NEW KIDS

More and more with the increase in yacht chef Facebook

pages, and yacht chef forum websites such as ‘’The Chefwalk’’, we’re seeing more and more correspondence from chefs who

cannot wait to crack into the world of yachting. Online jobs that clearly state ‘experience essential’’, or words to that effect, are still inundated with requests for that

first break. The docks are pounded with wannabe yacht chefs laden with CV’s and a smile. There is still a shortage of really good chefs in the industry versus jobs available, and the hinderance for this shortage seems to be the cross-over from qualified, restaurant background chef to boat chef. Even the most

successful of yacht chefs coming into the industry either had to start on a really small boat and

work their way up in sizes, or did get that lucky break- either through a friend-of-a-friend, some lucky dockwalking - with a desperate head chef who needed a temp on

a short turnaround, or a very good crew agent that did recognise their

CV potential and really push them personally to a captain.

The problem, of course, with

the last possibility is that

there are a lot of ‘if’s’ against your name, and therefore a large risk factor.

You have no way of proving yourself until you

have secured the job. By then if the captain has found you through an agent, he has paid probably close to a months salary in fees,and spent a considerable

amount of time on a paperwork trail, not to mention trials and telephone interviews

etc. He will not want to go through the

same process again anytime soon.

$$$1If you have never worked on a

boat before, how can you say if

you get seasick? How can you know if

you’ll be competent at provisioning? Will

you be happy sharing a cabin with someone

of the opposite sex or sharing at all? And, will

you have the right personality to live and work with

people? These are all questions that you yourself do

not know the answer to, let alone the captain, who’Will be comparing you to candidates armed

with references with clear answers to

all of the fore-mentioned.....

LOUISA

Head of Chef ]Recruitment

at London based Wilson

and Halligan] believes the

best way for first time

yacht chefs to get into

the industry is to

make sure they]re

ahead of their

competitors]

]]They need to

make their CV

stand out from the

rest] Therefore] any

experience gained in very

high]end establishments

or working with well known

Chefs always impresses people]

It is also important for new Chefs

to understand that especially for

larger yachts] they may need to take

a position as Sous Chef] regardless

of how much land based experience

they have] Working as a Chef

on a yacht poses different

challenges ] such as small

cooking areas and storage

spaces] which is

something they may not

be used to on land.’’

SARAH PLANT

Manager of

Recrewt Agency

has some great words to

counter all the amazing

stories of dream locations

and five figure tips... (a note to new comers- you may only be seeing these locations, in the summer at least, from the other side of

a porthole, and do not believe all the

tip stories you

hear!)...

‘’I find chefs, who

come from a VERY good

restaurant background

and are obviously great

chefs, often don’t want to

listen to the truth when it

comes to yachting. Yachting isn’t just about cooking… it is

about living in close confines

with a bunch of strangers. It is about being a beck and call boy/girl to an owner who might want kebabs

at 3am and it is THEIR job to do it, and with a smile. However long you think

restaurant hours are, yachting hours can be a lot longer. It is about provisioning everywhere and anywhere, and realizing

that local knowledge is invaluable. Sometimes stepping back in position

will take them much further in

their career than being stubborn

about how wonderful they are. that is for their head chef/chief/stew/captain to say!!! Learning under the wing of

a much more experienced

yacht chef is a GOOD

thing, not degrading.’’

So what advice can be passed on to you

via some of the industry’s best agencies?

Sarah touches on a

brilliant point. Another great way to enter the

world of the Yacht Chef is to

swallow your pride as well as

your ‘’executive chef de cuisine’’ or ‘’head chef’’ label and aim to get on a

boat with a good reputation as a second

chef. Be humble, learn everything there is to learn and be passionate, whether you

are cooking just for the crew or assisting

with the guests. Crew food on a boat is not like

staff food in a London restaurant, AT ALL. There is no comparison and you will be expected to create

delicious, very varied food. We would strongly

recommend that regardless of what is offered

to you during your time on your lucky-break boat, even if it’s a head chef position with

a salary 5 times more, honor your verbal agreement with the captain and do the

time you promised. Remember, that boat gave you your ticket into the industry

and karma has been known to strike

a few unsuspecting Chefs in this

industry. It is a very small industry and loyalty is often

well rewarded.

SHARONHead of Chef

Recruitment at

Bluewater

has similar advice to give. “New chefs to the industry

need to look for crew chef

and sous chef positions firstly, but we also find some smaller

yachts don’t want to pay the head

chef salaries and are happy to

take someone new to yachting. In this case I look for someone

that has good restaurant or

chalet experience. Any extra training helps – we have a

number of Galley courses

that help within our

training department]

“CREW FOOD ON A

BOAT IS NOT LIKE STAFF

FOOD IN A LONDON

RESTAURANT”

A final point to

make with yachting

being such a ‘’word of

mouth’’ industry, is that if you bite off

more than you can chew

in your first job due

to a lack of yachting

experience, word will

travel incredibly

fast between agents

and captains. Do not learn ‘’the hard way’’. Remember that

experience and

knowledge are part of

a yacht chef’s success, otherwise you will

find you’ll be limited in the future to what

jobs you are offered. because of this.

Written by Emma Rye

CULINARY SOCIAL NETWORK

www.Thechefwalk.com