 guests that wanted only Italian food at every meal. This coincided with two back-to-back fishing tournaments they were participating in which also meant a lot of fresh fish coming in every day.
I also had only one day to plan, provision and prep before leaving land.
Enter ChatGPT 4. I decided to try it out with a few simple “please” and “thank you” words included. Would AI really be able to save myself a few hours of planning time?
I entered the prompt:
“Please make me a 14-day menu including breakfast, lunch and dinner that uses only Italian cuisine. The lunches will be a family style buffet. The dinners will be fine dining style with a first course that can be grain based or a salad, a main course that must include two proteins options with two vegetables and a dessert. There cannot be any repetition of items.”
It came up with 14 days worth of menu in 1 minute. Here’s an example:
Day 1
Breakfast: Italian frittata with tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella cheese.
Lunch (Family-style buffet): Caprese salad, pasta primavera, chicken piccata, garlic bread.
Dinner (Fine dining) First Course: Arugula and parmesan salad with lemon vinaigrette.
Main Course: Grilled salmon with lemon caper sauce, herb-roasted chicken with roasted vegetables.
Dessert: Tiramisu.
Day 10
Breakfast: Nutella-stuffed french toast with fresh berries.
Lunch (Family-style buffet): Insalata caprese, pesto tortellini salad, margherita flatbread, caesar salad.
Dinner (Fine dining): First Course: Caprese bruschetta.
Main Course: Braised short ribs with creamy polenta and sautéed spinach, grilled swordfish with lemon caper sauce and roasted brussels sprouts.
Dessert: Tiramisu pudding cups.
“Enjoy your two-week Italian cuisine journey!”
I then input the following:
“Thank you! Would you please make a shopping list for 10 portions of each of the above menu items putting the list into specific categories including fruit, vegetables, dairy, meat, fish, baking items and all other items under the heading ‘Grocery’?”
While it was unable to give me quantities, within 2 minutes it responded with the courteous, “You are welcome,” and gave me full lists of fruit, vegetables, dairy, meat, fish, baking items, and other staples.
“Great list! Thank you. Would you please give me the recipes for 10 portions each of the desserts listed in the above menu?”
ChatGPT got right to work and immediately typed out the first three recipes then stopped.
I prompted: “Thank you. However, you only gave me the recipes for the first three desserts. Would you please give me the recipes for the remaining 11 desserts?”
The AI generated reply was equally polite:
“Apologies for the oversight. Here are the recipes for the remaining desserts.”
The remaining recipes came through in a save-able format within 5 minutes as well as a personalization to “enjoy” cooking.
While it was typing up the recipes, I was able to copy, paste and print the menus and shopping list. The menu needed some revisions and of course that impacted the shopping list. The entire process took about 20 minutes in what would normally take me at least 2 hours.
For most guest purposes, the menu the AI generated was too casual and I tried a new approach.
I typed the prompt: “Please make me an international 7-day dinner menu in a three Michelin star style in which each menu includes an amuse-bouche, a first course, a main course including protein and a formal multi textured dessert. Thank you.”
Here is what I received within 45 seconds:
“Certainly! Here’s a sample 7-day dinner menu in a three Michelin star style, featuring an amuse-bouche, a first course, a main course with protein, and a multi-textured dessert each day. Here’s an example of what it came up with:
Day 1: French Cuisine
Amuse-bouche: Chilled pea soup with truffle foam.
First Course: Lobster ravioli with saffron cream sauce.
Main Course: Pan-seared duck breast with cherry port reduction, served with fondant potatoes and glazed baby carrots.
Dessert: Chocolate marquise with hazelnut praline, raspberry coulis, and gold leaf.
“Please note that this menu is just a sample, and you can customize it further based on your preferences and dietary restrictions. Enjoy your culinary journey!”
What a difference! I offered a little praise:
“This is beautiful! Well done!”
The AI replied: “Thank you! I’m glad you liked it. If you have any more questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask. Enjoy your dining experience!”
There is no question that AI in the galley is a useful tool that frees up mental and physical time. While chefs may use this for admin help, the process still needs creative and technical oversight. I will continue to use it to make crew menus up to a month in advance giving it prompts to include preferences, allergies, stock on hand and ideal amount of cooking time. It easily handles complicated guest menus that take into account numerous preferences and comes up with recipes ahead of time so we don’t have to worry about wifi.
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