‘Below Deck Med’: How Did Chef Kiko Go From the Best to the Worst Charter So Far This Season?
Chef Hindrigo “Kiko” Lorran from Below Deck Mediterranean impressed the guests, the crew, and viewers when he expertly executed a six-course, 72 plate meal during the previous charter. So how did he go from crushing it to being crushed during the next charter?
The chef hits rough culinary seas created from the perfect storm of weak produce and uber-demanding guests. The writing was on the wall during the preference sheet meeting. Lorran reads the guest profiles and thinks the Miami, Florida guests might be pretty chill. Captain Sandy Yawn, who is originally from Florida, says this is going to be quite the opposite, which Lorran finds out pretty quickly.
Also challenging the chef is the vegan request. Lorran isn’t alone in his groans over vegan charter guest requests. Other chefs like chef Adam Glick have been frustrated with having to navigate a vegan menu. “It’s not my style, I f**king hate to cook vegan,” Lorran says in a confessional. “But I will try to make the guests happy.”
It starts with the mushrooms
Lorran has to make a variety of dishes to satisfy the various guest requests. They love his food and one guest requests more of a mushroom dish he created during lunch. The guest with the vegan preference is overheard saying, “Bugsy told me there were vegan options but …” Another guest points out there were other options in front of him.
“This vegan cuisine is a challenge, huh,” Lorran says to second stew Christine “Bugsy” Drake when she tells him about the request. Despite their pickiness, the guests tell Yawn they love Lorran’s food.
Lorran prepares the mushrooms but is unsure about the quality. He asks Drake to try them and she says they are too chewy. “It’s just the quality of the mushrooms,” he tells her. “I need a plan B.” The provisioner is notified the boat needs more mushrooms. Meanwhile, he scrambles to figure out an option. He makes a strawberry gazpacho, which hits the spot for the guest.
He says dinner became the ‘worst day’ of his life
While he had dinner for the rest of the guests lined out perfectly, he worried about the mushrooms being late for the vegan. Unfortunately, time is not on Lorran’s side for this dinner. He was still preparing the dishes at the time when the guests were supposed to be seated at the table.
They notice and comment to each other that dinner is running late. “I think Kiko is putting a lot of pressure on himself,” Drake says in a confessional. “At the same time, I’m here to help. But it’s part of what we do, we keep the drinks flowing, we keep the party going.”
The mushrooms don’t arrive until 10 minutes after the guests were supposed to start dinner. He scrambles to prepare salads but dinner is already nearly 30 minutes late. “Timing is hard on the galley, very hard,” Lorran admits in a confessional. “But it’s because my mind is messed up with this mushroom thing. I’m very slow and I feel like sh*t.”
Late dinner, undercooked fish and small portions blow up his night
Yawn is in the kitchen wondering about the timing. “I am so confused,” Yawn says in a confessional. “The last dinner was 72 plates. He was incredible. But right now, I’m at a loss. It has to be faster.” Approximately 40 minutes later, the food is starting to be served. The guest with the vegan preference tells chief stew Hannah Ferrier, “I am loving Kiko.”
The guests seem to love his food, but it is clear Lorran is struggling in the kitchen. The primary guest points out to Drake his fish entree is undercooked. She apologizes to the guest and Lorran rallies to make the guest another fish. “Say sorry for them,” Lorran asks Drake. “I messed up. I know Bugsy is trying to help me but I put everything on me,” Lorran says in a confessional.
He makes it through dinner service, but the guests tell the stews they are still hungry. Ferrier tells Lorran he needs to work on portion sizes. “They’re still hungry.” He’s now having to cook more entrees. “I f**ked up everything. The guests are still hungry. Makes me feel like sh*t. Like I’m not good,” he tells Drake. “I served 72 plates and today I have the worst day of my life.”
