Meet the Crew: Argo Saar
In the Meet the Crew series, colleagues that work on our Baltic routes share an authentic glimpse into the work onboard the ferries. The interviews show that everyone plays an important role in the operation to ensure an excellent customer experience. We will continue to share interviews so you can get to know our colleagues a little better.
Argo Saar, the chef on PATRIA SEAWAYS, became interested in cooking as a young boy watching his grandmother and father cook. Argo has almost 25 years of experience as a chef at sea. He joined DFDS earlier this year and explains that working at sea means a lot to him. It makes him feel that he is in his own place. Now he shares his thoughts on the life at sea and working with DFDS.
My childhood was spent in Saaremaa, where I also went to school. I came from a large family, so I was never bored. I played games with my brothers and we had many exciting adventures with the children from the village.
I am most inspired by simple, homemade food. As a little boy, I enjoyed watching my grandmother and father prepare our meals. I always wanted to get involved. In my childhood, when all the food in the village was homemade, there were many interesting dishes.
The most memorable were perhaps pork dotted with garlic made by my father as well as oat flummery made by my grandmother. I still make these dishes from time to time. Living on an island, we ate a lot of fish and went fishing often.
The most valuable thing to me is my family. It is a pleasure to know that my family is waiting for me when I leave the ship at the end of my shift. However, when it comes to work, I appreciate and value the development opportunities offered by DFDS as well as our strong and united team.
My greatest joys are my daughter and my partner. I cook a lot with my daughter as she is extremely interested in experimenting. We like both sweet and savoury foods. My daughter’s favourite is Caesar salad with prawns, chicken, apple, and pineapple, which to my surprise is a very pleasant combination. Our second top favourite is homemade sushi.
Working as a chef means a lot to me, and I feel that I am in the right place. I can’t imagine working anywhere else. Cooking also gives me an opportunity for development and self-expression.
As someone born and raised by the sea, I find that it allows me to gather my thoughts and is a source of inspiration.
I’ve been working at sea for about 25 years now. I’ve experienced many national cuisines and visited different countries. I like exotic cuisine and have learned a lot from a friend who is an Indian chef. Of course, while in different countries, I also check out the local cuisine.
I have worked on cruise and merchant ships in Europe and Africa. The longest time I’ve been at sea was 11 months and 22 days on a cargo ship. When I am at home I often go for walks by the shore. I also spend a lot of my free time fishing. My biggest catch so far is an 82 kg river catch burbot, which I caught one windy morning with a trap on the river estuary. We marinated most of this catch and it tasted like eel.
In general, I like all fish, but perch that I have smoked myself is irresistible. I am rarely left empty-handed when I fish as I will sit by the water all day, if necessary, and I am not disappointed even if I only catch a single fish. I am motivated by a good work environment, good company, and mobility. It is important to me that I am trusted and listened to. I am curious, enjoy tackling challenges and I am not afraid to take on responsibilities.
The best advice I've ever been given? I don’t know. I like to repeat an inspirational quote: “Cooking is like love – it should be entered into with abandon or not at all.”