Cooking for the Crew | Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now shares stories about the Great Lakes Basin and the 40 million people who live, work and study here.

SUPPORT for Great Lakes Now comes from the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Consumers Energy Foundation, the Polk Family Fund, the Richard C. Devereaux Foundation Fund for Energy and Environmental Programming at Detroit Public Television as well as from viewers and readers like you.

[GreatLakesNow]

Hey, everyone. We just wanted to clarify something. As of May of 2023, when this segment was released, there were 13 “thousand footers”—freighters that are 1, 000 feet long or more—on the Great Lakes, and the Mesabi Miner is one of them. Some commenters below thought we meant the Mesabi Miner was a “thirteen-thousand footer”—or, 13, 000 feet long. It definitely isn’t! It’s one of the Great Lakes’ 13 “thousand footers.” For more info about Great Lakes freighters, take a look at our stories here. 🌊🛥

[DreDesignsGLMP]

Love this... I know Sissy personally and she is not only a great cook but an attentive human being who cares for her entire crew as if they were a part of her own family... She is in demand wherever she goes... before the Miner became her permanent vessel she floated from ship to ship in Relief of permanent cooks and every ship wanted her... in the end she's where she's meant to be I think and she's excelling as only she can

[elrobo]

I am a retired chef and Most of my cooking was for 125 to 150 people three meals and two snacks a day. I can appreciate Sissy's work ethic and attention to her crew. I made all homemade things for my people and paid special attention to allergies, vegetarians and vegans. I love to watch everyone eat and I monitored the trash cans to see if they told me anything about the dislikes and if I noticed something wrong I would adjust it. I don't really know why I enjoy watching Sissy at 0130 but I do. Keep it up Sissy you are special and your crew knows it! You are appreciated by crew and old retired chefs.

[ianmoonetheoriginal]

You see much more comradery here than you do in corporate America. These folks are the backbone of our country, keeping things running around clock. God Bless them all.

[theherd]

What a lovely human being. I’m sure all those men appreciate her.

[Geraldasopko]

This was the first ship I help build at Amship in Lorain Ohio

[NSResponder]

A cruise ship is likely to bore me to tears, but it would be fascinating to spend a week on a freighter like this just to learn how it all works.

[Zzrdemon]

She seems so genuine and honest! A total asset to any company, I hope they realize that

[joycejudd]

just as the kitchen is the heart of the home, truly the kitchen is the heart of any "workers camp", whether it's logging, shipping, camping, all other working business. Sissy seems to have exactly the right touch with her crew. It's wonderful!

[djcfrompt]

I'm impressed at the bravery of running a deep fryer on a ship! I'm sure there's a procedure to safely secure it in rough weather, but I'd be anxious working around that.

[RobertMattison-ppuf]

You are in my opinion you are one the angles that lives among us.

[briggsquantum]

Kudos to the film crew and all who worked on that production - very well narrated, shot, and edited. It's a fascinating study of the ship and her crew, and of course Sissy.

[bobd]

Great. It's 11:45 PM and now I'm hungry. Thanks.

Seriously, in my next life, I think I'll be a Great Lakes sailor.

[chuckbecker]

Gosh, I love this. Spent 40 years at sea (6 navy, 34 merchant marine). Only made one trip on the Lakes bringing a tug from Marinette, WI to Quebec (and on to Panama and the West Coast). This brings back so many good memories. After a few years with a company you get to know enough people that it's like your "ship family". Thanks for sharing.

[edwardalexander]

This was a great video and brought back a flood of memories. Our Dad sailed for 45 years with US Steel and served on several different ships. He would be gone for most of the year and most of our conversations would be done by writing letters. As children, we were each allowed to take a trip with him, but most often our Mom would drive to various ports on the lakes so we could see him for a couple of hours face to face. My trip was on the Ralph H. Watson. The head cook and stewards were outstanding chefs. The meals and desserts provided were legendary and we still talk about them today. There was a dining room as well as a galley. We were served in the dining room, complete with linens and stoneware dishes. Off hours, we would frequently walk aft to grab a snack from the galley. We got the best of both worlds! It was an adventure to stroll the deck or when storms were high walk the catwalk through the hold. The crew was so generous to make us feel welcome - I think it was a great break from routine to have kids around. Hats off and a heartfelt thanks to the captains and crews of the freighters who sacrifice months away from family and friends to keep the steel industry alive. Sherry Alexander

[davidcox]

It's easy for us down in Missouri to forget about the vital freighter traffic on the Great Lakes. Big respect to people like Sissy who work hard to keep it moving.

[Classicrocker]

I’m in Western Canada and have a huge respect for those working on Great Lakes tanker ships. What an awesome crew here. Sissy is an important team member who plays a vital role in the morale of the crew. I love the Grinch theme for Christmas!

[SeattleBoatdog]

I started as an ocean-going galley boy and retired after 20 years sailing and 10 years teaching cadets and military officers at the international academy level.

I’ve trained a lot of Laker officers on both sides of the border.

I proudly identify as a “Cook with a Masters License”

She’s a “keeper”

[dawnmazzarella]

Nice to see hard working people being treated very well!

[guybeingaguy]

I’m a 59 y/o lifetime bachelor.
Since age 16, maybe 2 home cooked meals a year, one probably thanksgiving at a bar somewhere.
Always fast food, convince store or pre-made meal stuff at Publix, hot dogs, sandwiches etc.
These guys got it damn good 👍