Aurélie is a ski and snowboard instructor with with ES in Verbier in the winters, and here she tells us about her summers, as a private chef on a 30m motor yacht in the Med.
Contact us to book ski or snowboard lessons with Aurélie in Verbier.

End of winter = start of summer
Straight talking and full of energy, Aurélie goes direct from her winter season in Verbier at the end of April to the South of France to start her summer season. There she works as a private chef on a Riva 30m motor yacht through to the end of November. The boat was built in 2023 and has 4 ensuite cabins for up to 8 guests. It also has lots of toys including stand up paddles, waterskis, and a jetski.

Travels in the Med
As one of 4 crew, Aurélie is responsible for planning, stocking, and preparing menus based on guest wishes. And of course, she cooks for guests during charters, and for the yacht’s owner when they are on board. She also helps with service, and docking the boat when they arrive in port.
Already this summer she has visited the Cannes film festival and the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix. At the time of writing, she is in Porto Vecchio on the South East coast of Corsica, about to cross to Porto Cervo in Northern Sardinia.

What is it like cooking on a private yacht?
Charters can be anything from 2 days to 3 weeks, so Aurélie needs to keep menus fresh and interesting, and be attentive to guests’ requests and preferences. On a recent charter, she was serving “anti-hangover” burgers at 5am each morning, after guests returned from their nights out.
At other times, she might be asked for detox menus, gluten free, or other specialist requirements. With a certificate in dietetics, Aurélie understands the science of good nutrition to help maintain and promote health.

Aurélie used to work on larger yachts, but she finds that on a 30m yacht with smaller crew, she not only cooks, but also helps with manoeuvres, and interacts more with the guests. This means she can do things like show guests the best snorkelling spots and (sometimes) teach them how to jump from the flybridge.
Overall, Aurelie prefers to prepare modern, sophisticated and healthy menus. She favours market cuisine with local products and likes to integrate interesting textures and subtle flavours. As she is from the South of France, her roots are in French cuisine, however she also loves Italian, Lebanese, Thai Nikkey and Japanese cuisine. Drawing on her travels, her cooking has fusion influences.

In the past, Aurélie has worked extensively on both motor and sailing yachts, as well as being a land based private chef in Megève, Courchevel, Méribel, Cannes, Mougins, St Tropez and St Jean Cap Ferret. Outside Europe, she has also travelled and worked in New Zealand and Byron Bay, Australia.

In the winters
As for the winters, Aurélie is a former pro snowboarder (freestyle/freeride). As a young child, she started skiing, then snowboarding, and as a teenager followed her dream to compete in snowboard events. After becoming a sponsored rider, she was then able to travel the world competing and shooting videos.

Now based in Verbier in the winters, Aurélie teaches skiing as well as snowboarding. She speaks French, Spanish and English.

Even though she was born in Cannes on the French Riviera, Aurelie started skiing at 2 and snowboarding at 8. At 14 her love of the mountain was so strong she only dreamt of being a pro rider. At 18 she moved to the Mecque and starts racing for Chamonix snowboard club, then got sponsored, traveled the Alps, Canada, Argentina, New Zealand …either for competing or shooting videos. When she retired, in order to stay close to her passion, she decided to transmit her love of the mountain and her knowledge through teaching.
Aurélie’s clients say; “I had the great fortune skiing with Aurelie – she is an incredibly attentive instructor, pays great attention to detail, is untiring in thinking of new ways to clarify what’s needed. In addition, she’s a source of knowledge about skiing and about Verbier and simply great fun to be with! Anyone who gets to ski with Aurelie is in for a treat!”
Contact us to book ski or snowboard lessons with Aurélie in Verbier.