Menemenios Stavros,
Chef, 191-foot motoryacht
Magna Grecia

Date interviewed: May 2008

How did you realize you wanted to become a chef?
I started my job when I was 15 years old. I went to school for tourism, cooking and pasta. I didn’t much like pasta, only to cook. This is my life, very my life.
     After two years in school in Athens at the government school for tourism, I worked in hotels for a summer for training, and then in 1986, I left for two years in the Army in Greece. I did not cook. I finished in the Army and started my job in hotels at the Athens Hilton. I was a first cook, a demi chef, a sous chef, all at the Hilton. I stayed at the Athens Hilton for 13 years.

How did you come to work on yachts?
In 2001, at Christmas, I was at home with my family. My friend called me to help with a party for an owner of a yacht. So I went, and after ten days, this owner asked me if I wanted to stay as the cook. It was a 38-meter private motoryacht.
     After that, I went to megayachts. I worked as the onboard chef for a Saudi Arabian prince, a brother to the last king. I was there four years. It was a private yacht, not for charter.
     In May 2007, I started here on the 191-foot motoryacht Magna Grecia.

How does charter compare with working as a private chef for a prince?
I like this job very much. I like the cooking, the different ideas, the different people, the different tastes. I am a Greek chef, but I cook more than Greek food. I like very much the Mediterranean cuisine, and especially French cuisine. My first teacher was a French and German chef, and I like very much French and Italian and Mediterranean cuisine. I’m part of the new generation of chefs from Greece in that way.

What are some of your specialty dishes, or often-requested favorites?
Asian cuisine, including sushi. And French cuisine. I am flexible.

What is a typical day’s menu that a guest might experience onboard Magna Grecia?
We do big breakfast, big lunch, big dinner. Our first charter this summer in July, we had 11 different plates for lunch. I like to cook big. That is the Greek way. Even if it is French food, it is served big, the Greek way.

That kind of spread must make it easy for guests to be picky.
Often we have guests where one or two people want different food, maybe vegetables only or tomatoes without skin or organic food only. Once we had a man who wanted no salt, no butter, no beef, no pork. This is all okay. It’s no problem.
      When there are 12 people, of course, there are going to be one or two people who want something different. It’s no problem.

What else should CharterWave readers know about you and Magna Grecia?
I am very happy because all the crew on this boat are friends. It’s very nice.

Magna Grecia is part of the fleet at Burgess Yachts. She takes 12 guests with 15 crew at a lowest weekly base rate of 220,000 euro. Contact any reputable charter broker to book a week onboard..