From Banned Sardinian Cheeses To Presidential Charters

Requests can also be unusual. The French chef once worked for an owner who became obsessed with casu marzu, a Sardinian cheese that contains live larvae and is banned from sale in many parts of Europe.

“The owner loved this cheese, so we had to keep kilograms of it on board,” he says. “Every time a guest visited, a new wheel had to be opened, and if you were at the table with the owner, you had to try it. It’s a very strong, acquired taste.”

But the job is as rewarding as it is challenging, says Michel, allowing him unparalleled access to high-profile figures including Celine Dion, American singer-songwriter Patti Smith and former U.K. prime minister Tony Blair.

On one occasion in the Dominican Republic, then-U.S. president George W. Bush wandered into his galley. “He asked me for a bottle of water,” Michel recalls, smiling. “So I called the chief stewardess on the intercom to bring one.”

The stewardess replied that she was too busy. “She said, ‘Sorry, I don’t have time; I have a president on board.’

“Then Mr. Bush looked at me and said, ‘I didn’t know we had another president here!’" Michel laughs. “That’s one of my favorite stories.”

Caviar, Sea Snail And One Guest’s Chicken Nugget Obsession

For superyacht chefs, one of the attractions of the industry is its unparalleled access to coveted ingredients.

Chef Monserrat Vázquez Utrera, who leads the galley on board Fraser Yachts’s 63-meter Apogee, said the job offers the chance to experiment with products rarely used in standard restaurant kitchens.

“You work with white truffle, caviar and very high-quality seafood,” she says. “Especially in the Caribbean, which has incredible conch—that’s sea snail—and lobster.”

One of the most popular dishes on board Apogee, Monserrat tells me, is handmade ravioli filled with ricotta, caramelized onion and egg yolk, finished with caviar.

“It’s very delicate; it has to cook in less than two minutes,” she explains. “That way, the pasta softens but the yolk inside stays liquid.”

Menus on board the $360,000-per-week charter yacht are highly customizable, with chefs having to adapt to a wide range of dietary preferences.

“We might have one guest allergic to shellfish, three who are gluten-free and children who want simple food,” Monserrat says. “Another person might just have very, uh, particular tastes.”

She’s alluding to a specific guest, who became unexpectedly fond of chicken nuggets topped with cream cheese and caviar during their holiday.

“They were ordering 20 pieces each time,” she says. “At one point we ran out and I had to make nuggets from scratch!”

The combination of highly discerning clients and personalized, multi-day service makes working on yachts more stressful than restaurants, Monserrat tells me. The galley is one of a superyacht’s most closely watched departments, with the success of a week-long charter—and the tips given to crew—often reliant on her work.

“Everyone notices the food,” she explains. “Breakfast, lunch and dinner—guests judge it every day."

Everyone Loves Pizza (No Matter Their Net Worth)

The 47-meter Arados, a Sunseeker charter yacht managed by Camper & Nicholsons at €235,000 per week, positions its dining experience as an extension of The Bastion Collection’s hospitality group.

Chef Franck Loeuillot, now in his fourth year on board Arados, has trained under chef Olivier Jean for the past five. The executive chef of Geneva’s only two-Michelin-star restaurant, L’Atelier Robuchon, Olivier supervises Arados’s menus—featuring everything from Black Forest gâteaux to a “light and powerful” white fish dish, drizzled in lemongrass oil.

Franck, who executes these dishes and more on board, tells me the biggest difference between land-based kitchens and yachts lies in sourcing ingredients.

“On land, it’s easy to receive deliveries or go and find exactly what you need,” he explains. “On a yacht, everything depends on the port, the anchorage and the country you’re in.”

Superyachts train chefs to be agile, Franck says, which is an asset in a high-pressure environment. He gives me the example of a guest request that erred on the “personal side.”

During one charter with an Indian family, Franck was asked to prepare regional staples such as pav bhaji, aloo matar and paratha using the guests’ own family recipes, along with spices they had brought on board.

“I had to respect the authenticity of each recipe while applying the precision of a Michelin-trained chef,” he says. Franck was also surprised by the guest’s mother joining him in the galley—an experience he tells me was “truly rewarding.”

Despite the rigorous standards, Franck says most requests are reasonable. “The only real challenge is when a specific ingredient isn’t available,” he explains. “Otherwise, almost anything can be done.”

Even familiar dishes require precision. French classics such as bouillabaisse and crème brûlée are frequent requests, alongside simpler staples like pizza. “It’s quite funny because pizza is such a simple dish,” he says. “But guests always love it.”

Ultimately, the pressure lies in consistency. “The most challenging part is making sure the guests are completely satisfied,” he says. “They are on holiday, and food is a very important part of their stay.”

So, What Is It About Yachting?

Most chefs start on land—but few ever seriously consider leaving yachting.

Michel says this is because superyachts offer a level of creative freedom that is difficult to find in traditional restaurants.

“I prefer to build around the ingredients, rather than off a menu,” he says. “I start with an eggplant, think about how to cook it and what flavors go with it, and a dish is created. That kind of imagination is rewarded on board.”

For Franck, the level of training provided is his “greatest pleasure,” with his time on Arados familiarizing him with the dishes of multi-award-winning chef Joël Robuchon.

“I go to Geneva every winter to learn new recipes under Chef Olivier, but Robuchon’s signatures remain something very special to me,” he explains. “A perfect example is the Le Caviar Imperial—a caviar, Alaskan king crab and blue lobster jelly appetizer often served to guests.”

Monserrat tells me that besides the ultra-rare ingredients, the best part of working on board superyachts—and this would be my vote, too—is the travel.

“You see these incredible places most people never experience,” she enthuses, listing the balmy Simpson Bay in Saint Maarten as a particular highlight. “I mean, how lucky are we?”