I asked AI to create yacht chef menus and this is what happened

With all of the recent buzz around Ai and how it can improve our lives, I wanted to see just what would happen if I asked Ai to create menus. Not just any menus, I wanted menus for yacht chefs. Could AI create a viable menu for a budding crew chef on a superyacht? or more to the point, can it create a menu ready for guests?

Let’s see.

The Crew Chef Nina Wilson
Will AI be able to create a better menu than The Crew Chef Nina Wilson?? We don’t think so, but let’s find out

I first asked AI to create a menu for 20 people (I assumed the role of a crew chef for this) and this is what we got:

Here is a sample 7-day menu for a buffet with international dishes for 20 people:

Day 1:

  • Italian: Chicken Parmesan with spaghetti and marinara sauce
  • American: BBQ ribs with coleslaw and baked beans
  • Mexican: Chicken and beef fajitas with peppers and onions
  • Asian: Fried rice with shrimp and vegetables

Day 2:

  • Italian: Shrimp scampi with linguine and garlic bread
  • American: Grilled burgers with fries and onion rings
  • Mexican: Beef enchiladas with Spanish rice and beans
  • Asian: Sesame chicken with stir-fried vegetables

Day 3:

  • Italian: Meatballs with spaghetti and marinara sauce
  • American: Fried chicken with macaroni and cheese and collard greens
  • Mexican: Tacos with beef, chicken, and pork
  • Asian: Pork dumplings with vegetable stir-fry

Day 4:

  • Italian: Pesto pasta with sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts
  • American: Roast beef with mashed potatoes and gravy
  • Mexican: Chicken quesadillas with guacamole and salsa
  • Asian: Beef and broccoli with fried rice

Day 5:

  • Italian: Vegetable lasagna with garlic bread
  • American: Grilled chicken with corn on the cob and potato salad
  • Mexican: Black bean and cheese burritos with Spanish rice
  • Asian: Shrimp tempura with miso soup and sushi rolls

Day 6:

  • Italian: Chicken cacciatore with polenta
  • American: Grilled salmon with roasted vegetables and quinoa
  • Mexican: Pork tamales with beans and avocado salad
  • Asian: Fried noodles with shrimp and vegetables

Day 7:

  • Italian: Shrimp Alfredo with fettuccine
  • American: Turkey and stuffing with cranberry sauce and mashed sweet potatoes
  • Mexican: Chicken and cheese flautas with pico de gallo and sour cream
  • Asian: Beef and vegetable stir-fry with fried rice and egg rolls

Did AI create a better menu than a real chef?

Ok, so my thoughts on this AI-generated menu is this; It’s not bloody bad. It’s given some great starter ideas for crew menus, but it is not a comprehensive menu and if you were to cook for the crew using this exact menu, you wouldn’t last on board for long. The menu is not balanced enough and is severely lacking for yacht crew in terms of variation and dietary needs. What it could be great for, is taking apart each dish AI recommends and building an entire menu around that.

For example, Day 1 Italian: Chicken Parmesan with spaghetti and marinara sauce is a great dish. Now bulk that out with a Garden Salad, A simple Green soup, Cheesy Garlic Bread, Heirloom Tomato and Balsamic Salad with Toasted Pinenuts and Burrata, separate the spaghetti with marinara sauce (to keep it Vegan friendly if that is a vibe on board, and add a Vegan Protein) and suddenly you have a really simple crew lunch or dinner that should tick the boxes for a crew of 10-15.

You could easily go through the entire AI generate menu and split it up in this way to create a more balanced menu for your crew. If you have a new-to-the-industry crew chef or a sous chef who is having a brain fart mid-season and just needs ideas to pump out for the crew, this could be a good little saviour to have in your back pocket.

AI couldn’t create a platter as amazing as Chef Ruthie has here

Can AI create guest-worthy menus for superyachts?

