How to Get References for Your First Yacht Chef Job

The classic catch-22: boats want references, but you need a boat to get references. Here's how to break the loop — because everyone in this industry, including me, started with zero yacht references.

Land references count more than you think

A written reference from a head chef or restaurant owner saying you're fast, clean, reliable and easy to work with is genuinely valuable to a captain. They can't check your beurre blanc from a CV, but they can call someone who watched you work for a year. Ask every kitchen you leave for a short written reference with a phone number attached — and warn your referees they might actually get a call from a boat.

Daywork is a reference machine

Every daywork stint, delivery or temp gig should end with two things: payment and a reference. Even one line — "Dean dayworked with us for a week, hardworking, tidy, great attitude" — signed by a captain or chief stew, changes how your CV reads. Stack three or four of those in a season and you're no longer green on paper.

Freelance cooking builds proof too

Villa work, private cheffing, catering gigs and charter catamarans all produce references and portfolio photos. A chef who spent a summer cooking for villa guests has proven most of what a small yacht needs — it's the same job with a better view.

The unconventional boats count

My first sea references came from dive boats on the Great Barrier Reef — not glamorous, but they told my first yacht everything they needed: he can cook volume, at sea, without losing his head. Ferries, expedition boats, crew vessels — any floating kitchen puts "cooked at sea" on your CV, and that's the sentence that matters.

Character references fill the gaps

Yachting hires the person as much as the chef. A reference from a dive instructor, sports coach or previous employer about your reliability and how you handle close-quarters living carries real weight for a first hire — captains are mostly trying to answer "can we live with this person?"

Guard your references like knives

This industry runs on trust and it's smaller than it looks. One captain calling another carries more weight than any document — so leave every job, even the bad ones, on good terms. Your references compound over a career; the first ones are just the hardest.

More on building a CV that gets calls inside Become a Yacht Chef — Module 1 is free.