Interview with Chef Ben Robinson of Below Deck Talks Cooking, Yachting, and Future Plans

Photo c/o etonline.com

It may be called Below Deck, but Bravo’s nautical reality series is riding high.  The original show just wrapped on its seventh season, following the adventures of 49 yachties and hitting the 100 episode mark along the way.  Its success has inspired two spin-off shows: Below Deck Mediterranean, which has been on for four seasons, and the brand new addition to the franchise, Below Deck Sailing Yacht.

Despite the constantly changing crew, Chef Ben Robinson has become a familiar face.  He’s served up delicious food from the galley on 4 seasons on Below Deck and most recently stepped in to save the day on Below Deck Mediterranean.  While he achieved fame from reality television, he is a true chef who started cooking at the age of 5.  CTBites had the opportunity to sit down with him at the Mohegan Sun Wine & Food Fest to chat about his culinary start, his time on the show, and his exciting plans for the future.

Emma Stetson: So, how's Connecticut been treating you? I know it’s your first time here [at the Mohegan Sun Wine and Food Festival].

Ben Robinson:  I'm loving it. Everyone has just been amazing.  The staff has been incredible expediting the food. You know typically we're seeing big numbers- 1200 people- so we've been here for a couple of days and my sous chef has been working all of yesterday.  I got in yesterday… it’s amazing that I actually got in yesterday. Because there are no windows here, so it feels like I've been here for a year and a half (laughs).

ES: We caught a little bit of your demo yesterday.  You said that you had been cooking since you were five. How does that happen? I wasn't trying to cook when I was five.

BR: I had an amazing relationship with my mum, and I just enjoyed the cooking aspect of it. We had a beautiful AGA, it’s an oil-drip burner, and I swear I was making the sauces when I was five. When I was five, six I knew all of my mother's sauces, and they came directly from my mother, so it was quite interesting.  By the time I was eight or nine, I was doing whole Sunday roasts and stuff. Periodically I'd be banned from cooking because my dad, he wouldn't like what I did, and he would say, “He's not allowed to cook next week!”  So it became a privilege to cook.  And then by the time I was 13 or 14, he was like, “OK, he's fine.”

ES: Wow, I wasn't doing anything like that when I was 13 or 14!

BR: Yeah you'd be surprised what a bunch of English bumpkins got up to in the countryside (laughs).

ES: How did that turn into yachting?  How did you take those skills to boats?

BR: Well I was in really hardcore cities.  I was in London, I was in New York City, I was in Boston cooking, and I needed a break.  I don't think I was very happy in those big cities. My brother had this great idea that I should go work on these yachts that we saw in Cape Cod, because that's where I summered, and in Newport, Rhode Island. We had seen these big boats in Nantucket, you know.  So he's like, "Why don't you go on one of these yachts and chill out?"  And I'm like, "All right, cool." And that landed me a chef position, which we didn't really even know there was a chef position on those boats.  And the rest is history.  I just kind of worked my way all the way to the top.  When I was 28, I was head chef on one of the biggest boats in the world, and then I got into Below Deck.  We've still got a lot to accomplish, but I mean it’s been a good ride thus far.

ES: Do you have any advice for land chefs that maybe would want to go to a yacht? Is there any way you can train for it?

BR: Yeah.  If you're a well-rounded chef and you know how to make basic desserts and pastries, and you are competent in salad and preparation of meats and fish, you could probably definitely get on a yacht. I would suggest go to Ft. Lauderdale and get in touch with the crew agencies.  You may have to start on a small boat, or on a big boat under someone. And once you've got a year or two under your belt, you know you're just rocking and rolling, and you can just keep going from there.  I started off small, but I know people that started off as a sous chef on a big boat, and that'll take you there.

ES:  How do you train yourself for the conditions?  I imagine there is sea sickness and getting tossed around.

BR:  You can't, unfortunately, really train for that.  You eat Dramamine before you go to bed, there are various tricks, but you actually do get used to it. You do.  It is fun, and it’s good in your 20s and early 30s, but it’s not something you want to do in your 40s, and certainly not in your 50s. It’s really hard work and you just don't get much time for yourself.

ES: 20 hour days.

BR: Yeah, silliness. Young man's job, but it’ll take you places, you can save some money… which is great saving money. Don't go to Mohegan Sun with it. Just kidding (laughs).

ES: How did you wind up on Below Deck?

Ben Robinson: You know I actually quit yachting and I thought I'd do something else food related. And then 2008-2009 hit, the economy crashed, it was probably the worst time to leave yachting.  That was just a very good paycheck.  So I thought screw it, suck it up, we'll go back to yachting and just take it from there.  And I found this advertisement for a reality show and I thought, “Hey, this sounds interesting.”  And it just kind of went from there.  They liked me.  To this day, I have the biggest resume of any applicant.  So it was fun, but I feel like that is kind of coming to an end.  That's not sustainable.  I mean, right now I'm kind of trying to find something with sustenance and sustainability that I can kind of ride out.  Let's face it; none of us are getting any younger.

ES: So what are you up to now?

BR: Well I've been cooking for Food Network.  I did that last week.  My dream is obviously to have my own show on my catering company.  I do lots of corporate, I do lots of private, I do lots of travel.  We do consulting.  I'm actually just getting involved in a pizza franchise.  So we're actually going to be doing food development in February, which is exciting.  So many things… just keep rocking and rolling really, see where it takes you.  I never turn jobs down.  I'm always interested.  See how things pan out, make connections.  It’s good.

ES: If there is one thing that you wish they showed more of on camera that they don't show?

BR: My bum? I'm kidding (laughs).  My food, the prep, the food.  I want a food focus shot.  And I realize Below Deck is not that, but it was great.  It taught me how to be on camera.

ES: Have you seen Below Deck Sailing Yacht at all?

BR:  No, has it started?

ES:  Not yet, but maybe you got a sneak peek?

BR: No.  I will watch though.

ES: So they didn’t ask you to come pinch hit at the last second?  That seems to be your forte.

BR:  No, no, no… I can't give you any spoilers because I might get in trouble, but really it should be an interesting season.

ES: Do you think you'd ever come back to Below Deck?

BR:  I mean, I would conclude a season if they were in real trouble.  I would go for the last few charters.  I'd be stupid not to, it’s good money, it puts me back on the big screen.  But ultimately I wouldn't apply for all season.

ES:  Well, the Food Network stuff sounds awesome.  You definitely have a fan base of people who would be interested.

BR:  Right.  They're starting an application, it's a tutorial, it's real-time, and we did some great videos.  It was fun.  I'll be posting about it, check it out @benstogram on Instagram.

ES: Thank you so much.

BR: Take care, you guys. Cheers.