Galley Academy: Pre-Course Preparation Guide
Quality. Delivered. Together.
Welcome to Galley Academy. We are looking forward to having you in the kitchen.
Whether you have never worked a professional service before or you are an experienced home cook preparing for a career at sea, this week is designed to teach you a lot in a short time. Galley Academy is intense, hands-on, and practical. Your instructor will push you, the heat will test you, and the crew you cook alongside becomes a big part of the experience.
How well you prepare in the weeks leading up to the course will directly shape how much you take from it. Students who arrive with the basics already in their hands (a feel for a knife, an understanding of heat, a vocabulary for the kitchen) spend the week building real technique rather than catching up on fundamentals.
This guide is your prep. Read it slowly. Read it twice. Practise the homework. By the time you arrive at the kitchen, you should feel ready to focus on the cooking itself, not the noise around it.
At Quarterdeck we live by a simple motto: Quality. Delivered. Together. That mindset starts here, before you even put on an apron.
See you in the kitchen.
The Quarterdeck Team
The week at a glance
Part I: Getting Ready
1. About Galley Academy
Galley Academy is a seven-day intensive cooking and hospitality course. Each course is led by a dedicated culinary instructor and shared by a small group of students. Over the week you will plan, prep, cook and serve real meals alongside your crewmates, building up to three full services a day and, with them, the speed, confidence and calm that professional cooking demands.
No prior professional cooking experience is required. What is required is an ability to follow instruction under pressure, a willingness to receive honest feedback, and the stamina to be on your feet and working from early morning until dinner service, every day.
The objectives of the week
- Knife confidence and kitchen fundamentals: turning the most intimidating part of cooking into a calm, repeatable routine.
- Mise en place and service timing: planning every service on paper before you touch a pan, so you arrive at the pass calm rather than scrambling.
- The backbone of cooking: the small set of components every working cook leans on every day (carbs, stocks, warm sauces, eggs, bread, slow cook).
- Food safety, allergens and hygiene: the standards Quarterdeck holds, whether you are cooking in a land kitchen or a yacht galley in summer heat.
- The pathway to Host Academy: Galley Academy is the official feeder course into Host Academy. By Friday, you should have the cooking foundation required to walk into the host track without being the weakest link on the kitchen side.
Pro tip: Read this guide once end-to-end. Then read it again with a notebook open. Write down anything you do not understand and bring those questions to your instructor on Day 1. Curiosity is the single best predictor of how much you will learn this week.
2. Why Are You Here?
Galley Academy welcomes a wide range of people. In any given week your kitchen might include someone who has never worked a professional service and someone with years of catering experience. Mixed groups learn faster because everyone teaches everyone.
Your video interview, your CV, your personal letter, and the background you logged in your profile all reach your instructor before the course starts. They will already have a picture of your starting point, your goals and your specific gaps. You do not need to re-establish all of that on Day 1.
Learning to cook for yourself
This is the right purpose if you want to build a solid foundation in cooking for personal use: cooking for friends, improving your technique, understanding flavour and timing. The focus is on producing great food reliably and confidently.
Learning to cook for work
This is the right purpose if you want to cook for a living at sea. For most of our students that means progressing to Host Academy, the pathway to delivering the full onboard guest experience for Quarterdeck and its partners.
Completing Galley Academy does not, by itself, qualify you to work as a host for Quarterdeck. Host Academy is the dedicated route for that. Galley Academy is the foundation, not the qualification. If you intend to continue to Host Academy, tell us as early as possible.
3. What to Expect: A Week of Cooking and Learning
Galley Academy runs Saturday arrival to Friday evening. Meeting points, accommodation suggestions and any week-specific notes will reach you by email before you fly, and be confirmed in your WhatsApp student group. The pace builds as the week progresses: technique days first, real three-service days from mid-week, and a heavier emphasis on student autonomy by the end.
Day 1, Saturday: arrival and welcome
Arrive at the course location. You sleep onboard from Saturday night, so no hotel is needed during the course. If you flew in the night before, check out and bring your bags to the yacht. Welcome briefing with your instructor and crewmates: course overview, safety standards, expectations, and the plan for the week. Group dinner together onboard. Early night. Sunday starts on time.
