The galley took center stage in Sanremo as top chefs were recognized in the superyacht chefs’ competition at the 35th MYBA Charter Show. Competition was fierce and the judges’ deliberations were not easy, event organizer and founder Sarah Sebastian says. First, second and third prizes were awarded in three size categories. The winners are:
33m and Under
First prize: Chef Cloé Caillaud of Cartouche
Second prize: Chef Giuseppina Ramunno of Montenapo
Third prize: Chef Paola Savia of 55 Fiftyfive
Special mention: Chef Noelia Gonzalez of Signature Vision
34 to 46m
First prize: Chef Joshua Urdang of Away
Second prize: Chef Milan Popovic of Okko
Third prize: Chef lgor Karádole of Dawo
Special mention: Chef Lina Massaro of Sands
47m and Over
First place: Chef Keegan Oliver of La Mirage
Second place: Chef Sebastian Amberville of Stella Maris
Third prize: Chef Beatrice Corby of Nectar
Special mention: Chef Piero Minicucci of Sirocco
Michelin-starred chefs who work in the region judged the competition. They were impressed by the chefs’ skills — and their ability to work in galleys that are much more limiting than the kitchens of Michelin-starred restaurants.
Judges include Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen, the South Africa-born chef and entrepreneur whose empire is anchored by Restaurant JAN, his Michelin-starred restaurant in Nice; Matteo Baronetto, who is preparing a new venture after leaving Del Cambio, the restaurant dating to 1757 that earned a Michelin-star under his watch; and Antonio Mellino, who now works alongside his sons at Ristorante Quattro Passi, the Amalfi Coast restaurant he opened in 1983 and which now boasts three Michelin stars.
“A million things complicate,” Antonio says of the challenges of cheffing on a yacht. “It’s a big challenge.”
Jan thinks yacht chefs deserve all the praise they get as what they do is not easy. “There’s so much work that goes into a meal on a boat,” he says, “and it gets taken for granted how much work they do.”