Superyacht Chef Competition

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.

INFORMATIONS

  • Renowned chef Clic here
  • Registration Clic here
  • Winners Ranking

competition

Participants

The participants are superyacht chefs who compete in creativity and culinary talent to impress a prestigious jury.

Concept

The participatants in three qualifying rounds, each lasting 40 minutes, where they prepare a main dish using a surprise basket of ingredients and a well-stocked pantry. Their performance is evaluated based on originality, presentation, taste, and creativity. The top performers then advance to the final to compete for the title.

jury 2026

CHEF 2

Chef Philippe Etchebest

Jury President
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Chef Philippe Joannès

Meilleur Ouvrier de France and culinary consultant at YCM
Chef Marcel Ravin

Chef Marcel Ravin

Three-Michelin-Starred Chef (two stars at Blue Bay and one star at the Elsa Restaurant at Monte-Carlo Beach Hotel).
Chef Carlo Cracco

Chef Carlo Cracco

An iconic figure of transalpine gastronomy
Cheffe Jeeny Maltese

Cheffe Jeeny Maltese

A committed promoter of Latin American cuisines
Chef Tim Mälzer

Chef Tim Mälzer

Restaurateur and TV host
Chef Duncan BIGGS

Chef Duncan BIGGS

Co-founder of Ocean Wave Monaco and superyacht chef
Chef Benjamin Ferrand

Chef Benjamin Ferrand

Winner 2025
chef simon ganache

Chef Simon Ganache

Event Chef at YCM
Chef Frederic Ramos

Chef Frederic Ramos

President of the Monaco Goût & Saveurs Association

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
SCC Portraits chefs 20266 e1774877735637

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

[ INFORMATION A VENIR ]

- 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 20250226 140700

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

A Table

joannes

Philippe Joannès

Meilleur Ouvrier de France and culinary consultant at YCM
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Yannick Alléno

A two-time holder of three Michelin stars. Regarded as one of the world’s greatest chefs, he champions a robust French cuisine steeped in its heritage. He is also internationally renowned for his mastery of Modern Cuisine, a culinary movement he pioneered in 2013.
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Joël Garault

Former Michelin-starred chef and president of Goûts et Saveurs, supervisor of several editions of the competition
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Cristina Bowerman

A specialist in traditional Italian cuisine, influenced by his extensive international experience.
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Benoît Nicolas

Awarded the title of “Meilleur Ouvrier de France” in 2015 in the “gourmet cuisine” category and a lecturer at the Ferrandi School of Gastronomy in Paris.
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Jacques Maximin

Legendary Michelin-starred chef, a judge in previous editions
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Mauro Colagreco

(Three Michelin stars) – Head chef at Mirazur, has served as a judge in several editions
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Marcel Ravin

(One Michelin star) – Head chef at the Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort, has served on the judging panel in previous years
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Christian Garcia

Personal chef to Prince Albert II, regular member of the jury
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Glenn Viel

A three-Michelin-starred chef, this enthusiast for local produce blends his Breton roots with Provençal culinary traditions and has made a name for himself through his eco-friendly cuisine.
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Nicolas Sale

Head chef at two Michelin-starred fine-dining restaurants and International President of the Disciples of Auguste Escoffier.
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Stéphane Raimbault

A chef with two Michelin stars by the age of 24
Patrick Raingeard Chef du Cap Estel e1727964797200 550x390 1

Patrick Raingeard

Michelin-starred chef Patrick Raingeard, who heads up Cap Estel in Eze.
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2025

1er Chef Benjamin Ferrand 2e Chef Gaetan Di Santo 3e Chef Christoph Siebentritt
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2024

1er Chef Paulo Ucha Longhin 2e Cheffe Ava Faulkner 3e Chef Mateusz Mitka
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2023

1er Chef Marco Tognon 2e Chef Tommaso Santoni 3e Chef Henrique Antunes
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2022

1er Chef Nicolas Petit 2e Chef Micail Swindells 3e Chef Ivan Holmes
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2019

1er Cheffe Stéphanie Gravier 2e Chef Richard Cullen 3e Chef Bruno Chailan
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2018

1er Chef Pablo Albuerne 2e Chef Steeve Negouai 3e Chef Eric Vugliano
  • #SUPERYACHTCHEFCOMPETITION

Frequently asked questions

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.

Contact

La Belle Classe Academy

Email

academy@ycm.org

Telephone

+377 93 10 70 08