Day 2, Sunday: theory, demonstration, provisioning
Morning theory session: kitchen vocabulary, the five course objectives, food safety overview. Knife skills demonstration and drill: the four core cuts, the chef’s grip, the guide hand, honing. Everyone practises on real produce. Provisioning: we walk to the market or supermarket as a group. Everyone helps plan, shop and carry. Afternoon: first prep session in practice (write the list, set up the station, execute to time).
Days 3 to 6, Monday to Thursday: full services
Three services per day: breakfast, lunch and dinner. Each service is planned, prepped, executed and cleaned down by the students, with the instructor observing and coaching. Daily focus rotates through bread and baking, stocks and sauces, plating and presentation, slow cooking and service management. Students rotate through lead cook and support roles. Debriefs after every service.
Day 7, Friday: final service and debrief
Final service, then close-down and full kitchen clean. Individual debrief with your instructor: what you did well, what to work on, and an honest readiness assessment if Host Academy is your next step. Certificates issued to those who meet the standard. You may sleep onboard Friday night. Saturday is departure day.
4. Kitchen Life and Working Together
Working in a kitchen with others is a skill in itself. The technical side of cooking is only part of what Galley Academy teaches. The other part is communication, rhythm and shared responsibility. The groups that produce the best food are not the most talented. They are the ones with the best habits.
Clean as you go
This is the single most important rule of professional kitchen life. A clean station is a safe station, and a clear station is a fast one. After every task, wipe down, put away and wash up before moving to the next. The kitchens that fall apart during service are the ones where cleaning was left for later. Later does not come.
The prep list is law
Before every service, write the list: every dish, every component, every timing, in order. A prep list is not a recipe. It is a plan. The discipline of writing it forces you to think through the service before you are in the middle of it.
Communication in the kitchen
Professional kitchens run on short, clear language. If you are moving behind someone, say ‘behind’. If you are carrying something hot, say ‘hot’. If you are out of an ingredient, say so immediately, not at the pass. Silence in a kitchen is a hazard, not professionalism.
Sharing the weight
Every student takes a turn leading the service, supporting the lead cook, and running the clean-down. There is no role beneath anyone. Washing a pan quickly so the next cook can use it is as important as plating the final dish.
5. Safety in the Kitchen
A kitchen is a safe place to work when everyone in it takes their responsibilities seriously. Your instructor will run safety briefings on Day 1 and reinforce them all week.
Knives
A sharp knife is a safe knife. A blunt knife requires more pressure; more pressure means less control. Keep your knives sharp, use the correct knife for each job, and never reach into a bag or drawer to feel for a blade. Always pass a knife handle-first.
Heat and burns
Assume every pan, every surface and every oven rack is hot until confirmed otherwise. Always use a dry oven glove (a wet one conducts heat immediately). When moving a hot pan, announce it. Never leave the handle of a pan pointing outward where it can be knocked.
Fire
Grease fires are extinguished with a lid or fire blanket, never with water. Know where the fire extinguisher and fire blanket are located in your kitchen on Day 1. No dish is worth more than a person.
Slips and spills
Spills are cleaned immediately, not when convenient. Call it loudly, grab a cloth, and deal with it before resuming your task. A wet floor in a working kitchen is a serious hazard.
Speaking up
If you are hurt, tell the instructor immediately. If you see a hazard, tell the instructor. If you feel overwhelmed or unwell, tell the instructor. Staying quiet about a problem is never the right call.
6. What to Bring
Your kit matters. Assuming your kitchen will have everything you need is a mistake. Start building your kit now, label everything, and bring a list so you do not leave anything behind.
Your essential tool kit
- Chef's knife (20-25 cm): your primary tool. Sharpened before you fly.
- Paring knife: for fine work and detail.
- Serrated bread knife: essential for clean cuts through baked goods.
- Knife roll: store all blades in a roll bag, never loose.
- Honing steel: for daily knife maintenance. Non-negotiable.
- Silicone spatula: heatproof. Indispensable for scrambled eggs, sauces and scraping pans cleanly.
