Chef / Steward
The chef/steward runs the galley and most of the interior on a small yacht. You plan menus, provision, cook three meals a day for guests and crew, then lay the table, serve, clear and turn down the cabins. Cooking comes first in this role. The interior work gets fitted around the galley, and owners and captains hire you mainly for your food.
The jobWhat fills the day
The work splits into two halves. In the galley you plan menus around the preference sheet, provision ashore, run stock and keep a clean, logged galley. Out front you do breakfast set-up, table service, drinks, cabin cleaning, laundry and turndown. On a crew of three or four you are the whole interior department. The captain and deckhand will help clear plates and strip beds, but the standard of the interior is yours to keep.
With guests aboard the days are long. Breakfast, lunch, afternoon snacks, canapés and a plated dinner for six to ten guests, plus crew food, with cabins and laundry squeezed in between. Charter yachts in the Bahamas, BVI or Croatia turn over weekly, so expect a provisioning run on every turnaround. Between charters, or on a private boat with an owner who rarely visits, the pace drops. You do deep cleans, inventory, maintenance of the galley equipment and simple crew meals.
Captains hire people who can genuinely cook. A culinary background, restaurant time or a solid run as a sole chef on a small boat counts for far more than years as a stew. Expect a trial day or a cook-off in Antibes, Palma or Fort Lauderdale. Couples are common in this role. A captain and chef/steward pairing is one of the easiest hires on a small yacht, and it often pays better than two individual contracts.
Most people move on once they want to cook full time. Two or three seasons as chef/steward give you a portfolio of charter menus and references, and that is what gets you a sole chef job on a 35m to 45m yacht. From there it goes to head chef on 50m+. Some stay in the dual role by choice. They like the variety, the small crew and the tips on a busy charter boat.
Skills captains look for
- Menu planning for preferences
- Provisioning in remote areas
- Plated and family-style service
- Cabin and laundry standards
- Galley hygiene and HACCP
- Time management under pressure
- Dietary and allergy cooking
A day aboardCharter day, 28m motor yacht, Exumas, Bahamas
Bake bread and set up the breakfast buffet on the aft deck. Coffee for the early riser in the master cabin.
Cook eggs to order, clear breakfast and put out crew food. Strip and clean the guest cabins while guests are on the swim platform.
Prep lunch: grilled grouper, salads and fresh fruit. Run a laundry load between tasks.
Serve lunch on the flybridge, clear, wash up and reset the galley.
An hour off in your cabin while guests go ashore on the tender with the deckhand.
Sunset canapés and cocktails. Start mise en place for a four-course dinner.
Plate and serve dinner with the captain helping to clear between courses.
Turndown in all cabins, close the galley, check stock and write tomorrow's shopping list for Staniel Cay.
Crew dinner from leftovers, then bed.
Pay by yacht sizeMonthly, before tips. Estimates. Bars share one scale.
Charter tips are usually 10-20% of the charter fee, shared between three or four crew, so a busy Caribbean or Mediterranean season can add several thousand dollars a month. Couples hired together often negotiate a combined package. See the Yacht Chef & Galley salary guide for figures from live adverts.
Tickets and visas
Must have
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
- Food Hygiene Level 2
Gets you hired
- MCA Ship's Cook Certificate
- Food Safety Level 3
- PDSD
- Culinary diploma or restaurant experience
- WSET Level 2
Visas
- C1/D or B1/B2 for US waters
- Schengen right to work or visa
Where it leadsA typical career path
Yacht Chef & Galley jobsOpen now on SuperyachtRoles.com
Questions crew ask
How is a chef/steward different from a steward/chef or cook/steward?
The word order tells you which skill matters most. A chef/steward is hired as the chef first and covers the interior second. A steward/chef or cook/steward is mainly interior crew who cook simpler meals, and usually earns less.
Do I need formal culinary training?
It helps a lot, but captains judge you on your food. A culinary diploma or professional kitchen experience will get you interviews. Most hires still come down to a trial day or a photo portfolio of plated dishes.
Can I get this job as a couple?
Yes. Captain and chef/steward is one of the most common couple pairings on yachts under 35m. Owners like it because it means fewer cabins, less friction and a settled crew.
Is the Ship's Cook Certificate mandatory?
Under MLC it is required on larger commercially coded yachts carrying a set number of crew, and many small boats fall below that line. It is worth getting anyway, because it opens up sole chef jobs on bigger yachts later.