The Empowering Journey of a Seasoned Yacht Chef Turned Entrepreneur

Hannah Staddon
Women just have to realize their superpowers, I feel like, and really just tap into that. And we are. Slowly but surely there's more and more of us female chefs coming into the industry, which I absolutely love to hear about. If you're a chef and you're thinking about how to venture into the private chef space, how to set yourself up for success from resume to first interactions with your clients, as well as succeeding at the job. Our one on one coaching got you covered.

Hannes Hetji
Go to www. Dot Privatechef, dot CC and connect with me of experience can be your support to seize the next private chef opportunity.

Welcome to the private chef podcast serving the 1%. I'm your host, Hannes Hetji, and on our show, we speak to the best chefs, how they honed in on their skills to excel in the industry, and what it takes to work as a private chef for some of the most exclusive clients in the world.

Welcome back to the private chef podcast. I'm your host, Hannes Henshi. Today we are thrilled to welcome chef Hannah Stedden as our special guest. Hannah is a full time superyacht chef and the creator of the trending funky chef brand, providing chic, practical chef jackets tailored for women only. We'll talk about her journey as a yak chef, the inspiration behind Funky chef, the challenges of working and running a business, and driving force to keep her going.

Thanks for joining us, Hannah, live from the BVI. Hey, how are you doing, Hannes? Great. So what was your initial inspiration to become a chef? Wow.

Hannah Staddon
I never really grew up cooking at all. I was never interested in being in the kitchen, but I've always been a creative, so I've always been involved in art and that kind of thing. I joined yachting when I was about 19. I followed a boy, which is now my husband, actually, and we run a boat together. But I followed a boy into yachting and was a stewardess for two years.

And on my first boat, I was a junior stewardess. And I would often help the chef do pastry. Like, it was an italian owner, so we'd always have to have a cristata in the morning. And she hated baking, so I was like, oh, I'll do it. Like, at the end of my long day, I'm like, please, can I do it?

It would be so much fun. So I would try and do those as often as I could for her. And that kind of, like, started spiking my interest in it. And then after that season, my boyfriend, husband at the time, he got us a delivery, so we were doing a crossing from roses in Spain to Antigua, and there was four crew plus me, so it was four guys and me. And naturally, I kind of took on the cooking roll, but actually had never cooked anything.

Like, I. I was phoning my mom, being like this, like, having. Having to provision, like, mom, like, what goes into a lasagna? And, like, how do I. How do I make a roast chicken?

Like, how does that work? You know, and all of these, like, basic things. So we did the crossing and I was seasick pretty much every day. Like, I literally survived off Haribo gummy bears and, you know, would be like, and then make something, and then. And make something.

And it was. It was horrible. But at the end of it, I was like, wow, if I could cook and still feel seasick, maybe I should, like, do this, you know? And then I decided to save up for chef school. So my partner and I then did another season.

I was still stewardess, but I was paying a lot more attention to the cook at the time, the chef, and saved up money and then put myself through chef school in 2015. So I went back to South Africa where my, where my mum was at the time and did a year's training at a chef academy and then was doing kind of restaurants in the evening. So, yeah, that's where my. That's how my cooking career started. And naturally, my partner was still in yachting at the time.

I just went straight back to boats. So. So, yeah, that's where it all. That's where it all kind of started from. That sounds actually pretty cool.

Hannes Hetji
It's okay. I think the coolest part of that is that the two are still together and running a boat. There was a couple of things in between. Like, we, before I even went to chef school, we. After the.

Hannah Staddon
After the crossing, we were like, oh, maybe we should go lab based. And we tried working at a, like a boutique B and B in the UK, where I was like a. Like a sous chef. So I was learning a lot from the guy that was the main chef there. But my husband was then he was like, host, and that means he had to, like, make beds.

And he was not happy about that. He would wait in the galley until I was finished with breakfast and be like, okay, are you ready? We're gonna go make beds together now. And I was like, oh, I just want to cook more. And then we tried doing a ski season in Pezy in France, and again, we were just kind of thrown into this 15 man chalet.

And I was to make breakfast and, like, afternoon tea and dinner and afternoon tea. The cakes. I was definitely more sweet focused or sweet orientated, because I guess I'm just a sweet too. So naturally, I gravitate more, but obviously with altitude. My mum had bought me this, like, book.

I think it was called, like, pie in the sky or something. And it was like, how to alter recipes to altitude. And I made this cake one day. It was the guy's birthday, and it just crumbled. So I was like, I'm just gonna make it again.

