All Aboard: What's It Like Being the Chef on a Luxury Yacht Charter

2 hours ago
7 min read

For Chef Bradley Botha, cooking has never been just a job; it's a way of moving through the world. From learning at his grandmother's side in South Africa to cooking for twenty guests a day on private charters in the Caribbean, to now running the galley on a luxury yacht based in Mallorca, Chef Bradley's path has taken him from culinary school to cruise ships to some of the most demanding kitchens on the water. We sat down with him to talk about his background, his philosophy on food, and what it really takes to cook at sea.

Ava Vitiello: Tell me about your background. Where you're from, when you decided to become a chef, and where your love of food and cooking began.

Bradley Botha: I started cooking with my grandma when I was about five years old, and I absolutely loved the kitchen. Even as a child in school, I knew I wanted to go into the food industry. I'd actually applied to study journalism at university, not really knowing what I wanted to do, but I ended up getting accepted into an elite culinary school in South Africa — Silwood School of Cookery, a French culinary school affiliated with Le Cordon Bleu. I completed three years there.

I always knew I wanted to be a chef, but I wasn't sure which avenue to take, restaurants or private work. So I actually went a completely different route first and tried food photography for magazines in Cape Town. It was interesting, but there was a lot of paperwork behind it, and I realized it wasn't for me.

I leaned more toward the private sector after that. I was hired to work at a prestigious rehabilitation center, which was a fascinating experience — I love helping people, and I feel like I have a kind aura when it comes to that. I was cooking for people battling addiction, people going through the most difficult periods of their lives, and it was a completely new learning curve for me.

From there, I wanted to travel and explore different cuisines, so I tried working on cruise ships. I loved it, and I learned so much about cooking for large groups and picked up new techniques along the way. I was lucky enough to be selected for the launch of Virgin Voyages' Valiant Lady. It was an incredible opportunity, and I made great friends.

After that, I was approached to work on private diving yachts in the Caribbean, based out of Turks and Caicos and the British Virgin Islands, for about three years. At just twenty-five, I was cooking solo for twenty guests and a full crew — breakfast, snacks, a buffet lunch, and a three-course dinner every day. I loved it because my passion for cooking is tied to my passion for animals. I'm a huge animal lover, and that's really where my love of diving comes from. On that job, I got to see whale sharks, thresher sharks, eagle rays, and massive loggerhead turtles both above and below the water. I also cooked at many private events for incredibly wealthy and well-known guests, in beautiful homes with the finest ingredients available.

Eventually, people around me kept encouraging me to make the jump to yachts. Diving was such a big part of my life that I didn't want to lose it, but I knew joining a yacht would be the better move for my career. It's a seven-star level of service and one of the most incredible experiences a chef can have. From there, I moved to Mallorca and completely fell in love with it. I found an incredible yacht to work on, with an amazing crew and, honestly, the best captain I've ever worked with. That's where I am today: cooking for wonderful guests, serving high-quality food, having fun along the way, always with a smile on my face, learning new cuisines, and helping people enjoy their vacations.

AV: Where does your inspiration come from?

BB: I wouldn't say social media because I feel like that can actually work against creativity. A chef is an artist at the end of the day, and you have to draw your own picture. Because I spend so much time outdoors, most of my inspiration comes from being out in nature, seeing new foods, and trying new things.

AV: How is cooking on a yacht different from cooking in a restaurant?

BB: In a restaurant, you're cooking as part of a big team, everyone handling different sections, and it can get a bit monotonous doing the same thing over and over. You're also on land, so you can get provisions any time you need them.

At sea, it's a different story entirely, especially on yachts under about 40 to 45 meters, where you're the sole chef and highly responsible for everything. Provisioning can be really difficult depending on where you are. Sometimes you're in the middle of the ocean and simply can't get what you need, so you have to improvise. A guest might ask for a strawberry milkshake and you don't have strawberries, but you find a way to make it happen because you want to give them the best experience possible.

You also have to be far more careful at sea because the boat is always moving. Pots and pans shift, cabinets swing open, knives can't be left on counters, everything has to be secured. Sometimes things won't set properly because the boat is rocking. You can't really use a standard kitchen scale either, since it won't measure accurately, and you'd need an industrial scale for that. A lot of chefs, myself included, just use cups instead.

AV: What ingredients are hardest to source while traveling, and what have you learned to substitute?

BB: The British Virgin Islands are a good example. It's a picturesque, beautiful place, but provisioning is difficult. A lot of the food comes from the U.S., so if there's a public holiday, shipments get held up and can't clear customs in time to reach the supermarkets. Sometimes you simply can't find bacon, butter, or yogurt. If I don't have butter, I'll use oil instead; if there's no yogurt, I'll substitute cottage cheese. You learn to adapt.

AV: How much does a guest preference sheet influence what you cook, and how do you balance giving guests what they want versus introducing them to something new?

BB: The preference sheet is golden and you have to follow it. I read through it three or four times before a charter starts. If a guest requests a salad every single day for lunch, that's what they get, no matter what. That said, there's still room to bring your own style in. If they want fish every day, you can prepare it in different ways with different cuts. If they want a salad daily, you can vary the ingredients and the dressings. You can still execute your own vision, it just comes through in a different form.

AV: Do you have a process for mapping out menus before or during a charter, or is it more on the fly?

BB: I usually draw up menus ahead of time. When something feels right, I write down the recipe and eventually piece everything together like a puzzle. Then I go through the guest preference sheet, and sometimes it doesn't match what I've planned at all, but you tweak it and blend your ideas with theirs. It's important to check in with guests once they arrive: ask what they like, and don't lead with your most complicated dishes on day one. Start simple and casual, then build toward more elaborate meals as the charter goes on. Communication — whether it's on paper or just a quick conversation about what's for lunch — makes all the difference. You can cook something amazing, but if you haven't asked what they're in the mood for, it can miss the mark entirely.

AV: What does a typical day look like for you while on charter? How often do you sleep?

BB: I usually wake up around 7:30 or 8 and get breakfast prep going, depending on when the guests will be up. Before service starts, I try to catch up with family and friends back home. Once guests are up, I serve breakfast, clean down, and feed the crew somewhere in between. After that, we usually get a half-hour to an hour break before starting lunch — something simple for the crew first, then the main lunch for guests, served around 3 or 4pm. After lunch service and clean-down, I try to meditate for about half an hour. I really value that time because it keeps me grounded and grateful. Then it's back to prepping and cooking dinner, followed by another wash-down and pack-away. I'm usually done between 10:30 and 11pm.

AV: What's one dish you never get tired of cooking?

BB: Roast chicken. I marinate it in clarified butter with rosemary and roasted garlic, add some onion and stuffing inside, and rub more clarified butter under the skin. I lay potatoes, onions, and carrots at the bottom of the pan so all those chicken juices baste right into the vegetables as it roasts. It comes out with crispy skin, tender white meat, and incredibly flavorful veggies underneath. Simple, but so good.

AV: If you weren't a chef, what would you be doing?

BB: Everyone asks me this one, but it's hard to picture my life without cooking. If not this, definitely something in the ocean world, like marine biology or becoming a dive instructor.

AV: What would you say your culinary philosophy is?

BB: I'm a true believer that health is wealth. We're lucky to have so many incredible superfoods and natural, organic ingredients available to us today, though there's also a lot of processed food you have to watch out for. I go to the gym regularly and I'm a big fan of Hydrox. Eating well really matters to me. That said, we all have our cravings — I'm a big lover of Cocoa Puffs, and that's just my happy food. Fresh fruit and vegetables, all the way, but balance matters too.