- Tongs: a pair of long, locking tongs. Essential for turning meat, plating and general service.
- Oven glove: dry and quality. Bring your own. Shared oven gloves in busy kitchens are invariably damp.
- Loaf tin: for bread baking in any oven.
- Non-stick pan: eggs are unforgiving on a poor surface. Bring your own small non-stick if possible.
- Fine sieve or mesh strainer: for stocks, sauces and plating.
Clothing and personal items
- At least two aprons. You will go through them faster than you think.
- Closed-toe shoes. Non-negotiable in a working kitchen. Trainers or dedicated kitchen shoes. Nothing open-toed.
- Hair ties. Long hair must be tied back during every service. Have spares.
- Comfortable, light, breathable clothing. Kitchens are hot and the week is physical.
- Notebook and pen. Your prep lists, recipes and instructor notes live here.
- Personal medication in original packaging, with enough for the full trip plus a few extra days.
7. Mindset, Stamina and Working Under Pressure
Galley Academy is physically and mentally demanding. You will be on your feet for long hours, working in heat, executing under time pressure, and receiving honest feedback multiple times a day. None of this is unusual in a working kitchen. All of it is manageable with the right mindset going in.
Physical demands
Expect to stand for most of the day: chopping, stirring, plating, cleaning. Good footwear makes a real difference. If you can stand comfortably for four to six hours and work with your hands for extended periods, you are in fine shape.
Taking feedback
Your instructor will give you direct, honest feedback on your technique, your timing and your standards. This is not personal. It is professional. The students who improve fastest are the ones who hear feedback as information rather than criticism, apply it immediately, and ask what else they can fix.
Making mistakes
You will burn something. You will over-season something. You will miss the timing. Every student does. The professional response is to acknowledge it, fix it if you can, tell the instructor, and move on.
The students who get the most from the week share three traits:
- Curiosity (they ask, all week, even when they think they know),
- Humility (they take feedback as a gift, not a wound), and
- Composure (they make mistakes calmly and do not blame the heat, the equipment, or each other).
Part II: Cooking Foundations
8. Kitchen Vocabulary
The words below come up many times every day. An hour with this list will save you hours of confusion in the first 48 hours.
Preparation terms
- Mise en place: French for 'everything in its place'. The principle of having every ingredient prepped, measured and organised before cooking begins. The most important concept in professional cooking.
- Julienne: thin batons (5cm x 3mm x 3mm). The foundation of even dicing.
- Brunoise: very fine dice (3mm cubes). Used for garnishes and refined sauces.
- Chiffonade: fine ribbons cut from stacked, rolled leafy herbs or greens.
- Mirepoix: roughly diced onion, carrot and celery. The aromatic base of most stocks and braises.
Cooking terms
- Saute: to cook quickly in a small amount of fat over high heat.
- Deglaze: adding liquid to a hot pan to lift caramelised bits off the bottom. Those bits are flavour.
- Reduce: simmering a liquid to evaporate water, concentrating flavour and thickening consistency.
- Emulsify: combining two liquids that do not naturally mix (fat and water) into a stable suspension. Hollandaise and vinaigrette are emulsions.
- Braise: slow-cooking in a covered pot with a small amount of liquid. Ideal for tough, fatty cuts of meat.
- Blanch: briefly boiling vegetables, then plunging into ice water. Locks in colour and stops the cooking.
- Season: add salt and pepper to taste. Done throughout cooking, not only at the end.
- Render: cook fatty meat slowly over low heat so the fat melts out.
- Fold: gently incorporate a delicate mixture (egg whites, cream) into a heavier one without knocking out the air.
Service terms
- The pass: the point where finished dishes move from the kitchen to the guest.
- Fire: the instruction to start cooking a dish now. 'Fire the eggs' means start them immediately.
- Covers: the number of people you are cooking for. 'Ten covers for dinner' means ten guests.
9. Knife Skills and the Four Core Cuts
Knife skills are the foundation of everything else in cooking. A cook who cannot handle a knife confidently cannot work at pace, cannot produce consistent results, and cannot be safe in a busy kitchen. This is the area where Galley Academy invests the most time in the first two days.
