REVEALED: Winners of the 2017 Mediterranean Yacht Show Chefs’ Competition

By Rebecca Bradbury 4 May 2017

The highly-anticipated Chefs’ Competition at the 2017 Mediterranean Yacht Show, held in Nafplion, Greece, displayed the finest culinary talents as competing chefs wowed the panel of judges with their creations of ‘raw food dishes using Greek products’.

While the luxury yachts were no doubt the standout feature for many attendees at the industry-only Mediterranean Yacht Show, many of the superyacht chefs were hard at work in the galleys, preparing gastronomical creations for the popular and extremely competitive contest.

Vitally important to the overall enjoyment of a luxury yacht charter vacation, chef’s competitions provide brokers with valuable insight into the kinds of meals guests can expect when on board the attending superyachts. In this way, the winners demonstrate how their creations set them apart and make their dining experience totally unique.

The theme for the 2017 show, taking place in Greece from 29^thApril to 2^nd May, was raw food dishes using only Greek products, reflecting the rising trend for raw food, as well as how Greek produce and cuisine are flourishing and appreciated across the Mediterranean.

There was also a tablescaping competition taking place alongside the cooking contest and, likewise, the winners were unveiled on the last night of the show. Find out who impressed the judges the most below.

Category A: The Winners

Fending off stiff competition from a number of entrants, Chef Alexandros Makropoulos from the 31m/103ft superyacht SUNCOCO picked up the gold in Category A this year.

There was two runners up in this class, including Chef Antonios Zafeiriou from the 30m/100ft motor yacht 'Project Steel' in second place, and Chef Nikos Pantechis from the 24m/78ft luxury yacht AIMILIA.

What's more, SUNCOCO also won the prize for the tablescaping competition in Category A, with the crew producing a stunning visual display to secure the victory.

Category A Platinum Winners

As hotly contested as the former category, the platinum division of this year’s competition saw Chef Konstantina Divoli aboard the 31m/101ft superyacht MARTINA take home first place.

Coming in in second place was Chef Dimitris Paidis aboard the 59m/192ft superyacht CAPRI I, with third place going to Chef Ioannis Venieris on board the 44m/144ft motor yacht O'LEANNA.

Lastly, the tablescaping award in this category went to the crew on board the 50m/164ft Perini Navi sailing yacht 'Baracuda Valletta'.