The curtain has fallen on the 6th Superyacht Chef Competition. Organised by Yacht Club de Monaco’s La Belle Classe Academy training centre and Bluewater, this year’s high-stakes culinary contest was won by Benjamin Ferrand (M/Y Victoria Del Mar – 50m). Nine chefs working on superyachts ranging from 36m to 97m lined up on the quay to showcase their talents to a jury of experts and a captivated audience. Under strict time and space constraints, and a basket of mystery ingredients to work with, contestants skilfully created one dish after another, juggling metronomic timings, refined textures and pin-precise seasonings.
“We are at the heart of what the collective ‘Monaco, Capital of Advanced Yachting’ approach is all about,” said YCM General Secretary Bernard d’Alessandri. “This event pays tribute to excellence as shown by these professionals while revealing for the public a vital behind-the-scenes job in yachting”.
Meticulously organised
Under the supervision of chef Joël Garault, President of the Monaco Goût et Saveurs association, accompanied by Chef Philippe Joannès, Meilleur Ouvrier de France and F&B Director at YCM, and Simon Ganache, head chef of YCM events, the contest went off without a hitch. Guillaume Gomez, France’s Ambassador of Gastronomy was this year’s patron: “This contest is a very clever idea as it highlights specific skills and we hope it will inspire others to enter the profession. A chef on a yacht is a chef like no other,” says the man who has served four presidents at the Elysée Palace.
A culinary duel with one winner
The nine superyacht chefs were competing in pop-up kitchens set up on the quay. Among them was Francesco Federico Benassi, chef on the 50Steel Almax (50m, Sanlorenzo) from the prestigious Italian Sanlorenzo shipyard, vying with his equally creative rivals: Edouard Michel (M/Y Alfa G – 60m), William Richard Pitt-Brooke (M/Y Okto – 66m), Camillo Grosso (M/Y Vertige – 49.9m), Gaëtan Di Santo (M/Y Ocean One – 36m), Christoph Siebentritt (M/Y Synthesis – 70m), Richard Broom (M/Y Illusion – 65m), Gino Razzano (M/Y Carinthia VII – 97m) and Benjamin Ferrand (M/Y Victoria Del Mar – 50m).
At the end of qualifying rounds and having shown remarkable ingenuity in their bid to seduce the Jury’s demanding tastebuds, Benjamin Ferrand (M/Y Victoria Del Mar – 50m), Christoph Siebentritt (M/Y Synthesis – 70m) and Gaëtan Di Santo (M/Y Ocean One – 36m) made it through to the grand finale. The winner was a delighted Benjamin Ferrand (M/Y Victoria Del Mar – 50m) cheered on by his fellow crew members. “I tried to make it super-gourmet, playing with textures with an emulsion, a very tasty sauce from a crab reduction. For dessert, I made a light tiramisu with espuma, a crunchy crumble and Suzette sauce. With chocolate, cocoa and a touch of Kaffir lime, I think the theme was well chosen,” explained the chef. It proved a symphony of boldly orchestrated flavours, served by students from the Lycée Hôtelier de Monaco, there to find out more about the Yachting universe which sometimes seems to be inaccessible to them.
An outstanding jury
Chaired by Jean-François Girardin, Meilleur Ouvrier de France 1993, former chef at the Ritz and President of the Société Nationale des MOF, a star-studded jury brought together a variety of talents with different influences:
- Mark Reynolds (UK), President of the Craft Guild of Chefs (renowned British organisation for professional chefs), he has 30 years’ experience, mainly in the football world, as Executive Chef of hospitality at Wembley Stadium and then at the Arsenal Gunners, before joining Tottenham.
- Dimitri Droisneau (FRA), with three Michelin stars thanks to his Mediterranean La Villa Madie restaurant at Cassis.
- Wendy Van Den Schrick (FRA), Moët Hennessy Ambassador.
- Duncan Biggs (UK), an experienced superyacht chef and co-founder of Ocean Wave Monaco who is passionate about reducing food waste and promoting reasonable energy consumption.
- Paulo Ucha Longhin (BRA) (M/Y Hercules – 50m), winner of the 2024 edition who favours local produce and sustainability.
“With the jury, we appreciated, enjoyed and sought to understand the candidates’ intentions. We assessed every detail to be as fair as possible with our scoring,” explained the Jury President.
Responsible cuisine highlighting sustainability and creativity
The chefs had just five minutes from discovering the mystery ingredients to conjure up their recipes, 40 minutes to produce their dish in the first phase, then 60 minutes to create a dish and a warm dessert for the final. Every ingredient was assessed for sustainability. And with food waste being a key criterium, contestants had to be inventive every step of the way. The public were invited to add a surprise ingredient, making every dish unique. It was this delicious blend of ingenuity, talent and audience interaction that always transforms this event into a wonderful spectacle.
La Belle Classe Academy a showcase for excellence
Since 2015, La Belle Classe Academy has become a key yachting player offering a range of programmes for owners, captains and professionals. The adventure continues for YCM’s training centre with the immersive YCM Summer Yachting Camp (7-11 July and 14-18 July) for 16-22-year-olds to discover the yachting world, combining theory and practical skills.
