Superyacht Chef Competition

—  about

Talent served on a silver platter

As part of its training center, “La Belle Classe Academy,” dedicated to professionals in luxury yachting, the Yacht Club of Monaco collaborates with Bluewater for this exceptional culinary competition. Under the watchful eye of an international jury made up of renowned chefs, 9 superyacht chefs compete using a basket of imposed ingredients. Each contestant is judged on creativity, the efficient use of ingredients, presentation, and the taste qualities of their dish. This unique culinary contest highlights the gastronomic talents of the competitors, offering a competition that celebrates the art of fine dining.

— news

Latest News

Follow all the latest news from the event and the Yacht Club de Monaco. 

— Useful Documents & Links

official notice board

Chefs de renom

Discover

Registration 2027

The official document will be published soon.

Résultats 2026

View the winners

Photos & videos

Relive the event through photos and videos.

— The competition schedule

A four-part format

Team racing pits two teams of four boats against each other: it is not the fastest team that wins, but the team with the lowest total place count. Anticipation, communication and collective strategy make all the difference.

Participants

Superyacht chefs have come together to put their expertise, creativity and talent to the test before a prestigious panel of judges.

Concept

Three 40-minute qualifying rounds during which the chefs prepare a dish using ingredients from a surprise basket.

Values

Creativity, taste, presentation and product optimisation are at the heart of the competition, with a particular focus on minimising waste.

01

Surprise hamper

Each chef is presented with a selection of set ingredients, which they must use to create a stunning dish.

02

40 minutes

 Competitors have a limited amount of time to devise, prepare and present their creation.

03

Evaluation

The judging panel assesses the chefs on the basis of flavour, creativity, presentation and the use of ingredients.

04

Finale

The best chefs come together for one final challenge as they vie for the title.

— in pictures

#superyachtchef

— edition 2026

jury

Philippe Etchebest

Chef Philippe Etchebest

Président du Jury
chef competition

Chef Philippe Joannès

Meilleur Ouvrier de France et consultant culinaire au Y.C.M.
Chef Marcel Ravin

Chef Marcel Ravin

Triplement étoilé Michelin (deux étoiles au Blue Bay et une étoile au restaurant Elsa de l’hôtel Monte-Carlo Beach)
Chef Carlo Cracco

Chef Carlo Cracco

Figure emblématique de la gastronomie transalpine
Cheffe Jeeny Maltese

Cheffe Jeeny Maltese

Animatrice engagée pour les cuisines latino-américaines
Chef Tim Mälzer

Chef Tim Mälzer

Restaurateur et animateur TV
Chef Duncan BIGGS

Chef Duncan BIGGS

Cofondateur d’Ocean Wave Monaco et chef de super-yachts
Chef Benjamin Ferrand

Chef Benjamin Ferrand

Gagnant de l’édition 2025
chef simon ganache

Chef Simon Ganache

Chef des événements du Y.C.M
Chef Frederic Ramos

Chef Frederic Ramos

Président de l’association Monaco Goût & Saveurs
— participants

chefs participants

Chef Baptiste Liquito

Chef Baptiste Liquito

M/Y Infinity Nine 35m
Aaron Thomas

Chef Aaron Thomas

MY Canvas 33m
Beatrice Cordy

Cheffe Beatrice Cordy

MY Nectar 65m
Gaia Botturi

Cheffe Gaia Botturi

MY Madame Kate 60m
Tony Triest

Chef Tony Triest

MY Barbara 88,5m
chef competition

Chef Alex Saimbene

MY Moka 50m
Chef Milan Popovic

Chef Milan Popovic

MY Smiley 35m
Chef Ilija Gojkovic

Chef Ilija Gojkovic

M/Y Emocean
Chef David Kempsey

Chef David Kempsey

SY Sagitta 46m
- Will Pitt BROOKE – MY OKTO 66.4M

Chef Will Pitt BROOKE

MY OKTO 66.4M

siebentritt chef

Chef Siebentritt CHRISTOPH

 MY SYNTHESIS 74M

chef do santos

Chef Gaetan DI SANTO

MY OCEAN ONE 36M

zds

Chef Benjamin FERRAND

MY VICTORIA DEL MAR 50M

Edouard MICHEL – MY ALFA G 60M

Chef Edouard MICHEL

MY ALFA G 60M

Sans titre-4

Chef Richard BROOM

MY ILLUSION 65M

Sans titre-5c

Chef Gino RAZZANO

MY CARINTHIA VII 97M

– MY VERTIGE 49.9M

Chef Camillo GROSSO

 MY VERTIGE 49.9M

– MY ALMAX 50M

Chef Francesco Federico BENASSI

 MY ALMAX 50M

— edition 2026

A Table

Click on the Edit Content button to edit/add the content.
che competition

2026

1er Chef Aaron Thomas 2e Chef Alex Saimbene 3e Chef Ilija Gojkovic
chef competition

2025

1er Chef Benjamin Ferrand 2e Chef Gaetan Di Santo 3e Chef Christoph Siebentritt
chef competition

2024

1er Chef Paulo Ucha Longhin 2e Cheffe Ava Faulkner 3e Chef Mateusz Mitka
chef competition

2023

1er Chef Marco Tognon 2e Chef Tommaso Santoni 3e Chef Henrique Antunes
chef competition

2022

1er Chef Nicolas Petit 2e Chef Micail Swindells 3e Chef Ivan Holmes
chef competition

2019

1er Cheffe Stéphanie Gravier 2e Chef Richard Cullen 3e Chef Bruno Chailan
chef competition

2018

1er Chef Pablo Albuerne 2e Chef Steeve Negouai 3e Chef Eric Vugliano
— Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about the event

The Superyacht Chef Competition is an international culinary contest for chefs working on superyachts, organised by Yacht Club de Monaco in partnership with Bluewater and the YCM’s La Belle Classe Academy training centre. Chefs have to create dishes from a basket of set ingredient within a time limit and are judged on their creativity, use of ingredients, presentation and taste.

The contest will be held at the Yacht Club de Monaco on Quai Louis II early in April.

The competition is open to superyacht chefs (working mainly on yachts 36m to 97m depending on the edition). They are working in the yachting sector. In 2025, nine chefs were selected to take part.

There is a qualifying phase and a finals. They are given a basket of mystery ingredients and have to prepare a dish (or a succession of dishes) within a set time (for example, 40 minutes or more depending on the phase). Time, creativity, efficiency and how they manage the ingredients all count towards reaching the finals.

The event puts a spotlight on the ‘art de vivre lifestyle at the high-end of yachting, by showcasing a profession that is at the heart of life on board combining gastronomy, innovation and the environment. It is fully in line with the YCM’s collective ‘Monaco, Capital of Advanced Yachting’ approach.

The event is covered by the specialist press. Results, photos and videos are available on the YCM’s website.

Apart from taste and creativity, great emphasis is placed on waste management, responsible use of ingredients and sustainability based on a zero-waste criterion.

For participating chefs it is an international showcase and professional recognition. For the yachting industry it’s an opportunity to promote excellence on board, recognition for the crew and to show how the art of living well and performance can go hand in hand with sustainability.