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Chef Dave White Reflects on the One Charter Dinner He “Obviously F--ked Up”
The Below Deck Mediterranean chef opened up about a dinner that took a turn for the worse — and why there was “no second chance” this time.
Although the vast majority of guests have been blown away by Dave White’s cooking on this season of Below Deck Mediterranean, the chef wasn’t feeling too confident going into a new charter on the show’s October 3 episode.
While looking over preference sheets ahead of the guests’ arrival, Dave noted, “The primary doesn’t like fish, but she’s asked for surf and turf,” and added in an interview, “A lot of dietary requirements and no idea what they’re talking about. Plus, they’re going to be on for a shorter charter, which is even harder because if I f--k up, there’s no second chance.”
As he began to prep for the dinner, he opened up a bit more about his concerns. “Tonight for dinner they wanted surf and turf, which confuses me because some people don’t eat meat,” he said in an interview. “Normally, I would do beef and lobster, but three people don’t like lobster. So this one could be a tough one.”
As the guests sat for the meal, Dave instructed Kyle Viljoen, “You need to ask: sea bass or Wagyu steak,” and Kyle did just that — but he gave the option to all the guests instead of just one, as Dave intended. When the guests seemed confused as to why they had to decide either surf or turf, Kyle relayed to Dave that most of them wanted both sea bass and steak, and Dave realized there had been a massive miscommunication.
“I might not have explained it properly to Kyle, but it’s surf and turf, and it’s meat with scallops,” Dave said in an interview. “He’s offered now beef and sea bass, so he’s basically just added another course to the dish… The sea bass was just for the one that doesn’t eat meat… I obviously f--ked up.”
Despite the mixup, Dave, Kyle, and Natasha Webb quickly adapted to give the guests a seamless dining experience. “I just need time to cook the sea bass,” he said. “I can serve the surf and turf first, and then rush to give sea bass.” Ultimately, the guests told Captain Sandy Yawn, the meal was “wonderful.”
Watch Below Deck Mediterranean on Bravo Mondays at 8/7c and the next day on Peacock. Catch up on the Bravo app.