You do not need to arrive as a skilled knife user. But you should arrive having practised, not just having watched a video. There is no substitute for time with a blade in your hand and a pile of vegetables in front of you.
The chef's grip
Hold the blade between your thumb and the side of your index finger, just in front of the bolster. The remaining three fingers wrap around the handle. This pinch grip gives control and reduces fatigue. It feels unnatural at first and becomes nature with practice.
The guide hand (the claw)
Your non-knife hand holds the food and guides the blade. Curl your fingertips under so your knuckles are the highest point and the flat side of the blade rests against them. This keeps your fingertips safe and controls the width of each cut. Never straighten your fingers toward the blade.
The four core cuts
Maintaining your knives
A honing steel realigns the edge of the blade. Use it before every service: draw the blade down the steel at a consistent 15-20 degree angle, alternating sides, five to ten strokes per side. It takes 30 seconds and makes a measurable difference to how the blade performs.
10. Heat, Timing and Mise en Place
The most common reason food service goes wrong is not a lack of cooking skill. It is a lack of planning.
Writing a prep list
Before every service, write the list: every dish, every component, every step, every timing, in order. A prep list is not a recipe. It is a plan. The discipline of writing it forces you to think through the service before you are in the middle of it.
Here is an example prep list for a breakfast service serving ten guests. Begin: 07:00. Serve: 09:00.
Dish | Prep time | Start prep | Oven in | Oven out | Overnight oat bowls | 20 min | Night before | – | – |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Puff pastry rolls | 15 min | 07:00 | 07:30 | 08:00 |
Fruit platter | 20 min | 07:25 | – | – |
Meat and cheese board | 20 min | 07:45 | – | – |
Bacon | 15 min | 08:30 | 08:30 | 08:45 |
Poached eggs | 25 min | 08:30 | – | – |
There is a five-minute buffer built between tasks to clean up and reset your station. Cleaning as you go is part of the timing.
Reading the recipe end to end
Before you start any recipe, read it from start to finish. Identify the slowest step. Ask: what can I do while that is happening? A good cook is never waiting. While the onions are sweating, the herbs are being chopped. While the bread is baking, the fruit is being sliced.
Back-planning from the plate
Work backwards from the moment the dish must land on the pass. If dinner is at 19:30 and the slow-cook needs four hours, it goes in the pot no later than 15:30. If the dessert needs two hours in the fridge, it has to be made before lunch.
11. The Backbone of Cooking
From food to cooking: an important shift
Many people arrive at Galley Academy having eaten a lot of food without having cooked very much of it. That is completely fine: this is what the week is for. But it helps to name the distinction early.
Food includes things you assemble: a salad, a sandwich, a charcuterie board, a smoothie. Cooking is something different: it is the process of using heat, technique and time to transform raw ingredients into something more than the sum of their parts.
When your instructor asks ‘what sauces can you make?’, they mean warm sauces, cooked sauces. Not mayonnaise, not aioli, not a dressing. A warm sauce starts with heat and ends with something a guest would pay for.
The six backbone skills below are what every working host reaches for every day. You do not need to arrive having mastered them. You do need to have attempted all of them at least once before you arrive, with questions ready.
11.1 Carb mastery: pasta, rice and potatoes
Pasta
Salt the water heavily. It should taste noticeably salty: this is the pasta’s only opportunity to absorb seasoning. Boil vigorously (a rolling boil prevents sticking; never add oil to the water as it coats the pasta and prevents sauce from adhering). Al dente means firm, not hard: taste a piece two minutes before the packet time. Reserve a mugful of pasta water before draining; a splash of it loosens and emulsifies sauces in a way nothing else can.
Browse the Yacht Chef Cookbook for pasta lunch ideas.
Practice: Cook 400g pasta for four people. Time it precisely. Taste it every 30 seconds in the last two minutes. Drain al dente, finish in the pan with sauce and a splash of pasta water.
