Still, she is particular about her raw materials. She shops locally, procuring seafood, smoked salmon, artisanal goat cheese, jam and jellies, and other quality Maine products. She pays a lump sum each spring to a local farm and gets a share of fresh vegetables and fruit throughout the growing season. Herbs and flowers come from her own extensive kitchen garden in Rockland.
''Our commitment to buying local produce is one of our stronger decisions and is a cornerstone of my cooking," she writes.
At midday, it's plain that Mahle's efforts have paid off. On deck, where lunch is served buffet-style, conversation ceases. Murmurs of pleasure can be heard as people taste a rich black bean and zucchini soup and drink in the salt air and scenery. They help themselves to brown bread, sharp Cheddar cheese, and fresh baby greens tossed with walnuts, apples, raisins, and tahini dressing. Banana and chocolate chip cake is served for dessert.
For Paul Santino, who lives in Queens and works as a US Customs agent at Kennedy Airport, food is recreation. At home, he can eat everything from falafel to hand-rolled udon noodles. He likes to cook and enjoys shopping for saffron, peas, pimento, clams, and squid for paella at neighborhood markets.
He and his wife, Barbara, always wanted to sail on a windjammer. She chose the J. & E. Riggin because of its reputation for fine food.
''This is almost like riding the New York subway only the scenery is better," quipped Paul Santino, referring to the schooner's gentle rocking motion as it sliced through the water. He slowly sipped his soup and gazed at the smoky blue Camden Hills. ''There's cumin in the soup. I can taste it. I am going to go back for more."
Mahle delights in seeing Santino and other passengers savor her cooking and fall under the spell of windjammer sailing, whether it's the balm of sea air, the aroma of wood smoke, or the sound of waves lapping against the hull.
''She loves what she does," mess cook Erika Schwendy says of Mahle. ''If you enjoy what you do, little glitches are not going to make or break your day."
Contact Letitia Baldwin, style editor at The Bangor Daily News, at jbhlb@prexar.com.
