YACHT
Independent galley service
Guest and crew menus, provisioning, inventory, dietary management and changing itineraries.
PRIVATE & YACHT CHEF · EUROPE / WORLDWIDE
Solo-galley discipline.Private-table instinct.
Estonian EU chef, Mediterranean-based, with 20+ years in professional kitchens and current private-yacht service. Menus are built around the owner, the programme and the day—not a fixed restaurant format.
Selective confidential opportunities · timing by agreement
Riho HeinmetsPrivate & Yacht Chef
29–44mPrivate yacht experience
20+Years professional kitchens
EUEstonian passport
SoloGalley command
SELECTED WORK
At your table.
On your terms.
A quiet family lunch or a dinner worth remembering. Different occasions, the same care.
Asparagus & herbsSpring vegetables · herb-led
Fish & cucumberSeafood · cucumber · light course
Beetroot compositionSeasonal beetroot · vegetable-led
Lamb courseComposed dinner course · lamb
CrudoSeafood · clean raw preparation
The summer tableSummer · sharing-style service
Photographs of my own cooking.
View all 16 photographsABOUT RIHO
Twenty years taught me how to cook.
Private service taught me who I am cooking for.
I work owner-first rather than ego-first.
Private service is different from restaurant cooking. You need to remember preferences, read the day, adjust quickly when plans change and know when a client wants an experience — and when they simply want grilled fish, soup or a favourite salad done exactly right.
I am equally comfortable with refined guest dinners, Mediterranean seafood, clean health-conscious food, family-style lunches and familiar comfort food. The aim is simple: reliable food and an organised kitchen that reduce the principal’s mental load.
01Discretion and trust are part of the job, not extras.
02Fine-dining technique is useful. Chef ego is not.
03Changing plans should never become the client's problem.
Founder of Greycrest Group Ltd, a separate private-service recruitment venture.
PRIVATE SERVICE
More than dinner.
Menu planning, provisioning, dietary requirements, guest preferences, crew meals, stock, travel and last-minute changes are all part of making the final experience feel effortless.
HOUSEHOLD
Personal family cooking
Everyday dining, wellness-led menus, entertaining, travel and long-term preference memory.
OCCASION
Refined when required
Guest dinners and polished service without turning the household into a restaurant.
REFERENCES
Verified by people
who have seen the work.
Public wording is kept brief. Full written references and referee details are available to serious employers and recruiters.
Bluebay Monaco’s written reference records strong owner feedback on my cooking and describes me as calm, strategic and thoughtful under stress.
Bluebay Monaco · Yacht ManagementWritten reference · March 2026 · countersigned by captain
Captain’s written reference held from a full Mediterranean season in a 29m private-yacht galley.
Private Yacht CaptainGalley performance · teamwork · season completion
Managing-partner reference held from a seafood restaurant launch where I led the culinary concept, menus and brigade setup.
Restaurant Managing PartnerLeadership · menu development · opening team
References available on request. Private client identities are disclosed only with permission.
SELECTED EXPERIENCE
Yachts now.
Professional kitchens before them.
Selected highlights rather than a complete employment chronology. Full dates and references are in the professional CV.
Solo Chef · Private Yacht
Full-board owner, guest and crew service with independent menu planning, provisioning, stock control and galley systems.
Private Yachts · 29–44m
Mediterranean solo-galley service, new-build delivery and concurrent dietary requirements.
Private Chef / Culinary Consultant · Europe
Bespoke private-client work, dietary-led menu design, premium sourcing and travel-based service.
Head Chef · Tallinn
High-volume fine dining, menu development, staff training and brigade leadership of up to ten chefs.
Chef · Iceland / Nordic Cuisine
Seasonal Nordic cooking, sustainable sourcing and production catering alongside hotel/restaurant service.
Head Chef · Five-Star Hotel · Tallinn
VIP and diplomatic service including royalty and NATO delegations.
Chef de Partie · The Fat Duck · UK
Three-Michelin-star technical foundation in a demanding multi-component tasting-menu kitchen.
STCWSeafarer MedicalShip's Cook CertificateFood Hygiene Level 3PDSDPowerboat Level 2
HIRING FACTS
The practical details.
EU passport · Mediterranean-based in Slovenia.
Estonian · English · Russian · Finnish · basic French.
Solo / Head Chef to 55m · Sous Chef on larger yachts · private / travelling chef.
Selective opportunities · timing and notice by agreement.
Current STCW, seafarer medical, Ship’s Cook, PDSD and Food Hygiene Level 3.
Written yacht-management, captain and hospitality references held on file.
PRIVATE ENQUIRIES
Looking for a chef?
Permanent, rotational, yacht, household or selected temporary private service. Tell me a little about the role. If it looks like the right fit, we can start with a conversation.