The theme for the 2017 competition was to create a Caribbean Sunday brunch suitable for a charter party of adults and children and Chef Kennedy more than rose to the challenge. Early in the planning stages a brainstorming session with her sous chef and the yacht’s stewardesses helped provide inspiration for the meal. “We all talked about what we would want from our ideal brunch, which got us really excited about brunch and food in general,” says Chef Kennedy. “We also went out for some brunches in Florida to help with inspiration and capturing local flavor and I combined this with my previous travels in the Caribbean and the ingredients and dishes I loved when I was there.” This planning and vision payed off with the judges highly impressed with Chef Kennedy’s creative brunch, naming her top in category.

Chef Kennedy has been working on superyachts since 2014, beginning as a sous chef on private and charter motor and sail yachts, before quickly rising through the ranks to become head chef on large motoryachts. Cooking in the Caribbean style, demonstrated in her winning Chef’s Competition entry, is just one of Chef Kennedy’s skillsets, and she thrives on providing a variety of styles and ingredients and catering to a range of palates. “As a chef on a yacht you have to be able to produce anything a guest requests and of course the requests are always interesting and surprising,” she says. “However, the more I cook, the more I am drawn to healthy, simple, vegetable orientated food… because of this, I love Italian food where simple, beautiful ingredients are the most important part if any dish. I also recently spent a couple of months in Tokyo learning about sushi and Japanese cuisine. I fell in love with the food culture there, and try to incorporate Japanese aspects into my menus. I also love beautiful but uncomplicated presentation with lots of fresh and colourful ingredients".

This creative and passionate approach to cooking is something that all of Andiamo’s guests can enjoy, with Chef Kennedy working closely with the rest of the crew to create a special culinary experience for all who step on board. “Our chief stewardess Sonia and I have a friendship based at least in part (if not entirely!) on a love for food and we enjoy planning and sharing a vision of meals for guests,” says Chef Kennedy. “Guests can always look forward to local ingredients and styles, varying with where Andiamo cruises, and I usually like to use lots of fresh fish and seafood, as this of course is always in abundance.” This passion for creating an unforgettable guest experience extends across the whole crew. “Our captain Martin’s number one priority is always to create an unforgettable experience for charter guests, and so he always hires crew who are enthusiastic and driven to impress,” explains Chef Kennedy. “We like to have fun onboard and this definitely comes across in both the food and in service.”

Ahead of any charter Chef Kennedy and the interior team will draft a menu based on guest planning sheets and refine this after having met the guests. “As soon as the guests arrive on board, I like to speak to them as soon as possible so that we can discuss their likes and dislikes, and come up with a plan for the style of eating for the charter,” says Chef Kennedy. A particular pleasure comes from creating a special custom experience tailored around a meal. “We often undertake charters based around special occasions and events and recently onboard Andiamo we celebrated a 30th birthday as a cocktail party,” she says. “We found out the guest's favourite foods, cakes, flowers, décor and interests and tailored a party celebrating her and everything she loves! This is always what we aim to do.”

IYC sends a big congratulations to Chef Kennedy and the crew of Andiamo for this impressive accolade.
Built by Benetti in 2009, and fresh from a major refit that has left her in absolute peak condition, Andiamo is a popular charter vessel with a very experienced crew who specialise in creating unforgettable charter experiences. To find out more about Andiamo for charter click here.

To plan your own fun-filled, charter om Andiamo or any of the IYC fleet please contact the IYC office most convenient to you. IYC has offices in Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, Miami, Newport, Nantucket, Great Lakes, St. Maarten, Monaco, Greece, Russia, Croatia, Montenegro, Barcelona, Scandinavia and Malta. To contact an IYC office click here.