INTERVIEW WITH A CHEF: Force Blue with Chef Alessandro Benacquista
Italy is a great country with a lot to offer. This includes the people, landscape, history, and food. And let’s not forget its talented chefs! I had the pleasure of meeting Chef Alessandro Benacquista, who is the Head Chef on board 70-metre superyacht FORCE BLUE.
From a young age, Alessandro learned how to appreciate the natural ingredients. He notes,. “Since I was a child I spent a lot of time in the cultivated fields of my grandmother, who, with a lot of passion put on the table 0 km and genuine products with unique flavors”.”I developed a passion for the products of the earth, tasting tomatoes, peas, cucumbers, and many other vegetables and fruits directly from the plant and started to cook with her. Here, the passion for food and cooking slowly grew in me. Today, I really appreciate what my grandmother wanted to teach me with her job and I try to put my food on the table just as she did and does with me.” Said Chef Alessandro.
For a chef, having such a strong influence like his grandmother, is the foundation of a true talent. A one to watch, if you will. With a passion for cooking developing at a young age, it was no surprise that he would enter Hotel School at the age of 14 and continue to work weekends in local restaurant kitchens to absorb, as well as, practise what he was learning. Having said this, and as he progressed through his career, I asked him if there was a chef that he admired or was impressed by. “We now have the giants of both Italian and international cuisine who delight us with their creations, their combinations. I feel very inspired by innovations, but I don’t have a chef that I particularly prefer” answered Chef Alessandro. That’s a great answer and one I can relate to. It is always fantastic to see a Chef who can draw from a pool of talented experienced colleagues around them to build their own style of cooking. He continued, “In my opinion, being a Chef is a bit like being an artist, a painter who sometimes can only see beyond himself.”
As I continued to talk to Chef Alessandro, I had to ask him, what were some of his career highlights. His first key highlight was at the age of 20, when he worked in Rome, Italy’s capital, which is home to some of the finest restaurants in the world. This meant he could take advantage of the diverse range of kitchens across the city and learn from local independent Chefs. His second highlight was working at a five star hotel, Sofitel Roma Villa Borghese, where he obtained Three Forks from Michelin. Chef added, “I also had the opportunity to increase my knowledge of Asian cuisine, particularly sushi, having a wonderful experience at the “Billionaire” in Dubai for 2 months. This allowed me to blend cultures to create new specialities with a different touch.”
Over time, like any Chef, the more you cook and grow, the more you start to use certain ingredients over others, and it is not uncommon for Chefs to have a favourite. For some it’s a particular fish, or meat, but with Chef Alessandro, it is herbs. “I like to use fresh herbs a lot in my dishes because they enhance the taste and like a cocktail creating synergy between all the ingredients making them a unique and balanced flavour on the palate. I try to collect the fruit of all my experiences, the techniques I have learned to create original dishes that have my own unique mark.” commented Chef Alessandro.
Currently, Chef Alessandro is the Head Chef on board the superyacht FORCE BLUE, a Royal Denship that is known for being one of the most sought-after superyachts for charter; mainly thanks to its talented crew. FORCE BLUE is able to cater to almost anyone in the world, regardless of their needs, boasting features such as a professional DJ deck for those that like to party, to one of the largest spas in yachting. Guests have access to a steam shower, a hammam, mud bath, sauna, and hydro massage hot tub. This also includes a dedicated onboard massage therapist and beautician who are also available to offer relaxing massages, as well as beauty treatments, at any time, in the massage room, or anywhere on board.
With FORCE BLUE being in high demand year-round, Chef Alessandro is impressively able to adapt to the varying types of cuisines and interesting requests that guests might ask for. Chef Alessandro adds, “The most unusual request was made by one of our clients who wanted to eat minestrone with a temperature no lower than 30 degrees outside every day for lunch and dinner for 30 days, an unusual request for me.” FORCE BLUE has a crew of twenty-one and can accommodate twelve guests across six staterooms. With so many people always onboard; Chef Alessandro is certainly kept busy.
FORCE BLUE recently went through an extensive refit, creating an exceptional open lounging and sunbathing area at sea level with an extended swim platform, making it a perfect beach club for guests of all ages. For guests that enjoy water toys, they have access to a flyboard, hoverboard, wave runners, jet-skis, water skis, seabobs, and paddle boards.
How does a Chef go from restaurants to a yacht galley, I asked. “Four years ago a 52m yacht was looking for a Crew Chef, I left the restaurant without hesitation and found myself working with a fantastic international crew, where I was the only Italian. Every day that went past on the yacht, I got to learn how to work in a kitchen on the water which of course was completely different to working in a traditional restaurant. The international crew also helped better my English too.” Chef Alessandro continued; “As soon as I became part of this world, I realised that it is still in constant evolution where you can find the right balance of cutting-edge technologies and eco-sustainability; Also on the part of the Owners there is a choice to maintain traditionality, especially with food, but also an openness to experimentation based on innovative choices.”
Going from a restaurant to a Chef onboard a yacht is a fantastic way to travel and pick up new ingredients, skills and techniques from around the world. Given that you are stopping at different ports, access to local produce is a dream for any Chef, but there is no getting away from the fact that there is a noticeable difference between kitchens. Chef Alessandro added, “Undoubtedly the differences that can exist between being a Chef on a yacht and a restaurant are varied. The availability of fresh products is not on the same level. For example in a restaurant you have fixed suppliers who supply raw materials every day. On a yacht we always find ourselves in front of different suppliers, often markets, where I choose the best products myself.” He continued, “another difference is not having a fixed à la carte menu but for all my guests I create a personalised menu based on their preferences, so I find myself varying the courses I propose a lot based on the products of the day that I find, not falling into the usual routine but motivated to always do different things.”
When FORCE BLUE is on charter and you have twelve guests to look after, there is a lot of pressure on the Chef, who often pulls crazy hours.. Going to the market at 6am to get fresh ingredients for the day’s menu, and working right through to midnight when the kitchen closes. I asked Chef Alessandro what is the most challenging for him; “The most stressful part of working aboard a yacht is being away from your family. On a psychological level, you must always be ready and hold out in the most difficult moments, always keeping the team’s objective first. In my opinion, the solution is to be able to find the right combination of ages, different cultures, and roles to create a healthy and positive environment for everyone.” But he added; “Although it is stressful, there are so many positives, like travelling along the Mediterranean coasts. The most interesting thing for me is learning about the cultures of the places where we dock, tasting different foods and talking to locals.” I couldn’t agree more with him, having travelled extensively myself.
As we continued to talk, over a glass of his favourite bottle of Pinot Grigio, I asked him, from experience, what advice he would give to anyone who is looking to charter FORCE BLUE?
“For new guests, I would recommend relying on myself and my crew to pamper and delight you with my menus. I offer completely unique dishes, made with only the highest quality ingredients. Using my experiences, you’ll find that all my proposals — such as the bread, focaccia, fresh pasta, sorbets, and ice creams — are homemade by me. I’m ready for new challenges to satisfy all palates!”
FORCE BLUE is available for Charter with Fraser Yachts.
