A PINCH OF SALT AND A SPLASH OF SEA

Lichelle May reflects back on her time as a private chef aboard a yacht based in Monaco.

- Lichelle May

It has always been clear that I had two passions in life: food and travel. The two go hand-in-hand, and that's what led me to look for work as a private chef on a yacht. With big dreams and plenty of foodie ideas to share with the world, I stepped into the world of yachting.

After several interviews as a green chef (someone who has never worked on yachts before), I was invited to do a trial cook for the owner of a 32-metre sailing yacht based in Monaco called Irelanda. Who wouldn't want to land a job like this? I took it as a good sign especially since the boat's logo matched a four-leaf clover tattoo that I got in Ireland a few years earlier.

I had never been so nervous in my life. Suddenly, my mind started racing: “Can I even cook?” I asked myself. When the trial day arrived, after a quick pep talk, I jumped on the train from Antibes, France to Monaco.