Cooking is fun onboard the SS Badger
LUDINGTON, Mich. — Sue McDonald likes to have fun at work. She started working at the SS Badger in 2024 as a galley prep cook, assisting the galley lead cook with preparing meals for the passengers and crew. Sue is retired and lives in Shelby, Michigan. She applied for the job at the urging of her daughter, Tonia Poort, who also works on the Badger, along with several other members of her family.
“This was a great opportunity to be close to my family,” Sue said. “But, it’s also a great way to meet people. I am retired and this is a great way to stay active, especially since it’s a seasonal position.”
Like many passenger service positions onboard the Badger, the shift is 12 hours, working three days a week.
“It’s a great schedule,” Sue said. “It’s nice to be able to get all the work done in three days.”
Galley prep cooks assist the Lead Cook on duty in preparing, serving, and presenting passenger and crew meals. They prepare cold and hot food items in large quantities. Additional responsibilities include, but are not limited to, unloading of ship supplies, maintaining on-board stock, and cleaning galley areas. The positions are often given an opportunity to present the main course or baked goods to the crew.
“Much of the Badger experience includes good food, whether that’s passengers or crew,” Sue said. “The galley makes sure everyone is happy.”
Sue is taking on a different role this season. She is going to work as a clerk in the Cruise Director’s Office.
“I’ll be working more directly with the passengers,” she said. “The work involves answering questions, checking passengers into staterooms, making announcements on the PA, making sure the movies are operating, and also assisting people checking on their pets on the car deck, among other responsibilities. It should also be fun.”
This year, the Badger’s culinary choices have been expanded. New this season to the Upper Deck Cafe will be full meals featuring baked chicken breast, beef tips and gravy and good old-fashioned meatloaf. All entrees will come with a choice of two sides or one soup plus a soft drink. The Upper Deck Cafe will also feature some of its traditional meals including a full breakfast, hamburgers, and other hot sandwiches.
The Cabana Room will feature a full bar that will offer a variety of adult beverages while a coffee bar will serve whole bean coffee ground for each cup. All ships’ bars feature new signature drinks as well.
To find out more about jobs onboard the Badger, visit www.ssbadger/join-the-crew.
To reserve tickets visit ssbadger.com or call 800-841-4243.
Sue McDonald in the Badger galley
Lake Michigan Carferry operates the S.S. Badger, the largest cross-lake passenger and car ferry service on the Great Lakes. Designated a National Historic Landmark, the Badger is a key part of US-10 highway connecting the cities of Ludington, Mich., and Manitowoc, Wis. A vital link across Lake Michigan, the Badger can accommodate 600 passengers and 180 vehicles, including RVs, motorcycles, motorcoaches, and commercial trucks and oversized loads in one single trip. www.ssbadger.com
Interlake Maritime Services is a family of companies with nearly 300 years of collective service on the Great Lakes. A family-owned and -led company in its second generation, Interlake Maritime and its more than 50 shoreside employees manage The Interlake Steamship Company, Interlake Logistics Solutions, Lake Michigan Carferry, Soo Maritime Services and Interlake Port Services from its corporate headquarters in Middleburg Heights, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, and additional regional offices in Ludington, Mich., and Sault Sainte Marie, Mich. www.interlakemaritimeservices.com
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