Yacht chef jobs on any luxury yacht are important and challenging. It is the responsibility of the dedicated yacht chef to deliver excellent dining experiences from morning to night. The chef onboard any luxury yacht plays an integral role in the daily running of the boat.

The Role of a Yacht Chef

Yacht chef jobs on any luxury yacht are important and challenging. It is the responsibility of the dedicated yacht chef to deliver excellent dining experiences from morning to night. The chef onboard any luxury yacht plays an integral role in the daily running of the boat.

Most yacht chefs will work alone in the galley, although larger luxury yachts will also accommodate a sous chef. When working alone, it is the responsibility of the executive yacht chef to provide the crew with appetising meals to sustain them through a long day of working on the yacht, where usually the meals are simple, nutritious and in a home-cooking style. If a sous chef is onboard, it is generally his or her responsibility to prepare meals for the crew.

The real challenge for any yacht chef is the creation of a spectacular guest menu. With yacht owners and charter clients accustomed to dining in some of the finest restaurants in the world, expectations are high. Onboard charter yachts, chefs will often tailor each menu to suit the requirements of the charter clients, while on board private yachts, chefs will work with the owner to create a menu of creative culinary delights to impress every day.

Yacht Chef Resume

Those asking themselves how to become a chef on a yacht should know that most yacht chefs have substantial experience working in the Horeca industry before joining the yachting business, although it is possible for crew members to develop their career on yachts by undertaking the required training. Yachting recruitment agencies and industry experts often recommend to begin a yachting career as a crew chef. After a couple of cruising seasons working with an experienced executive chef, sous chefs are well equipped to take charge of the galley as they progress through their yacht career.

A yacht chef resume needs to demonstrate that the applicant has all the necessary qualifications before he or she can join a luxury yacht. In addition, training courses approved by the relevant authorities are required. These cover practical cookery, food and personal hygiene, food storage, stock control, and environmental protection and catering health and safety.

To excel as a yacht chef, applicants need to have talent, imagination and a flexible, proactive attitude. An extensive repertoire of international cuisine is essential. When working as a yacht chef, challenges will arise that are rarely encountered on land, and people taking on the role need to be able to respond to any problem by working well under pressure.

Yacht chefs must be extremely organised, manage the yacht's food budget and deal with the galley accounts.

How Much Does a Chef on a Yacht Earn?

One question that people enquiring about how to become a chef on a yacht inevitably ask is how much they can expect to earn. The majority of chefs are permanent staff on board luxury yachts. According to YPI CREW's yacht chef survey, only 15% of head chefs and 29% of sous chefs are on rotation.

Salaries vary according to a number of factors, including the size of the yacht, whether the yacht is a private yacht or charter yacht, and the experience of the yacht chef. Head chefs' salaries usually range from €3,500 to €10,000 per month. The pay scale for sous chefs varies from €3,000 to €6,000 per month. YPI CREW's yacht chef survey shows that yachts in the 81 to 100-metre range offer the highest average monthly wages in private, rotation and charter yacht chef jobs.