Rice (absorption method)
Wash first: rinse Jasmine or Basmati under cold water until it runs clear. Ratio: 1 part rice to 1.5 parts cold water, plus a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, stir once, then reduce to the lowest possible heat immediately. Put the lid on and leave it for 12-15 minutes. Do NOT lift the lid. Remove from heat, rest (lid on) for 5 minutes, then fluff gently with a fork.
Potatoes (three ways)
- Boiled: start in cold salted water, bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer. Test with the tip of a knife: zero resistance means done.
- Roasted: parboil first (15 minutes), drain and steam-dry for 2 minutes, shake the colander to rough up the edges. Get the oven and the oil very hot before the potatoes go in. Do not move them for the first 20 minutes.
- Mashed: drain well, return to the pot briefly over low heat to steam off excess moisture, mash while still very hot, fold in warm butter and warm cream. Season generously. Taste.
Risotto (stretch goal)
Toast Arborio rice in butter until each grain looks slightly translucent at the edges (2 minutes). Add a glass of white wine; stir until fully absorbed. Add hot stock one ladleful at a time, stirring continuously. Done at 18-20 minutes when the rice has a slight bite and flows like a slow wave when the pan is tilted. Finish by folding in cold butter and grated Parmesan off the heat; rest with the lid on for 2 minutes.
11.2 Stock: the base of almost everything
A good stock transforms a sauce, a risotto, a braise or a soup from acceptable to exceptional. We make chicken stock from scratch on Day 2 and use it throughout the week.
- Bones: roasted chicken carcasses, wings or backs. Roasting first adds colour and depth.
- Mirepoix: roughly chopped onion, carrot and celery in a 2:1:1 ratio.
- Aromatics: bay leaf, peppercorns, thyme and parsley stalks.
- Method: cold water to cover, bring slowly to the boil, skim the grey foam, simmer (do not boil) for three to four hours, strain, cool, label.
The most common mistakes: boiling instead of simmering (makes the stock cloudy), not skimming, and not cooling quickly enough.
11.3 Warm sauces: the skill that separates you
This section may be the most important in the entire guide for anyone headed toward Host Academy. When interviews and assessments ask about sauces, they mean warm, cooked sauces. Master these four and you will be ahead of most applicants.
Long-simmered tomato sauce
Soften 1 diced onion and 4 garlic cloves in olive oil until translucent (about 10 minutes, low heat). Add 2 tins of chopped tomatoes, a pinch of sugar, salt and torn basil. Simmer uncovered on the lowest heat for 30-40 minutes until reduced and glossy. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Pan sauce
Remove the cooked protein from the pan. Keep the fat and all the browned bits. Add a finely diced shallot or garlic if desired; soften for 1 minute. Deglaze with 100ml white wine or stock, scraping up all the fond. Reduce by half over medium heat (2-3 minutes). Remove from heat, add 30g cold butter in pieces, swirl or whisk gently until the sauce becomes glossy and slightly thick. Season, strain if needed, serve immediately.
Hollandaise
An emulsion sauce made from egg yolks, butter and lemon juice, made over a bain-marie. Whisk 3 egg yolks, 1/4 cup water and 2 tbsp lemon juice over very low heat until the mixture thickens and holds a ribbon. Add 125g melted butter extremely slowly while whisking constantly. Season with salt and a pinch of white pepper. The danger: too much heat scrambles the eggs. If the steam becomes aggressive, take the bowl off the heat briefly and keep whisking.
See hollandaise served in the Yacht Chef Cookbook breakfast section.
Beurre blanc
Beurre blanc is a classic French white butter sauce served with fish and vegetables. It is specifically used in Host Academy assessments to gauge technical cooking knowledge. If you can describe this sauce correctly, you demonstrate genuine kitchen experience.
What it is NOT: beurre blanc is not bechamel, not a cream sauce. It is a pure butter emulsion with an acid base.
Combine 100ml dry white wine, 50ml white wine vinegar and 1 finely minced shallot in a small saucepan. Simmer until reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Reduce heat to the lowest setting and whisk in 200g very cold butter (diced into small cubes) a few pieces at a time. The sauce should be silky and slightly thick. Never boil once the butter is in (boiling breaks the emulsion). Season with salt, white pepper and a few drops of lemon juice. Strain out the shallot pieces for a refined finish.
