When it comes to working on a motor yacht, the job is fast-paced with hard-to-please customers. So imagine how difficult it could be for a chef on Below Deck. Over the years, we have seen yacht chefs come and go. Most have at least one freak-out in the galley and often feel like their food is the best. So when Anthony Iracane came aboard the St. David, fans were a bit surprised to see that the Frenchman was composed and down to earth. However, throughout a few charters, Anthony seemed to be over his head, resulting in his firing.
Anthony dropped the ball
On the April 22 episode, Captain Kerry Titheradge had no other choice but to let the chef go. The entire episode showed Anthony floundering as he wasn’t prepared for the beach picnic. Earlier in the day, Fraser Olender spoke about prepping the food before the excursion, but the chef had just lost track of time. In turn, the guests were left to wait for their lunch. The crux of the issue was that there were numerous complaints from the guests, which didn’t sit well with the rest of the crew or the skipper.
It didn’t help that Anthony also didn’t read preference sheets carefully and failed to cater to the primary’s dietary restrictions. The straw that broke the camel’s back was when Anthony forgot to make the primary a lobster and cheese snack. I do think it was down to a communication era, but he still left a bad taste in the charter guest’s mouth.
The crew wasn’t pleased
While on the bridge, Anthony seemed shell-shocked that he was being let go. At first, he acted as if he didn’t understand, but then he became angry. Anthony clapped back, saying, “I don’t know what you are talking about. I know I made a little mistake, but I am human. Then why do people every day tell me I am the most amazing chef in the world? So either people are full of sh*t or …?”
Chief Stew Fraser also vented to the cameras after being given an extremely small tip, noting, “Is it because of the food? I am going to say yes.” Later in the episode, Fraser vented, “Every day that Anthony has been on the boat, I have had to give him guidance. And I’m fine with that if you learn from everything that we talk about. If one person can’t run at the same speed as the rest of us, we have to leave him behind.” Viewers could see that Anthony was letting the team down.
But Fraser grew tired of the struggle, sharing, “This is not just affecting my team. It is affecting the boat, and I just know this tip is going to be sh*t. Most of my time at the moment is spent with Chef, begging him to do his job correctly and keeping him in line. There’s just no space for me to be looking after him as much as I am. I don’t have time for that.”
Anthony is working on his comeback
In a confessional, Anthony added, “To make amazing food, I need to be very happy, and I’m very sad. So, my food sucks.” After the episode aired, the French chef shared that he was working on his comeback era. In a post, he told followers, “It’s not how we fall. It’s how we get back up again ❤️ THE LAST WILL BE FIRST ❤️”
Captain Kerry did the right thing by letting Anthony go, even if it felt uncomfortable at the time. The skipper knew that it takes a lot to be a chef on a superyacht and that there are pressures that come with it. The Australian native didn’t want to set his crew member up for failure, which in its own way is kind.
Fans supported Anthony
Chef Anthony was a fan favorite thanks to his kind demeanor, so viewers had strong opinions when he was let go. One fan took to X, writing, “Chef being fired is just wrong; he didn’t get help from his team and had impossible charter guests back-to-back.” Another shared, “I feel so bad for Anthony, but it’s clear he was struggling. I hope he comes back better than ever.” So even though Anthony needed to be terminated, it seems he might have a chance at redemption one day.
TELL US – WERE YOU SAD TO SEE ANTHONY LEAVE THE ST DAVID?
