How to manage an easy going family run yacht or a busy charter vessel.
Welcome to your ultimate dream and worst nightmare!
Everyone always says how lucky a chef is to go off and get provisions, check the local markets and get the chance to "wander about". Well yes we are lucky in that sense, guaranteed those people have never been a yacht chef and don't know how stressful it can be.
Pictured ~ 37m S/Y Bliss Dry Storage, Incredibly large for a yacht this size.
Usually provisioning is done either leading up to a charter, during a charter or if things are requested, forgotten or unavailable. So you want to head to the fresh food market where everyone has their cute little stalls and you want to buy tomatoes from one guy, herbs from another and so on but, challenges can arise. They may not have a card machine or receipts, then you're trying to keep track of the money. Then your're thinking about how much you need to provision for 12 guests usually and all your crew, possibly for 10 days or more. So you see how challenging that is! We haven't even considered lugging everything around at the market, usually by yourself or you might have a sous chef to help out if you're lucky.
Pictured ~ S/Y Bliss. Is was unheard of the have a walkin cool room especially of this size. I was very lucky!
Ok sure you can organise and tee up one market operator/fruit and veg supplier to possibly get you everything. I've done this in the past. The yacht is generally jumping country to country almost daily in the peak of a summer season so then there's your next problem finding another person at each little market to help you out and that's if things don't get lost in translation. So then your next bet would be to head off to the supermarkets where everything is one place, you can park nice and close, you'll have a trolley and they will accept card as a form of transaction. As you can imagine if you are sole chef or even guest chef the rush is on to get out there early, but not too early before things open, battle the european supermarche ladies who throw the groceries at you faster than the speed of light because they don't have to bag it themselves! Then rush back to the boat without getting a speeding ticket before you either have to cook morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea or dinner!
And...don't lose that receipt in the process of all of that! You will be in a world of trouble with the Captain, trust me I know!
When you've been in the industry this long and worked on vessels from 50ft all the way up to 200ft you've basically done every type of provisioning there is.
To be completely honest with you, I wish I could go to the markets every morning and get what I needed fresh every day. It's usually just not viable. Imagine a restaurant chef doing that. You wouldn't get anything else done. You still have your accounts to keep on top of, cooking for guests and crew, general cleaning, deep cleaning, menu testing, recipe development and the list goes on.
So after all this what can I recommend..?
The best most viable option in my opinion in the peak of summer as an extremely busy charter or private yacht would be using a provisioner. There's no way around it. They will be out there searching for those unique hard to find products which would be taking away from you being able to look after the guests to your best ability. It's the only yachting is able to operate at this standard.
Pictured ~ M/Y Arience walk in coolroom stocked up before a 2 week charter.
Now! In the winter or in between season's when you may have more time, sure there's no reason not to head out amongst it and get as much stuff yourself or at least find a local fruit and vegetable supplier to deliver once a week. I find that that can be the most helpful and they won't charge you 20% like a provisioner may. Then you could grab your dry goods from wholesalers or supermarkets.
A little about provisioners.
Yes they charge an arm and a leg (usually 20%, no delivery fee) but they pay for themselves in quality of produce, time management and flexibility. They can definitely save you in a time of need and take the stress off the already hectic life of a Yacht Chef.
Work smart chefs!
List of Provisioners
USA/Caribbean
Tommy from Shoreside Support
Tommy is your man stateside. Getting his seafood fresh in from the New York Fulton Fish Market, working with farms like Harpke to get some incredible and unique products. Not to mention his petrossian caviar connections and being able to get it to you within 24 hours anywhere in the world!
Pictured ~ Tommy and myself hosting a Petrossian caviar tasting onboard M/Y Arience
Is also another option. I haven't had any experience with these guys but I heard logistically the are pretty good throughout this side of the world.
Europe
Tommy from Shoreside Support delivers all throughout Europe.
Tommy will go above and beyond getting you exactly what you want. With his reaches and networking in Europe, Americas, Caribbean, Asia and beyond.
Paul from Sabor who is based in Barcelona but will deliver throughout Europe.
Incredible mix of Spanish and Irish provisions as Paul is originally from Ireland and former yacht chef. So he's your man for unique products in and around Spain.
Dennis from Elicious based in Malta or Nice but delivers throughout Europe.
Think ultra ultra rare products. Generally Japanese. Dennis travels looking for the best of the best and he certainly finds it. If you have the budget for it, then Dennis is your man.
Eli from Maison Del Gusto based in Monaco but can also deliver throughout the Med.
These guys had a really family but professional vibe to them. I visited their office in Monaco and they certainly surprised me in the variety of unique items they could get their hands on. Always searching to keep ahead of the game.
Gourmet Deliveries Based in France but will deliver all over Europe.
Think... anything and everything. Anywhere!
Yes that comes at a cost but if you are moving around the med constantly these are your guys. They are on a slightly larger scale but not as personal as the provisioners I mentioned above.
A1 yachting great for yachts cruising Croatia and Greece
I found these guys super helpful getting things to me in almost any area up the coast of Croatia. Things aren't as readily available here, so give them time to import specific items.
Australia
Just a disclaimer. I never actually used provisioners the time I cruised in Australia so I can't recommend any personally, but I will give a list of reputable suppliers below.
GBR Supplies based in Cairns.
Australian Super Yacht Services supplying Cairns, Brisbane and Sydney.
Bidfood Although not a provisioner as such but you can set an account with them and get almost everything a restaurant can. Also service most of Australia.
Global Food and Wine Also not a provisioner but the service most of Queensland.
Coles Online One of Australia's biggest supermarkets where you can order everything online to be delivered which can also be handy.
New Zealand
The Produce Company not only supplies locally but will ship all around the South Pacific if you decide to not feed your guests banana's, papaya and root vegetables.
Fiji
Five Star Foods Fiji based in Fiji and able to look after you throughout the 330 islands you're able to cruise. But it's best to stock up in Nadi before departing.
Farm Boy can supply you with all local fruit and vegetables. Great family run business!
Flavios great for all hard to find italian imports including cheese, meats, oils, olives and seafood.
New World IGA is probably the best supermarket for variety and this is where all the yacht crew will come to shop on all those general items.
Asia
The only guys I used all over South East Asia including Indonesia and Thailand were Asia Pacific Superyachts. Great service and easy communication.