Working as a prestigious chef at a 5-star restaurant is a cakewalk compared to chefs making their livings onboard yachts. That’s what the Newport Charter Yacht Show will aim to demonstrate when hosting its annual Culinary Competition this summer. The event will run on June 17 and 18 as part of the Newport Charter Yacht Show’s four-day assemblage, taking place from June 17 to 20, with Captain/Crew Reception on June 16. The Show will be playing a host to private luxury charter yachts as well as charter industry professionals, comprising agents, owners, brokers and captains, who consider the event a one-of-a-kind opportunity to “get a taste” of the latest and greatest of their industry’s trends and offerings.
Newport Charter Yacht Show 2012 Culinary Competition Grande Class Winner Eddj Venzi - Photo by Billy Black
“Working as a chef in a restaurant is routine, but working onboard a yacht, where you are constantly faced with obstacles and changes to the schedule, is much more spontaneous and challenging,” said Lady M yacht’s Chef Eddj Venzi (Forlì, Italy) who was the Grande Class Winner in 2012 and worked throughout Europe at resorts, restaurants and hotels before adapting his talents to the charter yacht world. Venzi added that as a charter chef you are on call 24 hours a day, working in spaces that are one-tenth the size of commercial kitchens without the luxury of line cooks and sous-chefs to assist in meal preparation. “In this industry, you need to be a perfectionist, but at the same time, when you are working on a yacht, you have to be ready for the unexpected, whether it’s extra guests, bad weather conditions or a last-minute change of events.”
The Culinary Competition’s main event, a battle of gastronomic proportions that takes place among chefs onboard the show’s registered yachts, features the Grande Class for chefs on yachts 100 feet and above, and the Premier Class for chefs on yachts 99 feet and under. For some extra flavor, and for the first time this year, an interior crew Tablescaping Challenge and a Freelance Chef Shucking Competition have also been added. Award presentations will take place in the main show tent at the Newport Yachting Center on Tuesday, June 18th at 5:00 p.m.
Newport Charter Yacht Show 2012 Culinary Competition - Photo by Billy Black
“Last year was the first year that this show was under the management of Newport Exhibition Group and they did a great job,” said Winnie DeCoster-Lynch (Newport, R.I.) from The Captain’s Concierge, which has run the Culinary Competition for the Newport Charter Yacht Show since 2008. “This year we’ve had a little more time to prepare and improve upon the competition and keep it relevant and a reason for industry professionals to attend. The more events within the show that are interactive and fun, the more it’s going to add to the experience of the show.”
Like last year, the Grande Class chefs will be provided with a “mystery basket” full of farm-to-table ingredients, all locally produced and grown, along with a short list of ingredients that can be used from their pantries. In their respective galleys they will prepare four servings of a meal of any cuisine, and invited guest chefs will determine a winner.
For the Premier Class, the chefs will prepare the quintessential dish of New England, seafood chowder, and have free reign over the ingredient choices. Once the dishes are complete, show attendees will be invited to visit every competing yacht’s galley to taste the creations. Ballots will be provided onboard each yacht, and the winner will be announced after ballots are tallied.
Newport Charter Yacht Show 2012 - Photo credit Billy Black
The Tablescaping Challenge is open to all interior crew onboard participating yachts and abides by the same criteria as the Culinary Competition, with a Grande and Premier Class. Crew members can enter the competition solo or as a team, and the challenge is to artistically decorate the dining table on their respective yachts, utilizing the yacht’s own linen, china, tableware and decorative items, including candles and flowers.
Each team may choose any theme and set-up on either an interior or exterior table. A panel of professionals will pick one winner from each class, and the show attendees will pick a fan favorite from each class. The criteria used for judging includes originality of theme, composition, use of materials and how well the tablescape fits with the style of the respective yacht.
The Shucking Competition is the only contest at the Newport Charter Yacht Show that is only open to freelance yacht chefs who are not on one of the show’s registered yachts but have worked onboard yachts for at least two seasons in the last three years. It will showcase their technique in a timed format for all of the show attendees to see.
“Shucking” or opening a shellfish is a frequently used skill when cooking onboard yachts that cruise New England. The amount of opened shellfish will be judged on appearance and presentation. Competitors will be supplied local shellfish, including oysters and clams, but will be responsible for supplying their own knives and opening tools, gloves and towels.
