All roles/Galley/Temporary / Relief Chef
Galley
Temporary / Relief Chef
A relief chef steps into a yacht galley at short notice to cover a head or sole chef on leave, sick or between contracts. You keep owners, guests and crew fed to the same standard without missing a day.
- Department
- Galley
- Reports to
- Yacht Captain
- Yacht size
- 30m to 100m
- Contract
- Temporary, days to several weeks
- Starting pay
- €300 per day
What the job is
A relief chef covers the galley when the permanent chef is away. That might be a rotation gap, a family emergency, a busy charter booked before a new hire starts, or a sole chef who simply needs a holiday. You might get a call on Tuesday and be cooking for twelve guests on Thursday. Most bookings run from a few days to six weeks, and the best relief chefs are booked back to back through the Mediterranean and Caribbean seasons.
The cooking is the easy part if you are good. The skill is landing in a strange galley and running it within hours. You read the preference sheet, check allergies, learn where the chef keeps everything, find the provisioners and make the menu work with what is already on board. You cook for guests and crew, keep the HACCP records up to date and leave the fridges, freezers and paperwork tidier than you found them.
Captains hire relief chefs who are calm, flexible and need no hand holding. You work alongside a chief stewardess you have never met, so clear communication about service times, courses and dietary changes matters from the first meal. You will cook across cuisines, from a Japanese lunch to a children's tea to a seven course tasting dinner. Experience as a head or sole chef on yachts is normally expected before captains will trust you with relief work.
What makes a good one
- Running an unfamiliar galley within hours
- Cooking across many cuisines and diets
- Strict allergen and HACCP control
- Provisioning in unfamiliar ports
- Calm teamwork with a new crew
A day in the life
- 06:30Arrive at the galley after joining the night before. Walk the fridges, freezers and dry stores to see exactly what the last chef left and what is missing.
- 07:30Crew breakfast on the go while you read the guest preference sheet with the chief stewardess. Two guests are gluten free and one child has a nut allergy.
- 08:30Call the local provisioner in Porto Cervo with a list for fish, fruit and fresh bread, delivered by 11:00. Adjust the week's menu around what is good at the market.
- 10:00Prep lunch and dinner components, make stocks and set up the galley the way you work. Label everything so the crew can find it.
- 13:00Guests arrive. Serve a light lunch on the aft deck: crudo, grilled vegetables and salads, with a separate gluten free plate for each guest who needs one.
- 15:00Check in the provisioning delivery, log temperatures and receipts, then put out crew lunch and afternoon canapés for guests returning from the tender.
- 17:30Brief the interior team on tonight's four course dinner, timings and allergen plates. Start final prep and plating trials.
- 20:00Dinner service at anchor. Plate each course as the stewardesses call it and keep the dessert for the child completely separate.
- 22:30Clean down, record fridge temperatures in the HACCP log and write tomorrow's menu and provisioning list before bed.
Pay by country
Relief chefs are usually paid a day rate, typically €300 – 550 a day depending on yacht size, guest numbers and charter or private use. Figures below are monthly equivalents for a full month of relief on a 30m to 100m yacht. Travel is normally paid by the yacht, and charter tips are shared with the crew where the yacht charters.
- France and Monaco
- €8,000 – 12,000
- Spain
- €8,000 – 12,000
- Italy
- €8,000 – 12,000
- United Kingdom
- £6,800 – 10,200
- USA (Florida)
- US$8,500 – 13,000
- Caribbean
- US$8,500 – 13,000
- UAE
- AED 31,000 – 48,000
- Australia
- A$13,000 – 20,000
- New Zealand
- NZ$14,500 – 22,000
Required
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
- Food Safety Level 2
- Ship's Cook Certificate (MCA)
Recommended
- Food Safety Level 3
- PDSD
- Medical First Aid
- Professional culinary diploma
- WSET Level 2
Visas
- Schengen
- US B1/B2
- C1/D
- Australian MCV
Where it leads
Temporary / Relief Chef jobs open now
Questions crew ask
Do I need yacht experience to work as a relief chef?
Yes, in almost every case. Captains want someone who has already run a yacht galley as head or sole chef, because there is no time to train you on board.
How much work can a relief chef get in a year?
A well connected relief chef can work most of the Mediterranean and Caribbean seasons with only short gaps. Expect quieter spells in the shoulder months and between boat shows.
Who pays for my travel to the yacht?
The yacht normally books and pays for your flights and transfers to join and leave. Agree this, plus your day rate and any tip share, in writing before you travel.