Get those aprons on! Yacht Club de Monaco in partnership with Bluewater is now taking registrations for the 7th Superyacht Chef Competition that takes place Thursday 2 April 2026 at the YCM. Organised by the Club’s La Belle Classe Academy training centre, the event showcases the skills of chefs working on superyachts, who have a key role to play in high-end yachting where fine cuisine is central to life onboard. Chefs can now submit their application to take part at: https://form.jotform.com/252744344195360.
Under the supervision of Chef Philippe Joannès, Meilleur Ouvrier de France and YCM’s culinary consultant, and YCM’s head of events, Simon Ganache, with the invaluable support of de Frédéric Ramos, President of the Monaco Goût et Saveurs association, the 2026 Jury President is Philippe Etchebest, a two Michelin star chef and Meilleur Ouvrier de France. An iconic figure of French cuisine, he embodies the technical prowess, exacting standards and passion that defines this contest which highlights culinary talent and gastronomic expertise at sea.
Being a chef at sea is a demanding profession due to limited space, storage constraints and supplies that vary with each port of call, all while catering to an international clientele. There are estimated to be nearly 11.000 yachts over 24m worldwide which means several thousand chefs are working on board each year, a growing number of whom are from the world of haute cuisine.
In line with the Yacht Club de Monaco’s inimitable Art de Vivre la Mer philosophy, the competition is part of the collective ‘Monaco, Capital of Advanced Yachting’ initiative and has two primary objectives. They are to: – pay tribute to chefs at sea as ambassadors of high-end yachting, and – inspire people to take up vocations in a sector that offers a range of career opportunities including service, sommelier, bartending, stewarding and hotel management.
The Superyacht Competition takes place in real-life conditions at a brisk but well-orchestrated pace with: – a basket of mystery ingredients revealed moments before the contest; – five minutes to dream up a recipe; – ingredients that must all be used, with penalties for any wastage; – a surprise ingredient added by the spectators; – a special prize for the best presentation. It’s a short, intense, demanding format that illustrates to perfection the qualities required on board, namely flexibility, creativity, a cool head, precision, respect for ingredients, and the ability to manage logistical constraints.
Since its launch in 2015, La Belle Classe Academy has been offering courses focused on the art of quality service on board including the internationally certified IAMI Guest programme, the aim being to identify talent, encourage careers and promote gastronomy as an essential component of the experience at sea.
