Savory Sail

Michelle Gilardi has carved out a career that can be defined as off the beaten path. These days her path isn’t even a road, it’s on the high seas as Gilardi- a hospitality professional, independent restaurant consultant and global chef- serves up Michelin-star worthy cuisine to the international jet-set on their super yachts in the Mediterranean and Caribbean. Having trained with world renowned restauranteurs and chefs- such as Daniel Boulud, the Maccioni family and Jacques Torres, to name a few- the US/Swiss Gilardi was primed with a top-tier education at the prestigious Cornell School of Hotel Administration.

Her expertise is creating an outstanding hospitality experience in remote and challenging circumstances, which is why Gilardi lived and worked in Africa for 14 years. Having sailed throughout the world, the avid cyclist and founder of A New Dawn- a charity raising money for education in Kenya- has also consulted in Colombia, Italy and New York where her cooking styles range from Italian, French, Indian, Mexican to Pan Asian- and even Kosher. A unique portfolio of work/live experiences has made the very international Gilardi quite interesting to chat up at a dinner party, which is exactly where we met while in San Francisco recently- myself for a family event, and Gilardi for America’s Cup…naturally.

Gilardi’s love of adventure is evident in each of her amazing odysseys, such as eating and working her way through Italy for a year, managing a restaurant in Kenya for three years, developing a menu for an up market 7-tent lodge, consulting on food and beverage for an 8-room lodge in Mozambique, and even a stint as a mystery guest at another lodge in Mozambique which eventually led to co-managaging it. After leaving Africa in 2009, Gilardi has been gliding through continents and is now on yet another boat adventure, where I’m sure she is cooking up a storm- not literally, I hope- as well as gathering up fresh ingredients for a book idea- a travel journal with recipes and photos- as her mantra is sema ndio… which is Swahili for just say yes.