Life as a Superyacht Chef: 24/7 Michelin-Style Cooking on the High Seas
Published February 9, 2026 4:21pm | Updated February 9, 2026 4:21pm
Micaela Anthea Markides spends half of each year cooking aboard luxury sailing yachts, working under the intense scrutiny of some of the world's wealthiest travellers. Her working days routinely stretch to 14 or 16 hours, but she remains on call 24/7, expected to deliver Michelin-starred quality from a minuscule galley kitchen that moves and shakes with every wave.
'Nothing Is Out of Bounds' for Billionaire Guests
'It's not for the faint-hearted,' says 31-year-old Micaela, who is originally from South Africa but is now based in Bali. 'If a guest craves a midnight snack, I'm back in the galley, no questions asked. I make whatever the guests want, nothing is out of bounds.'
While she cannot disclose exactly how much clients pay, with chartering a superyacht typically costing around £150,000 per week, it's clear her guests belong to the ultra-rich elite. 'I'm at their full disposal and cooking to their preferences is my top priority,' she explains. 'The goal is to offer something entirely singular – meals so distinctive they could only exist in this setting, on this vessel, at that moment in time. Every dish must be memorable.'
Extravagant Requests and Helicopter Deliveries
Most guest requests are considered 'non-negotiable,' with staff making them work 'one way or another.' The logistics can be extraordinary. 'Even while at sea, yachts have contacts everywhere,' Micaela reveals. 'Sometimes to the extent that helicopters deliver lobster tails to the boat while the vessel is anchored out in the ocean.'
She recalls one particularly lavish demand: 'Guests asked for 2kg of the finest baeri caviar to be bought. This huge amount was for only five people and had to be flown in from France while the vessel was in the Caribbean islands. They wanted caviar with almost every single meal.'
Often, guests will go fishing, expecting whatever they catch to be beautifully presented alongside the next perfectly paired meal. Lunches might be relaxed, family-style sharing platters, while dinners frequently unfold as five-course tasting menus, carefully paced and meticulously plated.
No Fixed Menus, No True Breaks
There are no fixed menus, no true breaks, and no such thing as 'off duty' in this world, Micaela notes. Yet she thrives on cooking from instinct rather than planned menus. 'I've invested immense time and energy into mastering techniques and workflows that allow me to perform at this level for extended periods, without ever compromising the standard expected aboard a superyacht,' she says.
'The food I create has to rival what you'd expect in the world's most refined fine-dining restaurants. Superyacht service operates on an even higher plane. There is no room for repetition or complacency.'
From Land to Sea: A Career Transformation
Micaela has been a chef for seven years, with six of those spent working on yachts. Before committing fully to life at sea, she worked on the popular island of Koh Samui in Thailand, where she opened two restaurants and acted as head chef in both. However, it was yachting that ultimately won her over, despite the challenge of cooking in a kitchen that sometimes wobbles on the waves.
'Cooking at sea as a private yacht chef is completely different to cooking on land,' she observes. 'As the sole chef on yachts, I have the kitchen completely to myself – it is my space. I am the head of the department and I make my own decisions and work schedule. The captain is my superior, but anything to do with food is my domain and I'm in charge.'
Creative Freedom Amidst the Waves
'The freedom for expression and creativity is also so much more extensive on yachts than on land,' Micaela continues. 'I can wake up in the morning and decide to cook anything I feel like, be as creative as I feel like, use any ingredients, try any new skills.'
'The kitchen is, however, moving a lot of the time when we are sailing or at anchor. This does make my job a bit more difficult during these times, but the oven is on a gimbal and everything in the kitchen is designed to keep things in place with reinforcements and latches.'
A Typical Charter Day: From 4:30am to 10pm
Micaela's typical day begins long before the guests wake. She rises at 4:30am, starting with meditation to ground herself before stepping into the galley. By 6am, breakfast preparation is underway, with bread baking, pastries rising, fruit platters assembled, and breakfast specials planned.
Breakfast service usually runs at around 9am. After cleaning down, she prepares lunch for the crew, served promptly at midday, while simultaneously prepping guest lunch for 1:30pm. The afternoon is spent cleaning, preparing canapés, and planning dinner – sometimes interrupted by sailing, during which she helps hoist sails on deck.
Crew dinner is served at 5pm, canapés at 6:30pm, and guest dinner at 7:30pm. After service ends around 9pm, she cleans the galley, preps for the next day, and finally heads to bed by 10pm.
Travel Perks and Unparalleled Opportunities
The job has allowed Micaela to travel extensively around the Caribbean islands, Sweden, and the Balearics. 'We can sometimes be on a different island or country every week,' she says. 'We live, work, eat, and sleep on our moving home and get to see the most breathtaking places the world has to offer on the water. Land-based jobs could not even compare to this opportunity.'
