A memorial was held Friday May 30 for much-loved Chef Nicifore on the boat he worked aboard for so many years. Red Rooster III owner Linda Palm said about 100 persons were there for the tribute. Jorge was buried in Ensenada May 23.

The following is extracted from the writings of Ed Zieralski, outdoor writer for the San Diego Union-Tribune, and the recipe for wahoo chowder is one Jorge gave to Bill Roecker and Bill Casper Jr.

Andy Cates was a 21-year-old rookie long-range captain when he met Nicifore. Cates called him the ambassador, for the way he handled even the most pressing emergencies. "Jorge is a true legend of long-range fishing," Cates said.

"What a great fisherman and friend to have aboard. With many adventures to various islands in Baja, some for fun, others for emergency situations that seemed only he could make go so smooth. No one will ever match his savvy at the rail with countless tales of 300-plus pound tuna and wahoo caught when they did not seem to be around. Wahoo fishing was his specialty, and no one matched him."

Said Captain John Grabowski, who runs relief trips on the Red Rooster III: "Jorge was the reason the Red Rooster III had the repeat clientele for many years. He was not only a great chef, but treated passengers with respect and treated them with dignity. He was the type of person, crew member and employee that this industry needs to model itself around and strive to duplicate."

On nothing more than a sport boat chef's salary, Nicifore accomplished some amazing things. Orphaned at 14, he helped raise a family of three brothers and himself. He was an avid reader and kept up on world issues by keeping the boat's TV tuned to CNN when it was at sea. He was a self-taught chef who made bread and hamburger buns from scratch for every trip. His lasagne and wahoo Parmesan were legendary.

"Jorge's sense of pride, especially for his family, were always foremost in his mind," friend Ralph Cox said. "He worked many years to accomplish his main goal in life, that being to educate his children. He and his wife worked toward that goal together, and the goal was realized.

"Daughter Anna Cristina became a medical doctor. Daughter Gina became a certified analytical biologist with a B.S. And son Jorge received his degree in business management, B.A."

Chef Jorge's Wahoo Chowder

3 Large potatoes cut in cubes
1 can corn
1 cup diced celery
2 cloves garlic
1 large onion diced
?? teaspoon salt
1 bay leaf
?? teaspoon pepper
4 cups half and half
?? cup butter
?? teaspoon dill
2 Cups water
2 pounds Wahoo Fillets cubed
?? cup white wine
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Combine water, wine, vegetables, spices and butter. Bring to a boil so that potatoes are ?? cooked. Add Wahoo, cook 5 more minutes and add rue to thicken mixture for a chowder consistency.

Rue: ?? cup butter and ?? cup flour: Melt butter and add flour to rue consistency