11.4 Eggs: five ways
Eggs are cooked multiple times every day in a galley or kitchen, often for ten or more people at once. You are expected to arrive able to produce all five styles consistently.
- Boiled: soft (5 minutes from boiling) or hard (9-10 minutes). Always into boiling water, always into cold water after. Cool fully before peeling.
- Fried (sunny side up): oil sizzling before the egg goes in. Lid on for 2-3 minutes for a set white and soft yolk.
- Scrambled: low heat, silicone spatula, a tablespoon of butter. Take off the heat before they look done. They continue cooking. Soft, not dry.
- Poached: fresh eggs, a deep pan of barely simmering water. Lower the egg gently. 2 minutes for a soft yolk. Rest on a paper towel.
- Omelette: hot pan, beaten eggs, fold in thirds as the surface sets. Pale golden outside, slightly soft inside. Under 2 minutes.
See how eggs appear on the Yacht Chef Cookbook breakfast menu.
11.5 Enriched bread dough
One batch of enriched dough becomes focaccia, flatbread, pizza and dinner rolls across the week. The technique is consistent; only the shape and toppings change.
Basic enriched dough:
- 2-3/4 cups plain flour, 3 tbsp sugar, 3 tsp instant dry yeast, 1-1/2 tsp salt, 1-3/4 tbsp neutral oil, 1 egg, 1/2 cup warm water.
- Mix, knead for 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- First rise for 1-2 hours (or overnight in the fridge).
- Shape.
- Second rise for 45-60 minutes.
- Bake until golden.
See focaccia and naan bread in the Yacht Chef Cookbook breakfast section for shapes and toppings.
11.6 Meat: principles, cutting and slow cooking
What heat does to protein
- Low and slow: gentle heat breaks down collagen in tough cuts into gelatin, creating tender, moist results.
- High heat: creates the Maillard reaction (the browning and crust that builds flavour). Sear first, then finish gently.
- Resting: after cooking, meat must rest before cutting. For a thick steak: rest at least 5 minutes. For a joint: 10-15 minutes.
The most important cutting principle: against the grain
Muscle fibres run in one direction (the grain). Cutting with the grain produces long, tough fibres that are hard to chew. Cutting against the grain (perpendicular to the fibres) gives each slice short fibres and noticeably more tender results.
Look at the piece of meat. Identify which direction the fibres run. Rotate the meat so your knife will cut perpendicular to those lines. This applies to flank steak, brisket, skirt, chicken breast, pork loin, and any larger cut being sliced for service.
Slow cook method
Brown the meat in batches over high heat (do not skip this step). Build the aromatics (onion, garlic, spices). Add liquid (stock, wine or a combination) to about halfway up the meat. Cover and cook on the lowest possible heat for 3-5 hours. Check liquid levels every hour. The meat is ready when it falls apart with a fork.
Pulled pork and sticky pulled beef are the most common slow-cook dishes on Quarterdeck charters. See full recipes in the Yacht Chef Cookbook dinner section.
12. Food Safety, Allergens and Hygiene
Cooking for a group in a small kitchen in summer heat raises the food safety bar significantly. These are not bureaucratic rules; they are the things that keep your guests healthy and your career intact.
Temperature control
Fridges at 4 degrees C or below. Hot holding at 63 degrees C or above. Food that sits between 4 and 63 degrees C is in the danger zone where bacteria multiply rapidly; never leave cooked food in this range for more than two hours. Hot food must be cooled rapidly (within 90 minutes to below 21 degrees C); shallow containers in cold water speed this up significantly.
Cross-contamination
Raw protein, cooked protein, vegetables, fish and dairy must never share a board or tools without washing in between. The sequencing rule: vegetables first, raw protein last.
Allergens
The UK and EU recognise 14 allergens: celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, peanuts, sesame, soybeans, sulphur dioxide (sulphites) and tree nuts. The US recognises 9 (the ‘Big 9’): milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame.
