From growing up in a bakery to making chocolate mousse… without chocolate.
Who is your food hero (dead or alive) and why?
My Father (alive) as he was one of the best bakers in my country. I have joined him in the bakery since I was 7.
Thomas Keller: an American chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author. He and his landmark Napa Valley restaurant, The French Laundry in Yountville, California, have won multiple awards from the James Beard Foundation, notably the Best California Chef in 1996, and the Best Chef in America in 1997.
Bjorn Frantzen because he is the best! Frantzén runs Frantzén and Zén, restaurants that holds three stars in the Michelin Guide each and owns several other restaurants in Stockholm and Asia.
Three ingredients could you not live without?
Herbs, seafood, oil
What are your three favorite cookbooks and why?
Actually I like to read a lot of cookbooks and I have up to 70 at home!
Currently I am enjoying:
1-A Very Serious Cookbook: The first cookbook by the wunderkind New York chef duo Jeremiah Stone and Fabián von Hauske of Contra and Wildair.This is the story of two places beloved by chefs and foodies worldwide – Lower East Side tasting-menu restaurant Contra, and its more casual sister, Wildair.
2-Bread is Gold: Massimo Bottura, one of the world’s best chef, prepares extraordinary meals from ordinary and sometimes ‘wasted’ ingredients inspiring home chefs to eat well while living well.’These dishes could change the way we feed the world, because they can be cooked by anyone, anywhere, on any budget.
3-The Whole Fish: seafood chef Josh Niland reveals a completely new way to think about all aspects of fish cookery. From sourcing and butchering to dry aging and curing, it challenges everything we thought we knew about the subject and invites you to see fish for what it really is – an amazing, complex source of protein that can and should be treated with exactly the same nose-to-tail reverence as meat.
What ingredients are overrated according to you?
Wagyu burger. You can literally create as much marbling as you want by adding fat to the ground beef mixture.
Which ingredients do you consider underrated?
Smoked paprika, giant couscous, livers and duck fat.
What is the hardest part of being a yacht chef?
You have to be tough, work long hours, take care of production, the entire kitchen, brigade of kitchen staff, plus the executive and admin roles etc. It is a high pressure environment. The chef role is demanding but if you love what you do, and you are strong, you can handle everything.
What would you say to people who stereotype chefs as being prima donnas with big egos?
Most of the time they are right! There are exceptions but most of the chefs are Primadonnas. Sometimes I tend to behave like that, but when I’m aware of it I try to go back to normal ASAP!
What is your attitude toward crew with dietary requirements?
I don’t have a problem with that. But, when they change from one day to another, I don’t tolerate it. For example, there was one crew member who was vegetarian until burgers were served. That put an end to my special treatment for that crew member.
What is the most bizarre thing you have ever been asked to cook?
Lambs brain comes to mind! And also a request for chocolate mousse without chocolate was a challenge!!!
Name: Julian Rishmawi
Experience: 11 years
Nationality: Palestinian
Current position: Just finished my season on a 51m M/Y, enjoying a break and looking for new opportunities.
