First-class cuisine and the planet’s finest wines are expected aboard superyachts – but how can superyachts access the world’s elusive elite chefs?Gladstone Park Chefs of London have the key and are now advertising the services of their Michelin Star ‘chefs-for-hire’ via leading super yacht search engine, Yachtingpages.com.
John Bowman-Baker is Gladstone Park Chefs’ managing director. He says, “Superyachts present unique opportunities for talented chefs. We at Gladstone are uniquely positioned to place our Michelin Star chefs and sous-chefs aboard them.
“Why? Due to our position in London’s top-end restaurant trade, we have developed unparalleled access to chefs working at hotels and restaurants with anything from 2 AA Rosettes up to several Michelin Stars.”
John continued, “We are not specialist crew recruiters, and do not advertise ourselves thus. But we are most definitely specialist chef recruiters. Ultimately, it’s easier for a Michelin Star chef to adapt to life aboard than it is for a galley cook to acquire a Michelin star!”
Kerry O’Neill is marketing executive with Yachting Pages. She said, “John contacted us when a fourth superyacht in as many weeks contacted him concerning the fantastic, highly qualified chefs on his books. He spotted a niche, and jumped right in.”
John added, “My business partner, Roderick Henderson, set up the first chef desk at Berkeley Scott – the hotels, hospitality and recruitment specialists. Between us we have decades of experience in our field and remain passionate about what we do, our chefs, and their food.
“We’ve both worked with many high-profile executive chefs, which brings many interesting individuals our way. We then help these talented chefs create gourmet dining experiences for superyacht owners and charter guests around the world…and I think that Yachtingpages.com is going to help us do this on an international stage. I just hope we can satisfy market growth.”
John commented, “The standard of CVs we’re seeing for yacht placements is astounding. It’s like nothing we’ve ever seen before. Most were referred by other Michelin-starred chefs, who know that their sous-chef, or fellow Michelin Star head chefs are looking to move on. We know for sure that other agencies used by these yachts are failing to find the right calibre of applicants.”
According to Berkeley Scott’s 2013 salary survey, a head chef in a London restaurant can expect to earn up to GBP £50,000pa. While declining to comment on the earning potential for Michelin Star chefs aboard superyachts, John intimated that the rewards were “more than satisfactory”.
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