Does Chef Ben From ‘Below Deck Med’ Get Lost on Sirocco?
Although chef Ben Robinson from Below Deck Mediterranean is a tenured yacht chef, his first hours on Sirocco weren’t exactly smooth sailing.
Robinson, who is a fan favorite, returned to the show after being off the series for a few years. He even made a statement after his last season that while he’s enjoyed his time on the show, he wanted to move on. Robinson has also publicly discussed the rigors of the job too.
Fans were also told he would not return after the first chef was fired. Captain Sandy Yawn ended up promoting third stew Anastasia Surmava to chef, but after the stress of the job got the best of her, Robinson came to the rescue.
He started cooking only hours before the next charter
Although Robinson certainly knows his way around a galley kitchen, he arrived mid-season after two chefs already commanded the area. Robinson is seen asking Surmava about equipment and where certain tools were kept.
He also discovers many of the stove burners are not working or are extremely glitchy. He worked his magic but the food arrived at the guests’ table on the cold side. Robinson typically knocks each meal out of the park, so any complaints often surprises the chef.
Despite dealing with these challenges, Yawn was extremely impressed. The day he arrived, “he walked on the galley two hours before the charter boarded, and he whipped out the best lunch ever,” she told The Feast.
The pressure was on
Robinson knew he had to impress the guests from out of the gate. “You gotta kill it on the first meal,” he said in a confessional. “It sets the stage.” While he did indeed kill it on the first meal, the guests still wanted to talk to him about the food.
A guest wonders why they are serving themselves instead of having a stew doing service. So the co-primary guest insists that Robinson come up to the table. Yawn calls him and he wonders why he is needed. “Why, why do I need to do that,” he says looking a little stunned. “Is it good or bad?” Unfortunately, Robinson can’t find his way to the dinner table from the galley kitchen.
He adds, “I don’t even know how to get to the table.” Which is true. He is filmed walking into dark rooms, blindly looking for the guests. Yawn continues to call for Robinson who is hopelessly lost.
Did the guests dislike his food?
Robinson seemed nervous about the notion of being confronted about his food. He finally finds the table where the guests are dining and is greeted with applause. “Oh wow, that is a relief,” he exclaims. A guest says, “No don’t be worried, it is good.”
He thanks the guests and then departs. But of course, now he has to find his way back to the galley kitchen. The guests comment that they think they make Robinson nervous. Plus they think he’s cute being nervous.
Robinson jogs back to the kitchen as the crew waits to find out if the guests liked his food. He tells them “all good” as he quickly returns to cooking.
