At the Monaco Yacht Club, nine chefs from superyachts participated in an intense culinary contest, showcasing their abilities in front of a prestigious jury. The sixth edition of The Superyacht Chef Competition organized by Bluewater in partnership with the Yacht Club de Monaco and La Belle Classe Academy took place on April 3. Chef Benjamin Ferrand of M/Y Victoria del Mar won with a dish of orzo risotto with a blue crab disc, parmesan emulsion, and lionfish lacquered with kale, pepper and saffron.
"The Superyacht Chef Competition is not just a celebration of culinary talent; it's a testament to the skill, creativity, and dedication required to deliver world-class meals in the most challenging of environments," says Peter Bennett, director and co-founder of Bluewater. “Every year, this competition expands, and with it, the honors bestowed upon the winners.”
The chefs had forty minutes to examine the mystery ingredient boxes, add more items, prepare a dish that would impress the jury and plate it before the timer went off. In order to keep things interesting, the audience also voted to include a secret ingredient. Three finalists were selected after three 40-minute rounds.
Nine participants were whittled down to three finalists. The final round was hotly contested between Chef Benjamin, Chef Gaetan di Santo of M/Y Ocean One and Chef Christoph Siebentritt of M/Y Synthesis. For his win, Chef Benjamin was given a crystal trophy presented by Sabrina Monte-Carlo.
"It was an amazing day,” he says. “The competition was a very high standard, but I was confident, and it was great to meet other chefs.”
Other chefs taking part included Will Pitt Brooke of M/Y Okto, Edouard Michel of M/Y Alfa G, Richard Broom of M/Y Illusion, Gino Razzano of M/Y Carinthia VII, Camillo Grosso of M/Y Vertige and Francesco Benassi of M/Y Almax.