So I made the cake three times, and my husband was so upset because he was like, hannah, we're meant to be skiing here in between all of these things, you know, like, can we just go? So that was also in between doing the chef's course, you know, before I signed up to do the chef's course. So we've had a lot of adventures together. That's fun. Maybe that's the binding component, is the adventures together.

Hannes Hetji
It's like, we. Yeah, probably. And now you're on the open motion. Yeah, yeah, probably. And we've got a.

Hannah Staddon
We've worked together now for. On the same boat since about 2015, so, yeah, it's been great. End of 2015, this actually, again, this is why I love this so much. It's. Every time I asked people, there is.

Hannes Hetji
There's, like, the potential for a different story, and this is so unique and, like, yeah, you know, actually, I followed the boy, and then I learned how to cook, and I kind of fell into it, and then I loved it, and here I am, you know? And now you're making chef codes for women, you know, and I think it's such a unique and cool story. I love it. Yeah, yeah, thanks. It's definitely.

Hannah Staddon
Yeah. Never something that I. That I would have predicted as a youngster, I always thought I was going to go into marketing, so that was mine. That was my path. Well, now you ended up somewhat having to do your own marketing for the hundred percent.

Hannes Hetji
I mean, building a brand is just about. It's all about marketing, you know, it's getting yourself out there. And actually, this is something that I try to communicate with chefs is marketing is being your own rainmaker. It's like you can be bottlenecked by agencies and contacts from families, or you can, like, create your own social media presence, you know, be out there and be a little bit proactive about being your own rainmaker. 100%.

Hannah Staddon
Yeah, that's definitely something I've learned within the last two years, I think since starting punky chef. It's. It's been a huge eye opener as to how much I can do for myself, you know, and how much I need to believe in my own brand and, yeah, I just need to keep plugging. You need a. Yeah, it's like a.

It's a. It's a numbers game. So the yacht that tour of you are on, are you also responsible for that being sold out or where is the business for the yacht coming from? So the yacht is privately owned, and then we do. We do the charters on the side.

Yeah, exactly. So, you know, we have an Instagram page, and we definitely get a bit of business through that, but obviously, it's a really high ticket item, so there's not a whole lot of business that comes through Instagram. But I even think that this is quite amazing. Imagine we're in a day and age where there is wealthy individuals who are using the same apps as you and me to kind of see what they're about to do on their next trip. And so, you know, and then basically, they might end up maybe not directly booking, but finding a potential yacht trip or even chefs.

Hannes Hetji
Like, I've seen chefs from extremely famous people being hired over the Instagram account. 100%. This is your profile now. This is your. This is your cv for chefs.

Hannah Staddon
You need to have an Instagram account that is showing what you're about, you know? And that's why I'm also really cautious to, like, put any kind of pictures, you know, that, of the two minutes a day where I'm sticking my toes in the water, I'm, like, really cautious to put that kind of thing online because that's also not. It's not really representing what I'm doing all the time. You know, it's more definitely, I'm food focused. A hunt, like, 98% of the time, you know?

So I think it's really. It would be really wise of any kind of chef, if they're looking for work, to utilize Instagram for their benefits and really use it as a. As a portfolio. Yeah, I don't want to say you don't have a choice anymore. There is definitely a way to be more private.

Hannes Hetji
I just think it really helps to use those tools, especially if you. If you want to create a situation where there is never any scarcity. Yes, 100%, 100%. Sure, you can go private account, but then people, you know, naturally, when anybody is hiring, they will either ask for your social accounts or you'd be expected to give them, you know? And if your.

Hannah Staddon
If your profile's on private, everyone wants to know why, you know? So, yeah, I don't know. Then you have all that nonsense there. Yeah, yeah. I think it's just smarter to have a.

An account that represents, you know, who you are or how you are as a professional and let people see that. Anyone that is, you know, potentially employing you, let them see that. And then if you want to have a private one separately, that's fine. That's not maybe linked to your name directly. Whatever.

Then just do it smarter. Yeah. So what are some of the most interesting stories that you've experienced on a yacht where you were like, I would have never thought I experienced this in my life. Okay, well, one of them. One of them would be we were.

We were bringing the boat from Florida, Florida to the Bahamas. We're usually based between the Bahamas and the BBI or Florida. We only charter in Bahamas and BBI. And on the way, Dom, my partner, and I were, you know, it's like a ten hour, twelve hour cruise for us, so we're just doing different bits and pieces. Dom's obviously driving and he was like, oh, my word, Hannah, what is that?

