Argentinian Superyacht Chef Gustavo Milossi

Argentinian superyacht Chef Gustavo Milossi has been a friend of The Superyacht Chef for some time now. His plates caught our attention early on and he was one of the first yacht chefs we approached to do an interview for us.

Gus was a little hesitant due to his English language, and we wish we were able to showcase his words in his native Spanish. We feel a lot of great insight may have been lost in translation.

Yachting is an industry with so many different nationalities, and we didn’t want Gustavo Milossi to lose his voice. For this reason, we have not edited his grammar too much. We hope the Argentinan accent in his writing shows a better sense of charm then if we edited it to perfect English.

However, he worked so hard on this English version, enlisting his brother to help translate. We appreciate that so much, and it shows the tenacity Gus has as a person and as a chef.

We hope you share his story with all green yacht chefs coming into the industry. His words of insight will be of great help to greenies coming in and feeling hopeless.

We loved hearing how he overcome so many obstacles to get to where he is in the industry today. We are proud to be showcasing such an exceptional chef and wish Gustavo Milossi all the best in his future endeavours.

To the green crew struggling out there, do not give up!

Can you tell us more about how you became a superyacht chef?

It was kind of a coincidence, because I was living and cooking in St Marteen for a long time. There I met a lot of crew members who encouraged me to apply for superyacht chef.

What did you do before and what inspired you?

I was working as a chef at Mooi, a restaurant in St. Maarten for 3 seasons. In that time I saw yachts that I have never seen before. While I was there I met some people working as crew members that came to the restaurant where I was working…

Eventually, I got to know them, and they told me I should try to work on superyachts. They told me about the benefits of travelling and arriving every time to different ports where I would meet people from diverse nationalities. Also about earning more money while I was still abroad exploring new places.I knew that surely I wouldn’t be able to make that in any other kinds of job.

I’ve been working in the yacht industry for 7 years now and it wasn’t easy to get in at all. It took me like 7 months to earn the job as a chef in a yacht.

Tell us how you landed your first job as a yacht chef

Before my first yacht chef job, I worked as a dayworker cleaning and polishing the exterior of the yachts. I even got to clean a mast of a sailing yacht of 35 meters!

I did that work because I was living in Miami with very little money, paying almost $200 dollars per week on rent at a crew house.

I remember I contacted a captain that used to go to the restaurant I worked at in St. Marteen. I wanted to ask if he needed a chef for his yacht. But he told me he already had one and instead he could offer a job dayworking.

This gave me a chance to clean his boat that was in a shipyard in Fort Lauderdale. But I was living in Miami Beach.

I was not living aboard the yacht while day working, so I had to travel for 10 days from Miami Beach to Fort Lauderdale. In order to get to work, I had to take 2 buses and a train. It was very difficult because I had to wake up very early and come home super late.

That same week, the daily boat chef resigned! So the captain wanted to test me as a chef and proposed me to start at St Marten season.

I could not be any happier because I had my first chance to travel and having the job of a real yacht chef

Gustavo Milossi creates colourful dishes

How did your first yacht chef job go?

The first trip was from Miami to St Maarten and it was about 5 days of navigation with no owners aboard. I had a very bad time, I vomited and I was sick the first 3 days of 5!

But I had the responsibility to feed the crew so even though I felt bad, I had to prepare the meals!

At that time as I had no experience, nobody told me that I could make certain preparations in advance and like having frozen food ready to serve!

I remember my first trip perfectly because the captain told me

“I choose the crew, but if the owner does not like your food, there´s nothing I can do, I’ll have to look for another Chef “

and that for me was an extra pressure

Of which I already had …Because clearly I did not have experience on yachts and this was my first experience and I did not want to waste it.

What happened when the owners came on board for the first time?

My first experience with the owners was really easy because the navigation was only 45 minutes long. I felt a bit dizzy but I could recover.

The trip was from St Maarten to St Bart’s and the captain already told me what the owner liked best. He liked fresh Mahi-Mahi very much!

So the same day that the owner arrived with 5 guests. I went around 6 am to the local fish market and I bought the freshest Mahi-Mahi that I could get.

I prepared Mahi-Mahi Ceviche for lunch. It was a success, he liked it so much that he even sent for me and the boss congratulated me on the table in front of the guests.

That for me was a surprise and even that congratulation motivated me to keep going for the remaining days of travel and to continue preparing my other dishes.

What would you say that is the most exciting thing about being a chef in the super yachting industry?

The most exciting thing about doing this job is to be able to do what I like, that’s the key.

What I like most, it’s also the possibility to go to different markets every day and even sometimes different countries in the same day. I get to see amazing sunsets, buy and work with fresh products from high-quality markets.

I have made friends from different countries and dined in restaurants that you see only in magazines and obviously live and feel what we call the #yachtlife.

Do you have any advice for chefs who want to enter the yacht industry?

The best advice I think I can give them is that they be persistent in their work. Be professional.

I think they should open their minds, as that is going to make the difference between us or some other colleague who is competing for a job on the bridge.

Another point in favour that I recommend you, it is to give the best of your profession.

It is important that everyone eats well and generates a good enviroment through the meal.

Crew must be well fed with a balanced meal. As already they work very hard on the outside of the boat and lunchtime is something that they are looking forward to and enjoying in a group and relax before going back to work.

Also, remember that this industry has good contacts and the crew are good contacts too. If the crew have a good memory of our food and attitude, they will recommend us in their next job when they look for a chef.

Remember that I worked abroad before having my first yacht chef position. It is important for me, from my experience that you know that it is NOT easy to enter the industry, but also that it is NOT impossible!

What has been the biggest challenge working on a yacht?

First of all, the movements of the boat even when it is anchored, has been the biggest challenge for me. Also, I had to be more organized with the groceries because there is not enough space in the coolers.

I have to shop more often. Sometimes going out to shop and coming back with the stuff and put it away takes time. And time in the kitchen is gold.

Another huge difference, and here is an example: In a restaurant, you know that at the end of the day you are going back home. Walking or by taking a bus, to see your family and friends but on a yacht you have to deal with the same people everyday. That is something bad that this industry has, you have to learn to coexist, that is fundamental.

What is your favourite restaurant?

My favourite restaurant without a doubt is 3 Michelin star Mirazur, from Argentinian Chef Mauro Colagreco, I dream of going to have dinner there and obviously working with him

What’s your go-to galley snack?

I’d make myself a super crunchy baguette with butter, serrano ham, cheese, basil and extra virgin olive oil.

What does a normal day look like for you on board?

Wherever I am, I leave early to check out new markets and eat street food with my camera on hand. I love to take photos -it’s my hobby. I like to take buses and get to know the locals.

A regular day for me starts very early, like 6 am going to get fresh bread and see a local market. I like to find superyacht quality ingredients to make the best food for the guests.

Then I go back to the ship and make breakfast for the crew. This is usually a big sandwich with eggs, bacon, cheeses and fresh fruit.