Chef Eleonore Op de Beeck, like many chefs, found her way into the yachting industry by fate and fortune. A direction she could never have imagined waited for her as a new door of opportunity opened to a new life.
Where do you come from, and what’s your age?
I was born and raised in Southern Spain, although my family comes from Belgium. I’m 51.
What made you want to become a chef?
I trained as a veterinary surgeon and worked in my own practice for many years. After experiencing burnout, I began cooking on weekends to relieve stress. As cooking became a passion, I started inviting friends to try my dishes. Their encouragement led me to consider a career change.
After watching many episodes of MasterChef on TV, I decided to participate. I was part of the third edition of the Spanish Masterchef, and it didn’t last long before Jordi, a Michelin-star chef in Spain and owner of Abac, threw me out on a chicken dish!
That didn’t stop me, and I started with little steps into the culinary world. I got hired as a pastry chef for a local restaurant in Marbella, then I won a local tapas competition for the “most original tapa”, where I replicated a burger but made it vegan.
A friend suggested I explore the yachting industry as a chef, a field I hadn’t considered before. With my limited kitchen experience, I applied for a stew/cook position on a 28m San Lorenzo yacht, was hired, and thoroughly enjoyed it. This marked the start of my new journey as a yacht chef.
Where have you worked as a chef?
I imagine, like every chef, wintering in the Caribbean, departing from Ft.Lauderdale down to all the beautiful islands, then heading to the Bahamas.
Summer cruising the Mediterranean departing normally from Palma, then going all the way to the French coast, Italian coast, Malta, and Greece. One of my best journeys was crossing the Pacific, departing from Panama, then visiting the Galapagos and French Polynesia.
How would you describe your style of cooking?
Fresh seasonal Mediterranean, presentation is key and not overcrowding the plate, less is more, especially when the ingredients are of high quality, not much needs to be done, just making sure to elevate the natural flavours of the ingredients and a few other ingredients.
What is the most challenging thing about being a yacht chef?
I guess, if you are well equipped and organised in the galley, ready for unexpected requests for guests, challenges become less so but they do appear from time to time, like that I can’t find a specific ingredient that a guest wanted or when the sea is very rough during deliveries and despite having a bad stomach you still have to feed the crew or having very little time off during charters or food requests late in the evening when you thought your shift was over.
What is the best thing about being a yacht chef?
The freedom, the ability to travel and be on the ocean, which I love, and why not say it , the high pay!
Chefs that inspire you and why?
As a veggie lover, I must say Jamie Oliver and Yotam Ottolenghi are two chefs who really inspire me. Matthew Kenney, a plant-based chef, is also someone I have been inspired by, as is food stylist Sara Kiyo Popowa from Plantacademy London, who inspires me to make food look pretty and take beautiful pictures, and so many others.
What is the best piece of advice given to you as a chef?
There’s a few, but I guess the most valuable was “expect the unexpected so always be ready”…on a yacht, you don’t always have the luxury to have your ingredients in hand like you have when you are working on land, so being prepared, well organized, being creative with your recipes saves you from a lot of trouble and stress.
What keeps you going on the long days in the galley?
A power nap of 20 minutes!! No joke, when I’m on my feet and up since 6am, to keep on going in the afternoon, during my rest time, just a quick nap will do the trick, for the mental part when days are long with many guests on board, I look out of the galley at the ocean and think ” my office view is the best” and acknowledge how grateful I am to have this job!
What are your favourite places to eat?
I like exploring the local foods of the places I go, and I avoid at all costs the more touristy areas, as I get inspired by the food I eat and get ideas. Local, traditional, and vegan places are becoming more popular, and there are some very decent ones offering fine dining.
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