So I looked at, I'm like, what are you even talking about? Like, where. What are you. He's like, look, whale. So we like, drove up to this, you know, he slowed down, we drove over to this.

All the splashing that was going on, and it was a massive pot of orcas. There was like twelve orcas there, cruising around and smacking their tails and like, orcas in the Bahamas, the water is so warm. Like, what are they doing here? You know? So that was an incredible experience that I never thought we would have because of, you know, the unlikeliness of seeing orcas in the Bahamas.

And it was really cool. Dunn got this incredible drone footage, like, whilst driving the boat, he was like, trying to fly the drone as well. And we submitted it to the Bahamas mammal marine organization, and they were able to identify the pot of orcas based on their markings on their spots. And they were like, oh, we haven't seen this part of orcas for eleven years. So it's incredible that you got this footage and then there were science papers written about it and all of that.

So it was really cool to be able to contribute towards that research. I'm just trying to think. We've obviously met some really interesting people on board and we've been lucky with the people that we've had on board due to our size being a. We're only a 65 footer, so we take six guests and it's just the two of us running it. We've met some really interesting people.

That have preferred not to be on bigger boats just because there's so many crew on there and more to have a personalized experience just with us, too, and being able to get into more shallow spots and all of that kind of thing. So I would say that's definitely been a highlight of being in yachting, is being able to really connect with the people that come on and learn from them. That's been my biggest, my biggest takeaway is how much can I learn from these people? You know, they're in this position and able to rent a yacht for a reason. So what can I learn without being.

Hannes Hetji
Intrusive and that on a smaller yacht, you know, you kind of. It could be magic or misery. You know, it can be intimate in a good way. What can be intimate in a bad way? 100%.

Hannah Staddon
Yeah, we were very lucky. We're very lucky with the guests that we've had on. There's been a couple that we like will not be having back, and if they message us, I'm like, no, please don't try and book us again. You know, but it's very few. We've been super lucky with the people we've had on, and they're all so generous with their time.

And, yeah, it's been, I think just for the two of us, it's because it's so personal. We really get to know them, you know, like friends. So it's really nice. It also takes a, takes a certain chemistry. Like, sometimes I see domestic couple ads and I'm like, do these still exist?

Hannes Hetji
You know? But now I'm hearing, like, you, you and your husband, you're running a yacht together, which is kind of the ocean version of that in a more fun way, I would almost say. And I think it's a very rare breed of, of individuals that are willing to do that. You mean to live and work together? Yeah.

Hannah Staddon
Yeah. I mean, every job has its challenges, and I think every relationship has its challenges. I guess we know each other so well that it's, it's just weird to be apart from each other as well, you know? So when we did have the year apart whilst I was studying, it was definitely, I mean, I knew the industry, so I was, like, comfortable with what he was doing and all of that, and he knew that I was just going to be studying and working all the time. So there was, you know, we've got really good trust and we're just really honest with each other, so we're both pretty down to earth and realistic, so we're just really good at communicating with each other, and we also are really good at laughing at each other and.

What's the word? Like, back chatting each other. So we just have a really good relationship in terms of communication and keeping things light a lot of the time. We also forgive really quickly. So that's also a major thing.

Hannes Hetji
I think that's kind of where the magic happens. Like, you have to be able to reconnect so that it doesn't brew. And then, especially in a professional setting, you know, otherwise it shines through. Like, you can't hold a crutch on a small yacht while you're supposed to provide excellent service, you know, and supposed to be there on a vacation. Yeah, 100%.

Hannah Staddon
It's definitely, if Dom and I have an issue, we tend to get it out relatively quickly, you know? And I'm a person that wears my heart on my sleeve, so if I've got an issue, I need it. Say it and say it now, because I'm not going to be holding onto this for a long time. So. Yeah, nice.

Sweet. So what was your inspiration for your own chef line, so to say? Um, so basically, since I. Since starting chefing professionally, I always found that whatever chef jacket I bought, I always had to tailor, and it was because, you know, it was generally a unisex jacket or even the female jackets just, like, weren't fitted well. They were always super long, and I just never found that they.