Your prep list must note any guest allergies at the top. Allergen dishes are cooked first, on dedicated equipment, and plated separately before anything else is touched. An allergen error is not a service mistake. It is a safety incident. Treat it as such from Day 1.
Allergens
The UK and EU recognise 14 allergens: celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, peanuts, sesame, soybeans, sulphur dioxide (sulphites) and tree nuts. The US recognises 9 (the ‘Big 9’): milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame.
Your prep list must note any guest allergies at the top. Allergen dishes are cooked first, on dedicated equipment, and plated separately before anything else is touched. An allergen error is not a service mistake. It is a safety incident. Treat it as such from Day 1.
Personal hygiene
Wash hands thoroughly before starting, after touching raw protein, after using the bathroom, and whenever contamination may have occurred. Tie hair back before entering the kitchen. Remove rings and bracelets. Keep nails short and unvarnished. Do not work with food if you are feeling unwell.
FIFO (First In, First Out)
Older stock goes to the front of the fridge; new stock goes behind it. Label everything with the date it was made or opened.
13. Seasoning, Flavour and Building a Dish
Technical skill and good ingredients will only take you so far. The thing that separates a competent cook from a great one is an understanding of flavour: how to build it, how to balance it, and how to taste critically throughout cooking, not just at the end.
Salt
Salt is not a flavour in itself; it is a flavour amplifier. Season at every stage: the vegetables as they go in, the sauce as it reduces, the final dish at the pass. Taste after every addition.
Acid
A dish that tastes flat or heavy is usually missing acid. A squeeze of lemon, a splash of vinegar, or a spoonful of yogurt can transform a dish that is technically correct but lifeless.
Fat
Fat carries flavour and creates texture. Butter adds richness and gloss to sauces. Olive oil adds fruitiness and depth. The right fat in the right amount at the right stage is one of the most important variables in professional cooking.
Tasting throughout
Taste constantly, as a deliberate act of quality control. Every time something goes in or comes out of the pot, taste it. Ask: what does it need?
Plating: the guest eats with their eyes first
Three colours minimum. A plate with three distinct colours is almost always visually appealing. Garnish must be edible: everything on the plate gets eaten. Sauce goes under or around the main element, not poured over it after plating (this preserves any crust or glaze). Wipe the rim: a smear on the plate edge is the fastest way to undermine an otherwise excellent plate.
Part III: Kitchen and Galley Operation
14. From Land Kitchen to Yacht Galley
Galley Academy may be run in a fully equipped land kitchen or in a yacht galley, depending on your destination and cohort. Both are teaching environments with real constraints.
The land kitchen
A land kitchen is more spacious, better equipped and has more consistent heat than a yacht galley. It is the right environment to build technique, run multiple services simultaneously, and develop speed.
The yacht galley
A yacht galley is a working kitchen in a very small space. The preparation area is minimal. Equipment is basic. Refrigeration is limited. The boat moves.
- Prep everything before the heat goes on. There is no room to go back to the fridge mid-service. Everything comes out, gets prepped, and is ready before you start cooking.
- No oven thermometer. You will calibrate by observation: watching colour, listening for the right sounds, smelling the stage of cooking.
- Limited refrigeration. FIFO and tight labelling are not optional. Keep your fridge meticulously clean.
- Space discipline. Work clean. Put equipment away immediately after use. A cluttered galley in a moving boat is a safety hazard.
- Improvise with what is available. The ability to build a great meal from a limited and unpredictable shopping list is the most valuable skill you will develop this week.
Provisioning abroad
Download a translator app that works offline. Note the local words for anything that could be confused before you shop. Prioritise versatile ingredients: eggs, good olive oil, lemons, canned tomatoes, garlic, onions, dried pasta. Buy garnishes intentionally: fresh herbs, chilli flakes, balsamic glaze.
Part IV: Stretch and Final Prep
15. Stretch Material: Taking It Further
Galley Academy teaches you to cook and serve at a professional standard. Host Academy teaches you to operate as a working host on a character yacht: managing the full guest experience, working as a unit with the skipper, and delivering hospitality that guests pay to talk about. This section is for anyone who wants to push beyond the core curriculum.
