Specialist Cuisine Chef
Some owners eat one cuisine and expect it cooked properly every day, wherever the yacht is. A specialist cuisine chef joins the galley to do exactly that. You bring a depth in Japanese, Levantine, Persian, Cantonese, Indian or Thai cooking that a classically trained head chef cannot match. Most of these jobs sit on yachts over 70m.
The jobWhat fills the day
The job is narrow and deep. You cook the owner's food the way it is cooked at home, from breakfast through late dinner, plus whatever the family asks for at midnight. That means knowing the regional dishes, the spice blends, the breads and the pickles, and being able to source or substitute ingredients in places like Sardinia or the Maldives. You also feed the rest of the guests when asked, and you share the cleaning and stock rotation like any other chef in the galley.
With the owner aboard you are the busiest person in the galley. Menus change by the hour and the principal may come down to talk food with you. On charter, or when the owner is away, the yacht may send you on leave or put you to work on crew meals and prep. On a 70m yacht you are often one of three chefs and help across the whole service. On 100m+ you may run your own section with a commis assigned to you.
Owners hire for authenticity. A Lebanese family wants a Lebanese chef, a Hong Kong owner wants someone who trained in Cantonese kitchens. Many recruits come straight from top restaurants or private households ashore and pick up yachting afterwards. Crew agents look for a clear track record in the cuisine, references from well-known kitchens, clean health paperwork and a calm temperament. Halal or kosher knowledge, and the ability to cook clean, light versions of heavy dishes, both help.
Some chefs stay with one owner for a decade, moving between the yacht, the villa and the jet. Others use the role to learn yacht galley systems, then step up to sous chef or head chef on a yacht where their cuisine is part of a wider menu. Strong specialists who also cook European and Mediterranean food well are the ones who reach head chef fastest.
Skills captains look for
- Authentic regional cooking
- Ingredient sourcing abroad
- Halal and kosher practice
- Allergen and diet control
- Menu planning for families
- Galley hygiene standards
- Working alongside head chef
A day aboardOwner trip, 88m motor yacht, Maldives
Start the dough for manakish and soak chickpeas for the evening. Check the fish delivered by the agent's boat from Malé.
Family breakfast on the aft deck: labneh, ful medames, eggs to order and fresh bread. The chief stew radios down requests as the children wake up.
Coffee and a short rest in the crew mess while the head chef plans the beach lunch.
Prep mezze and marinate lamb for the beach barbecue. Pack cool boxes with the deck team for the tender run.
Grill on the sandbank while the stews serve. The owner asks for his mother's version of fattoush, so you adjust the dressing on the spot.
Two hours off. Most chefs sleep, call home or swim off the platform if the captain allows it.
Dinner service for 12: kibbeh, slow-cooked lamb ouzi, rice with vermicelli and a fish course from the head chef. Plate desserts with the pastry section.
Deep clean your station, log temperatures and write tomorrow's order list for the purser before the late snack call.
Pay by yacht sizeMonthly, before tips. Estimates. Bars share one scale.
Salary is usually tax-free and paid monthly. Charter tips add to take-home, but many specialist jobs sit on private yachts with few charters, so owner bonuses and rotation (often 2:2 or 3:1) matter more. See the Yacht Chef & Galley salary guide for figures from live adverts.
Tickets and visas
Must have
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical certificate
- Food Hygiene Level 2
- MCA Ship's Cook Certificate (yachts with 10+ crew)
Gets you hired
- Food Safety Level 3
- PDSD
- Allergen awareness training
- Recognised culinary diploma or apprenticeship
- Halal or kosher supervision experience
Visas
- Schengen visa (non-EU nationals)
- US C1/D crew visa
- US B1/B2 visa
Where it leadsA typical career path
Yacht Chef & Galley jobsOpen now on SuperyachtRoles.com
Questions crew ask
Do I need yacht experience to get hired?
Often you don't. Owners care most about your cooking in the cuisine they want, so strong restaurant or private household chefs are hired without time at sea. You still need STCW, an ENG1 and food hygiene certificates before you join.
Which cuisines are most in demand?
Levantine and Gulf Arabic, Persian, Japanese, Cantonese, Indian and Russian cooking come up most, reflecting who owns the large yachts. Thai, Italian regional and plant-based specialists also get hired, usually through a direct owner request.
What happens when the owner is not aboard?
It depends on the yacht. Some send you home on paid leave or a rotation, while others keep you aboard cooking crew meals, helping with charter guests or testing new dishes. Ask about this at interview, because it changes the job a lot.
Will I be cooking only one cuisine?
Mostly, but rarely only that. Guests may want European food, and the galley expects you to help with crew meals and general prep. Chefs who handle both get more offers and move up faster.