They fit me. So I always had to get them tailored. And I think it was about 20, must have been before 2020, 2019. I was in Florida during a shipyard period, and I just decided, I'm just gonna buy my own material and find a seamstress and get her to make me up a couple of jackets because I want them to be fun as well. I don't just want this boring pink that I can find in the shop and white that I will still have to get tailored anyway.

So I bought some, like, crazy leopard print material and, like, watermelon material and denim and took it to the seamstress in Fort Lauderdale, who measured me up and made the jackets to fit me, and they fit like a glove, and they were amazing. And I wore them to this event where I was private chefing for a boat show. And, yeah, I got so many compliments, and whenever the. When I posted some pictures about it, my friends were all like, oh, my God, this is so cool. Like, where did you get this?

So I kind of figured, like, oh, like, I need to do this. How can I do this? And then it went kind of quiet for a while, because I had absolutely no idea where to start. Like, how, I don't know who to contact. How do I find a manufacturer?

Do I go straight to China? Like, how do I even do that? You know? And so, yeah, it went quiet for a couple of years until a friend of mine was, yeah, a friend of mine was kind of, like, looking over my shoulder, and I was just, like, messing around with the word documents that I was simulating to be a website because I still had it in my mind but just didn't really know how I would even progress. And he was like, oh, my God, hannah, this is such a cool idea.

Like, why? Like, let's do this. Like, I'll help you. He had time. I'll help you.

He's really good on the computer. So he started drawing the whole thing up and, like, working on it, which gave me, like, motivation that somebody else thought it was a really good idea and was, like, ready to put in work and believed in the idea. So it really sparked, it sparked a desire again. And that's kind of where the ball started getting rolling. And back when I was in school, I always loved watching.

Kind of the reason I kind of, like, the whole fashion side of it is I always loved watching. It was a design show where they got, like, ten designers, and it was like, okay, you've got to make something out of all of the curtains in the apartment, and there was, like, these beautiful dresses being made. So I was always inspired by that and always kind of would have loved to have become a fashion designer, but never really took it seriously. And that's kind of where the whole passion for designing something came in. So I had tons of drawings of different patterns and different, you know, designs that I would have liked to have put on a chef jacket, but I was still kind of just at this crux of, how do I even do that?

From a logistical side, you know, and being on a boat and, you know, I definitely used my primary job as kind of a reason not to do it because I was so involved in this. I'm like, I don't have time, blah, blah, blah. So that's where the whole kind of inspiration came from, kind of my design background and my friend really sparking an interest in it. So do you see yourself, if you were to put the nail in your primary passion? Would it be cooking or designing?

I would say designing, and not from a technical aspect, just from seeing, being creative and putting different arty things together in order to create something beautiful. And I feel like cooking is an extension of that. Right. I mean, it's about putting beautiful flavor. When it comes to cooking, my favorite thing to do is, like, flavor combination and, like, creating flavors that people would never put together.

So a carrot marshmallow or a, you know, a beetroot ice cream, like, things like that where people are like, what? Oh, my God, this is amazing. You know, so that's my favorite thing to do on the, like, cooking side of things. And I feel that that, like, filters into what I am doing now with putting different prints on jackets where people are like, what? You are putting lemons on a jacket?

Why would you do that? You know? So, yeah, yeah, I was wondering about those leopard designs that are sold out. I'm like, how many chefs want leopard designs? Well, you know, I know I asked the same questions, but you would be surprised, you know, who wants a luminous pink jacket with leopard spots on it?

Some of the top celebrity chefs in LA and in California are buying these jackets and absolutely loving them and wearing them to their private chef events, you know, and their catering and all of that. So there's a. There's actually a market. There's a market for this. And I love it because it's not just your simple white chef jacket, you know, it's just being creative.

And all of these people, all of our chefs are creatives. Actually, I think your market is. I'm not even sure if you thought about your total addressable market, but even just if I think about the US, how many female chefs out there who probably feel like they're misunderstood by chef Coats and they're the makers of chef coats and then how many actually celebrity chefs or chefs that just want a little bit different flavor? I think it's a sizable business. Yeah.

You know, I would say the majority of our customer base, besides private chips and yacht chips, would be like, you know, there's a huge trend of at home bakers at the moment that, you know, they're all maybe not necessarily trained, but they're just really good at what they're doing, and they're making these micro bakeries and personalized cakes and things like that. I've got a ton of girls in that situation wearing coats. I also feel like traditional chef coats may be intimidating to some people. You know, not everyone goes through training a traditional chef coat. Kind of, you know, I have no problem wearing any color chef coat, but it's maybe because I've gone through training, but I definitely know girls that haven't gone through training and feel like they're not, you know, they've got, like, imposter syndrome.