Host Academy: what is different
Host Academy is a job audition as much as a course. You are assessed against Quarterdeck’s standards every day. You are cooking for paying guests on a real charter. The guests are Skipper Academy students: real guests, real expectations. Speed is significantly higher (7am start, breakfast service at 9am, lunch prep from midday, dinner service at 7:30pm). Hospitality is as important as cooking: guests may forget what they ate but will remember how you made them feel.
What Host Academy assesses from a cooking perspective
Make sure you can describe and demonstrate:
- How to make a warm sauce from scratch (tomato, hollandaise, beurre blanc, or a pan sauce).
- The principle of cutting meat against the grain and why it matters.
- Three lunch dishes you can cook for 10 guests (one meat, one fish, one vegetarian): not assembled plates but cooked dishes.
- How to adapt a menu when a key ingredient is unavailable.
- Basic food safety: temperature danger zone, allergen protocol, FIFO.
Familiarise yourself with the full range of charter dishes in the Quarterdeck Yacht Chef Cookbook. Browse breakfasts, lunches, dinners and desserts.
Stretch goals during the week
16. Apps and Tools to Set Up Before You Arrive
Essential
- Google Translate with offline language pack. Download the language for your destination so it works without data.
- Multi-timer app. Your phone's built-in timer works, but a multi-timer lets you run several countdowns simultaneously.
- Notes app (built into your phone). For daily prep lists. Searchable, always with you.
- WhatsApp. Your student group will form here. Ensure your number works at your destination.
- Google Maps with your destination downloaded for offline use.
Recommended
- Bookmark the Yacht Chef Cookbook. Browse it before the course. Knowing what the charter menu looks like is excellent context for what you are preparing for.
- A recipe app (BBC Good Food, Yummly, or similar). Download recipes you want to try before you leave home so they are accessible offline.
Phone admin
Confirm your phone works at your destination. Arrange roaming or a local SIM before you fly. Bring at least one fully charged power bank. Kitchens are not always near sockets.
17. Final Checklist Before You Travel
Print this page. Tick each item. Do not pack until everything below is true.
Documents
- Passport, valid at least 6 months beyond the end of your trip
- Travel insurance with relevant activity cover
- Travel visa if applicable
Travel
- Flights booked to your course destination
- Transfer to the course location planned
- If flying in the day before: one night near the start location booked (from Saturday you sleep onboard)
- Return travel booked for Saturday or later (course ends Friday evening; you may sleep onboard Friday night)
- If continuing to Host Academy: travel and handover coordinated with the Host Academy schedule
Apps and tools
- Google Translate installed with offline language pack downloaded
- Multi-timer app installed and tested
- WhatsApp working internationally
- Offline map for your destination region downloaded
- Power bank fully charged and packed
Recommended prep completed
- Knife skills practised: julienne and dice until cuts are consistent
- Pasta cooked al dente at least twice, finished in the pan with sauce
- Rice cooked by the absorption method (1:1.5 ratio, no lid-lifting, rested before fluffing)
- Potatoes cooked all three ways: boiled from cold water, roasted (parboiled first), mashed
- Tomato sauce made from scratch at least once
- Pan sauce made from a chicken or pork pan
- Hollandaise attempted at least once
- Beurre blanc researched and attempted if time allows
- Eggs cooked all five ways: boiled, fried, scrambled, poached, omelette
- Meat sliced against the grain at least once; note the texture difference
- One batch of enriched dough made and baked as rolls or focaccia
- One slow-cook recipe completed (pulled pork, braised chicken, or similar)
- One full meal plated deliberately: three colours, garnish, clean rim
- One meal cooked from whatever was already in the fridge (no shopping trip)
Tool kit
- Knife set packed in a roll bag with honing steel
- Silicone spatula, tongs, oven glove
- Loaf tin and non-stick pan (if bringing your own)
- Sieve
- At least two aprons
- Closed-toe shoes packed
- Hair ties packed
- Notebook and pen
Personal
- Comfortable standing and working on your feet for extended periods
- This guide read twice
- Three questions noted to ask your instructor on Day 1
See you in the kitchen.
Quality. Delivered. Together.