Here’s a more difficult question. AI has its limitations. I think we may have found them. Check out the menus below to see what AI was able to generate for our fictional superyacht chef cooking for the guests.

Here is a sample 7-day menu for a high-end modern cuisine buffet style:

Day 1:

  • Seared duck breast with cherry compote and roasted vegetables
  • Quinoa and arugula salad with goat cheese and candied pecans
  • Roasted asparagus with lemon and parmesan
  • Brioche rolls with butter

Day 2:

  • Pan-seared scallops with truffle mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach
  • Wild mushroom risotto with parmesan and truffle oil
  • Steamed artichokes with lemon and herb vinaigrette
  • Mixed green salad with champagne vinaigrette

Day 3:

  • Slow cooker short ribs with red wine and mushrooms
  • Mashed sweet potatoes with bourbon and pecans
  • Grilled baby bok choy with sesame oil and soy sauce
  • Mixed green salad with honey mustard vinaigrette

Day 4:

  • Lobster bisque with crème fraîche and chives
  • Beef Wellington with red wine sauce and roasted vegetables
  • Mixed green salad with champagne vinaigrette
  • Dinner rolls with butter

Day 5:

  • Grilled lamb chops with mint yogurt sauce and roasted vegetables
  • Baked macaroni and cheese with truffle oil and parmesan
  • Mixed green salad with honey mustard vinaigrette
  • Cornbread with honey butter

Day 6:

  • Roasted chicken with rosemary and lemon
  • Mashed potatoes with garlic and chives
  • Sautéed green beans with toasted almonds and lemon
  • Dinner rolls with butter

Day 7:

  • Lobster risotto with saffron and parmesan
  • Grilled asparagus with lemon and parmesan
  • Mixed green salad with champagne vinaigrette
  • Chocolate lava cake for dessert

AI is not a superyacht chef

Anyone who has cooked, or understands how to create menus can see that the buffet menu is terrible for guests, but again, it could be used to gather a rough idea. Day 7 for example, could be a great base to add to and completely spruce up a decent guest buffet lunch. Again, AI is not here to take our jobs just yet… But let’s see how it goes with plated menus

Here is a sample 7-day plated menu for 10 guests, featuring high-end modern cuisine:

Day 1:

  • First course: Foie gras torchon with fig compote and toasted brioche
  • Second course: Lobster bisque with crème fraîche and chives
  • Third course: Beef Wellington with red wine sauce and roasted vegetables
  • Fourth course: Lemon tart with meringue and blueberry compote

Day 2:

  • First course: Burrata with heirloom tomatoes and basil oil
  • Second course: Wild mushroom risotto with parmesan and truffle oil
  • Third course: Pan-seared scallops with truffle mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach
  • Fourth course: Chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream

Day 3:

  • First course: Spherified Caesar salad with liquid olive spheres and gluten-free croutons
  • Second course: Sous-vide pork belly with apple compote and parsnip purée
  • Third course: Grilled octopus with black garlic and squid ink
  • Fourth course: Molecular mojito with liquid mint spheres

Day 4:

  • First course: Nitro-frozen avocado and grapefruit salad with lime foam
  • Second course: Sous-vide lamb chops with mint and garlic yogurt
  • Third course: Beef carpaccio with microgreens and olive oil snow
  • Fourth course: Panna cotta with mixed

And then AI gave up and stopped generating the rest of the menu

Which made me laugh. AI is not perfect. It also just stops thinking at times.

The plated menu is also somewhat unbalanced and a bit strange. But hey, there’s something for everyone and while one menu sounds terrible for some owners, another yacht owner might froth over. So while I don’t expect yacht chefs to be running to AI to create their dream menus for next season, it can be a handy tool for crew cooking ideas.

A real chef in the galley is always going to be better than AI!!

What do you think?

Will you be using AI to help create menus?

Looking for legit crew recipe ideas? Head to our free download of over 300 recipes for yacht chefs

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