All roles/Galley/Nutrition-Focused Chef
Galley
Nutrition-Focused Chef
You cook for owners and guests who follow a set nutrition plan, turning medical, performance or lifestyle goals into food that still feels like a superyacht menu. Health, trust and repeat bookings depend on it.
- Department
- Galley
- Reports to
- Head Chef or Executive Chef
- Yacht size
- 50m to 150m+
- Contract
- Seasonal, permanent or rotation
- Starting pay
- €6,000 per month
What the job is
You are a trained chef first and a nutrition specialist second. Owners and guests hire you because they follow a structured plan: a programme set by a doctor, a sports dietitian or a longevity clinic, or a strict personal choice such as plant based, low FODMAP or ketogenic. Your job is to make that plan work every day at sea, with the same standard of plating and flavour the rest of the galley delivers to the main table.
On larger yachts you sit inside a galley brigade and own the dietary side of the menu, while the Head Chef runs the main service. On smaller yachts you may be the principal chef cooking for a family on a single programme. Either way you calculate portions, track macronutrients when asked, label every allergen and keep a written record of what each principal ate. Many owners share blood results or plans with you, so discretion is non negotiable.
Provisioning is a large part of the work. You source organic produce, grass fed meat, specific supplements and unusual flours in ports from Antibes to Nassau, and you plan ahead for remote cruising where none of it exists. You brief the interior team on what can and cannot reach a guest, liaise with the owner's nutritionist by email or video call, and adjust the plan when a guest is jet lagged, unwell or training hard.
What makes a good one
- Fine dining technique
- Macronutrient and portion planning
- Allergen and medical diet control
- Remote provisioning
- Discretion with health information
A day in the life
- 06:30Make cold pressed juices and a green smoothie for the owner's pre workout window, measured to the gram from the nutritionist's sheet.
- 07:30Cook a high protein breakfast for two principals and a separate gluten free spread for the children, then log quantities in the daily food record.
- 09:30Video call with the owner's dietitian in London to adjust carbohydrate targets after yesterday's long tender ride and paddleboard session.
- 10:30Receive a provisioning delivery on the swim platform, check organic certificates and temperatures, and reject a box of fish with no origin label.
- 12:30Serve a plated lunch: grilled turbot, roasted fennel and a quinoa salad, with every dish built to match the plan and briefed to the Chief Stewardess for allergens.
- 14:30Batch prepare bone broth, fermented vegetables and seed crackers for the coming week, then deep clean your section of the galley.
- 17:00Short break, then prep for dinner with the Sous Chef so the main guest menu and your dietary plates leave the pass together.
- 20:00Dinner service for eight, four on a dairy free, low sugar programme. You plate their courses yourself so nothing is substituted by mistake.
- 22:00Close down, update the food log and write tomorrow's menu and order list for remote anchorages off Formentera.
Pay by country
Monthly salary for a specialist chef on 50m to 90m yachts, paid in EUR or USD whatever the flag. Larger yachts and chefs with recognised nutrition qualifications earn at the top end. Charter tips are shared on top and can add a full month's salary or more per season.
- France and Monaco
- €6,000 – 8,500
- Spain
- €6,000 – 8,500
- Italy
- €6,000 – 8,500
- United Kingdom
- £5,200 – 7,300
- USA (Florida)
- US$6,500 – 9,500
- Caribbean
- US$6,500 – 9,500
- UAE
- AED 24,000 – 35,000
- Australia
- A$10,000 – 14,500
- New Zealand
- NZ$11,000 – 16,000
Required
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
- Food Safety Level 2
- Ship's Cook Certificate (MCA)
- PDSD
Recommended
- Recognised nutrition diploma or degree
- Level 3 Food Safety and Hygiene
- Allergen awareness training
- Professional culinary diploma
- Medical First Aid
Visas
- Schengen visa
- US B1/B2 or C1/D
- Australian MCV
Where it leads
Nutrition-Focused Chef jobs open now
Questions crew ask
Do I need to be a qualified nutritionist?
No, but you need solid professional cooking experience and a credible understanding of nutrition. A recognised nutrition diploma makes you far more competitive and lifts your pay, because owners want to trust your numbers.
Will I cook for the whole yacht?
It depends on the yacht. On large yachts you usually cook only for principals on a plan while the brigade covers everyone else, but on smaller yachts you may run the whole galley.
How do I get into this role from a normal galley job?
Build fine dining experience, take a nutrition course, and keep a portfolio of plant based, gluten free and performance menus with photos. Yachts with athletic or health focused owners often promote a strong Sous Chef who already handles their dietary plates.