INSTANT ALUMNI - "Insights into yachting" by William Deguara (graduate 2021)

A few days after being awarded his degree at the graduation ceremony on 29 October, William Deguara (graduate 2021) came back to talk to the 2009 CMFJPC cohort about his unusual journey since leaving the Institute.

After three years at Institut Paul Bocuse, filled with projects and activities (treasurer of the Students' Union, participation in the 4L Trophy, etc.), William chose a line of work that would allow him to travel and, in the long term, to finance his restaurant project.

During his speech, he took the opportunity to remind us of the importance of getting involved in projects in parallel to one's time at the Institute in order to gain experience, organisation skills, maturity and recognition. In fact, it was by participating in the extraordinary 4L Trophy adventure that William was able to take on several challenges and benefit from some special experiences with a number of chefs during his search for sponsors.

“Success comes if you set your mind to it, even if you have to make sacrifices in certain areas”.

Thanks to his wide-ranging experiences, which have taken him from, as he puts it, "kebabs to palaces", William has been able to launch himself into yachting. In parallel to his studies, he was also a chef-influencer for the top-of-the-range cooking utensils brand Gastrolux, a distinguishing feature in today's restaurant business.

This versatile background has enabled him to become, at only 22 years of age, the manager of a multi-million-euro yacht in the Mediterranean (Manta SurReef 80 Power // Yacht catamaran) and soon in the Caribbean.

The advantages and disadvantages of yachting

Before being able to go to sea for several months, William had to pass various mandatory certifications such as the STCW (International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers), a fire training course and a medical check-up to assess his fitness for this physically demanding job.

In choosing yachting, William knew that he would be cut off from his family and friends for the duration of his contract (6 months) and that he would live at the pace of his guests. William explained that he worked 7 days a week, from 7am until the guests went to bed.... which could bring his total working week to 130 hours. Even during the 48-hour break without guests, this valuable time is spent cleaning up the boat, running errands/deliveries planned for each stopover and preparing for the arrival of the next guests.

Alongside all this, there is also a great deal of freedom as a chef. William first had the opportunity to choose all the equipment he would need in his kitchen with a sea view, while keeping in mind the constraints that a kitchen in a boat implies (fixtures, lack of space, optimal use of space...).

Chef Deguara, the sole master of his kitchen, adapts his menus to each customer as he wishes, thus catering for all tastes and food allergies (preference list), while avoiding producing the same dish several times. He thus goes from a Mediterranean cuisine to an Asian cuisine in the same week, always working with top-of-the-range ingredients.

The key to being a yacht chef is to be creative, to be able to manage stress and to react positively to unsatisfied customers.

In addition to this, William is also responsible for the sometimes-complex supplies (high prices, hard-to-find products, etc.) and catering for the crew (a team of 4).

“It's a festive and unusual job, but it's physically and morally demanding and requires a high level of organisation. "You can't be average when catering for people who are used to staying in palaces”.

To get generous tips, up to €3000/week, William explains that the crew always tries to satisfy and go beyond the customer's needs. So, he sometimes leaves behind his role as chef to create souvenir videos or to accompany guests on jet ski trips.

Talking about these advantages and disadvantages got the culinary students thinking about the possibility of such a career.

If you want to learn more about William Deguara's career or contact him to ask questions, you can follow him on social media :

Instagram    LinkedIn 

However, we would like to remind you that before accepting such a position, it is important to consider all of the aspects (pay, demands, working hours, your personal convictions, etc.). 

Our objective is your personal and professional fulfilment !