The Art of Cooking: Insights from a Master Chef

The 146’ (44.5m) Trinity SECOND LOVE is a warm and welcoming charter yacht with plenty of unique amenities for guests to explore while onboard. Her five-star, charter-savvy crew is dedicated to exceeding each guest’s expectations. She offers vast areas, both indoors and alfresco, to take advantage of the luxury yachting lifestyle. Northrop & Johnson sat down with SECOND LOVE’s Chef Ozeas Mendes to get an inside look at the life of a private chef onboard a superyacht.

Tell us how you got into cooking:

My passion for cooking was transferred to me by my father at a very young age. He owned a boat, and it was on this boat that I started making my first dishes!

I then decided to improve my skills by attending a cooking school in my native Brazil. Over four years, I learned the basics of cooking and especially how to cook my own dishes with a personal touch.

Afterward, I decided to go to the capital of cooking: Paris. I studied there for a year and a half.

Most extravagant or outrageous food request:

I think one of the most outrageous things a guest asked of me was to add ketchup to a very special meat that I had cooked.

Your most memorable dish:

After only one week in the Parisian cooking school, I was asked to make a typical French pastry: a Pièce Montée. It is a stack of “choux” that must be kept in balance in order to compose a tower. A very technical one!

Biggest cooking mishap or disaster:

I am lucky to not have a precise disaster to share, but when I was cooking with my father, I remember trying and failing at many dishes before I got the result I wanted. It was through these mistakes that I learned some of the techniques that help bring me success today.

Favorite cuisine to make:

Obviously, my favorite cuisine to make is French!

The most underrated ingredient, in your opinion:

Xanthan: I think it is an ingredient that few people know about. I like to use it in my sauces to perfect my settings: it prevents the sauce from running and makes the decoration of my dishes more original.

The most overrated ingredient:

I would say flour and corn flour.

Best meal you’ve had that you didn’t cook:

The best dish I’ve ever eaten was a lobster bisque cooked by French chef Fabien Bini.

Who or what is your inspiration:

I draw my inspiration mainly from my roots, my father and my childhood. I add a French touch which was taught to me during my youth and early studying and I think that it mirrors the result of my current cooking.

Favorite or biggest achievement in your career:

The thing I am most proud of at the moment is my mastery of molecular cooking. I was lucky enough to learn this very special technique in England.

Chef Ozeas’ passion, expertise, and unwavering commitment to introducing unique, mouth-watering dining experiences with a strong emphasis on nutrition have earned him praise from guests and crew members alike. When he’s not whipping up delectable dishes in the galley, Chef Ozeas is living his best life, maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle that includes frequent exercise, thrilling motorcycle rides, and, of course, spending precious quality time with his adoring daughter.

Visit  SECOND LOVE or contact press for more information. Contact Northrop & Johnson to book a luxury yacht charter today. When it comes to selecting a charter destination and planning the holiday of your dreams, Northrop & Johnson’s charter brokers will deliver the best selection of yachts for charter around the world