Interview With A Chef: M/Y Bold & Chef Myles Moses
The Middle East is the part of the world that is in the news for both good and bad reasons; however, the good always triumphs, and with its year-round sunshine, warm waters, and some of the best cuisine in the world, it has become one of the fastest-growing destinations for keen travelers. This year, Qatar hosts the World Cup, drawing millions of fans to this small but historic country.
However, the Middle East is still growing its superyacht presence, especially when it comes to yacht charters. One yacht that’s recently been offered for charter in the region is M/Y Bold, which is one of the most unique yachts available, thanks to the way she looks. M/Y Bold was built by Australia’s top luxury yacht manufacturer, Silver Yachts, and measures a staggering 85m in length. M/Y Bold draws on the technological superiority and industry-leading fuel efficiency of her predecessors, and Silver Yachts collaborated with Espen Øino on her design, highlighting the distinctive flexibility of their effective platforms. M/Y Bold showcases bold style, generous internal and external areas, and the special synergies of Silver Yachts’ most recent development of high-performance and lightweight hulls. Her shallow draft offers unhindered access to shallower cruising grounds, she has an astonishingly low fuel consumption, and the ability to quickly reposition for a change of location or embarkation of new guests.
Because M/Y Bold can cruise shallow seas, charterers can take advantage of having access to portions of the coast near Doha that other yachts cannot. But M/Y Bold is more than that. I had the pleasure of speaking with a remarkable chef who has been surprising guests onboard yachts with his culinary skills for the past six years. Myles Moses is his name.
With over 18 years’ experience cooking professionally, this is a chef who knows his way around a kitchen, so much so that his signature dish is not what you would expect. “To say I have a signature dish, would be unfair to all the dishes I love cooking. But if I had to choose, it would definitely be a classic Beef Wellington,” commented Myles. That’s right, a Beef Wellington, I can see why, it is one of my favourite dishes, but I had to ask, with nearly two decades of experience as a chef, what made him want to become a chef in the first place. “Ever since I can remember, I’ve had an obsession with anything relating to food and the endless possibilities it presented to be creative,” Myles answered.
Chef Myles Moses
For most chefs, there is always someone who was a big inspiration, someone they looked up to, someone who motivated them to keep going, and developing their skills; “The list of chefs I’ve admired over the years is endless,” Myles continued, “but Thomas Keller definitely tops the list, purely due to the contribution he has made to the hospitality industry as a whole and the many chefs he has inspired.” If you don’t know who he is, then he is worth a Google, and I completely understand why Myles would aspire to the talents and success of Thomas.
However, working onboard M/Y Bold, I can only imagine it being stressful, given that Myles has to design a menu for up to twelve guests at a time. M/Y Bold accommodates guests across three VIP guest cabins, four double guest cabins, and there’s an Owners Suite. This Owner’s Suite has a master bedroom, his and her bathrooms, and a separate living room with access to the external terraces. Large, open spaces are key to the design and this idea continues on the party deck, which is located directly above the upper deck loft. There’s a 16-seat marble dining table that’s protected by glass serveries and sliding glass doors and, in front of the dining table, a deck bar with grilling stations, rotisseries, and refrigerators that will satisfy those guests’ cravings for a snack in between meals. “Stress is a part of the kitchen that few chefs can avoid. Being able to perfect and execute the basics consistently every day is something that keeps me on my toes constantly,” added Myles.
Like all chefs, no one simply wakes up one day to this dream job offer, you have to work in a restaurant to build your experience and techniques. I asked Myles what the difference was between working in a restaurant compared to a yacht: “Cooking in a restaurant is different for the most part because of certain dynamics at play. In a restaurant, you have more staff to work with, and different chefs assigned to different sections, who will be experts on that particular section or station. Yachting requires you to be flexible, have a broad knowledge of many types of cuisine, be able to think fast, and execute at 100%.”
And when you are the only chef serving guests who are spending six figures to charter Bold, I can only imagine that Myles has had some interesting requests; “As a chef, I’ve had so many different requests, but the craziest has been a tasting menu based on a suckling pig, serving it from the snout (nose) to the tail, and incorporating every part of the animal.” Myles continued, “I personally love beach barbeques since it gives you an amazing chance to interact with guests.” And when Myles is not cooking, he has his own favourite part of the world, the Amalfi Coast. “The Amalfi Coast, with its rich history and beauty, has been an inspiration of mine for a long time. The quality and respect for ingredients in Amalfi is hard to match in many parts of the world.” And when he has some time to himself, he simply adds, “I love a good merlot.”
When it comes to superyachts, the designs vary from one builder to another because there are many ways to interpret what a superyacht is and just how large it must be. M/Y Bold is a knockout. This is a superyacht that has a military feel; you could say it is the Swiss Army Knife of superyachts. The expansive aft main deck features folding hand railings and hydraulic folding bulwarks, as well as a certified helideck with a D value of 13, which is ideal for helicopters such as the AW109. A 3000-litre capacity refueling tank that’s sunk into the deck has also been incorporated. The 8-ton aft deck crane with a 15-meter reach allows for the launch and recovery of the numerous tenders and toys, and these are also stored on this deck.
A shielded helicopter storage area in front of the helideck can be used for a crossing. This space can also be transformed into a discotheque, with the aft deck morphing into a party deck with optional shelter from a big canopy supported by the crane. The huge foredeck and 3-tonne SOLAS crane enable the launch and recovery of a 6-meter tender, as well as smaller tenders or rescue crafts. This foredeck crane also serves the storage space below for jet skis, or extra provision space when embarking on extended itineraries or adventurous expeditions.
The internal space is exceptionally well utilised. With a beam of 11 metres, each cabin is enormous, and the large windows allow so much natural light in. When you want to get away from the blazing sun, no matter where you decide to go, you truly feel at home. As you walk around, you can sense the attention to detail that the owner went through, and this is what Myles exercises when he is preparing and designing dishes for the guests onboard: “Many hours are spent composing menus around guest preferences, their likes, and dislikes, and giving them a chance to try new dishes that they might not have had before,” added Myles.
Chartering M/Y Bold is certainly an experience that guests will never forget, so I asked Myles what advice he would give to those who look to charter M/Y Bold or another superyacht, to which he kept his reply short and simple; adding that guests should “be open to new experiences and adventure.”
M/Y BOLD is available to charter through Hill Robinson.