They feel like they're not qualified enough to wear a chef, like, just a traditional chef white. So maybe something colorful, like, speaks to them, you know, or something with a pattern speaks to them because they don't feel like they're an imposter. It's interesting that you say that. And it's not that I have, like, some feeling that I don't know how to cook, but I prefer to wear these at work. Even so, they're not chef coats, but just because they don't look as formally white, like I'm some french head chef or something, you know, like, because I don't want to have that expectation.

Hannes Hetji
Yeah. Maybe even. Maybe it's dead. More like, I don't want to look like that fancy french chef or german chef in my case. But, you know, I just want to be the guy who cooks well.

Hannah Staddon
Yeah, 100%. And that's. That's what it is, right? When you put on a white, people are like, oh, chef, you know, what are they gonna make, you know, expectation on you? Whereas if you put on something colourful and fun that you feel, like represents you or, you know, you're wearing your coat, you feel more comfortable, and you can probably blow expectations out of the water.

And who doesn't love to do that? You know, the. You know, the guests are like, oh, my God, this is amazing. And they take you seriously regardless of what you're wearing. Then actually, you just hit it on the nail.

Hannes Hetji
I don't like it when they come into the kitchen and do the. Especially if there's guests that are not part of the house, usually, and then they're like, oh, chef. I'm like, that conversation is over right then there. If I don't wear the white coat so that it just doesn't happen, it's not the same. Yeah, maybe this makes you what I don't wear.

Hannah Staddon
Yeah. There's nothing, like, making you feel like, oh, my God, I'm gonna have to, like, do something crazy, you know, when you're already planning something really nice anyway. Yeah. You know, there is something really interesting that I. I kind of found it in one of the WhatsApp groups the other day, and people talk about performance anxiety.

Hannes Hetji
Even after decades of experience, like, 15 years into our careers, 20 years into our, we still, like, there is new people on the charter or, you know, we are serving someone else or this. And. And yesterday, I was one of my friends. I put him through his first trial in a private household. So he was, like, super nervous, and I thought, it's kind of interesting because I'm like, I've been there.

If you put me on a new trial, I'll have more experience, but I'll still get that kind of feeling in my stomach. And then it depends. You can label it fear, anxiety, or excitement, but I find that so interesting that this carries throughout people's careers, no matter how much experience they have and how often they've been there. Yo, every week. Every week.

Hannah Staddon
If I don't know the guests, even if I know the guests, like, we just had guests on that have been, they come every year. So, you know, they've, they just came on for the fourth time and they're coming back in May. And like, I hundred percent cannot put performance exercise when they come on. They don't have high expectations. They don't want anything fancy.

But I'm like, well, I need to make something new and I need to keep it interesting and exciting for them food wise, you know, so there's, I hundred percent resonate with that, 100%. So how do you keep going through that in your mind is that you're like, having something new and exciting that hopefully lands gets me through the brom's land or how do you deal with that?

I'll have a good cry every now and then. You know, that always helps.

And I think it's just about, I love the kind of saying that risk leads to reward but also failure. And I love the idea of failing because it just leads to growth, right. So it's just about taking risks, and I really enjoy doing that. And sometimes they will work and sometimes they won't. But on this last trip with them, you know, I definitely took a couple of risks and they loved it, you know, and they weren't complicated risks and they weren't, you know, in terms of food, it wasn't complicated, but it was just things that I hadn't done for them before.

And I was definitely nervous sending it out and what their reactions would be. But, you know, it was so worth it at the end. So I think I just really embody, I really love taking risks because I like to grow and to learn and to learn to deal with that. And I think it's all about how we deal with that stress and if we can use that stress to grow ourselves, I think that's the key. You just got to learn how you interpret stress and make it work for you instead of letting it work on you.

Hannes Hetji
You know, there's a lot of emotional intelligence in one sentence here, like the interpretation of the situation and like, okay, in what context is this happening? And then also turning it inside your head in such a way that, you know, there is, like, learning potential, growth potential. And it seems from our conversation that you have a very growth oriented mindset. Like, even when you have guests who are there to relax, you still try to observe and still try to learn and see, like, what put them into the position they are in, given that they're traveling. Yeah, I'm super hungry to learn, and I feel like we're in such a privileged position to have access to people with these minds that have done the things that they've done, you know?

