The Culinary Passport - S3 EP4: Barry D'Arcy - Ocean Earth Chefs, Spain
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Barry D’Arcy
How do you fancy working on a super yacht owned by a billionaire?
That’s the life Australian chef Barry D’Arcy enjoyed for over 20 years, a life which took him around the world to many exotic spots.
But in 2021 he decided he’d had enough and wanted to put down some roots.
It’s an interesting story which he tells in the latest episode of The Culinary Passport.
He began his career as a professional chef in Australia in the 1980’s.
“My first job was as an apprentice at Coles. I did that for four years but I soon realised it was not the road I wanted to go down”.
His next move proved to be a pivotal one.
“I started at the Hyatt Regency, Coolum, and immediately saw the difference.
“There were a lot of Europeans there and they just had a more professional way of going about things and were more serious about work”.
“I started working in kitchens there and it was like starting my apprenticeship all over again.”
The executive pastry chef at the hotel told the Australians in the kitchen that most of them wouldn’t last a week in Europe, and it wasn’t until he decided to try his luck overseas and went to London that Barry really understood what he’d been told.
“I started working in kitchens there and it was like starting my apprenticeship all over again
“It was the first time I was yelled at in a kitchen and I knew I had to wake up”.
“But I was incredibly lucky because I managed to find people who were prepared to share their knowledge and take the time to help me and my skill level as a chef increased tenfold”.
A chef ‘sea change’
By the 1990’s Barry was looking for a change of scenery and that came when he received a phone call in London from a recruitment agency offering him a position as a chef for five weeks on a 50-metre yacht.
“I’d never heard of the industry and I told them I would have to think about it but a friend in the share house I was living in at the time urged me to grab the opportunity so a few days later I was on a flight to the South of France”.
It’s an overused cliche but it was a life changing moment.
“I didn’t know what to expect but one of the first things you realise is that the kitchen area on a yacht is much smaller and there’s limited storage
“They say if you can work on a boat you can work anywhere and I think that’s true.
“It was an incredibly difficult charter working 12 to 16 hours a day but there was something in me that liked being tested”.
The five weeks was also good for his wallet.
He’d been earning around 190 pounds a week doing jobs in London, but the yachting charter was worth $5000 US dollars a month, plus tips, and that was very much in mind as he returned to Australia to catch up with family and friends before returning to London.
He was soon back in the Mediterranean working on the super yachts which got bigger and grander as the years went by.
“It was great life which suited me perfectly.
“I was incredibly lucky because all the boats I worked on had good owners, good captains and good crew.”
“We would arrive somewhere and the captain would say the owner won’t be arriving until next week so that’s when I could take a few days off and explore the places we were visiting.
“In my last job I was working 10 weeks on and 10 weeks off on full pay and flying all over the world so I used the time to go travelling”.
Although owners of private yachts are not short of money, in Barry’s experience they don’t constantly demand a la carte menus.
“Most of the time they want ordinary home style meals.
“They can go to fancy restaurants whenever they want to but when they’re on board they don’t want complicated food.
“When guests come that’s when you turn it on”.
“The last year I was on the boats I realised I’d reached the peak of my game.
“I was cooking better than I’d ever cooked but I felt it was time to get out because if I stayed on I’d just be going over old ground.
Time to alter course
In 2021, after nearly 20 years working on yachts, Barry decided he’d had enough and it was time for a career change but he wasn’t going to waste what he’d learned and in March of the following year he launched Ocean Earth Chefs which is based in Spain.
“Setting up the company seemed the natural progression because I wanted to stay involved in a dynamic industry
“We also supply chefs to villas and chalets because when one season finishes another begins.
“Not everyone is cut out to work on boats but I would say if you’re thinking about it give it a go"
Are you interested in pursuing a career as a super yacht chef? Why not contact Barry? Visit: https://oceanearthchefs.com/