Hannah Staddon
And I feel like it would be such a waste not to learn from these people. And there's so many people, so many, you know, chefs and other yachties in this industry that, you know, just go through their, you know, go through their career and. And earn money, but don't take advantage of the access that they have to these minds. And I think that's really my passion at the moment, is to just be as spungent, to absorb as much as I can and read the books that they're reading and understand things and. And ask them about their businesses.

People love to talk about it. You know, people love to talk about themselves and love to teach someone that's actually interested and that asks them questions that are specific and, you know, yeah, they love it. At least that's been my experience so far. Sorry for the interruption. We will be right back.

Hannes Hetji
And if you're a chef thinking about venturing into the private chef space, this is for you. We coach you on how to set yourself up for success from resume to first interactions with your clients. As was Valak, succeeding at the job. Our one on one coaching got you covered. Go to www.

Dot privatechef, dot CC and connect with me. Decades of experience can be your support to seize the next private chef opportunity. You know, there's something it took me a little while to understand, but I've seen it. For example, Ray Dalio, he's like one of the richest investors in the world, but he's in a decade in his life where he. All he wants to do is share, and he doesn't share for the money.

And I realized that there is. Everybody has a season of sharing, or many people have a season of sharing. And if you're lucky and you're the kind of person that shows the interest and the growth mindset that you have, you know, then they're willing to pull themselves into you because they want to share. And I think that's. That's where the magic really happens on both ends, because they know that a true mentee or a student who is really willing to grow and learn is just as rare as the mentor.

Because 100%, the majority of people are actually complacent with their situation, and they don't want to grow, they don't want to learn. And that there is a reason society seems a little bit lopsided, where there's always some rich haves and some don't haves. It's not always because the system is skewed. But, like, for example, 88% of modern millionaires in the United States are self made and not inherited. That means these people have learned the ropes.

It means they might have read the tax code and seen that if you behave a certain way, you might get certain tax advantages. Which doesn't mean that the rich are all crooks. It might simply. They might have, like, okay, the government incentivizes to act differently. So if we have a salary, we actually have a higher tax percentage, while if we act as business owner, we might spend more in total tax, but a lower percentage.

You know, there's all those different nuances to it, but it's just like people with a growth mindset are the ones ending up at that bracket. Yeah. And I think that's why I, I'm so interested. So besides being really interested to learn, I'm really interested to help other, like, other women, especially in this industry, because, you know, I'm here around lots of other women that have different ideas. I'm really encouraging of all of them.

Hannah Staddon
And I'm part of multiple different groups, like female startup club and cherry bomb and all of these kind of female female founding kind of companies. And I'm so passionate about helping other women realize that they can definitely do it. You just need to be way better at managing your time, and you need to also be able to. You need to be hungry, because if you aren't hungry, then, you know, I've got no time for you, because I can teach you. I can teach you as much as I know.

And I. And I do. Whoever asked me, I'm like, okay, how much do you want to know? You know? Yeah.

So I feel that I'm really hungry, and I definitely recognize it in other people. And then I'm super keen to share everything that I have to help others as well. And I think a players, they are able to identify a players. Like, you know, there are certain communities of people who excel, and they're not looking for other people that are not hungry enough to excel. Like, they want to surround themselves with people who are in that circle.

Hannes Hetji
I think that's actually really interesting. Like, I've always had the intelligence to put myself around the best chefs, but I realized that there is a distinction there. I was never that a chef student in that kitchen. Like, I was more like a good. Like, a very solid guy in the kitchen.

But I wasn't the most hungry when it came to learning in the kitchen. And it took me some time to make the distinction around that, that people have to self select themselves to. To be that hungry. You know, some have a chip on the shoulder, but other than that, you. You just have to self select yourself and be, like, the most driven person.

And the interesting thing is, you don't have to be twice as good. You just have to be, like, 5% as good, and you stand out, and you'll get most of the rewards and the benefits of being just a little bit better. Yeah, 100%. And you have to believe in yourself and what you are, what you're doing, you know, your product, or if you're trying to celebratize yourself or whatever, I think that's also really important. And I think something that on your previous podcast with Hannah, Rosie O Chef, she was doing the chocolate, she mentioned something that, you know, you can be as good as you can be the best chef out there, but there's still so much to learn.

Hannah Staddon
So it's also about being humble and accepting knowledge and, you know, welcoming any other knowledge and different ways of doing things, because you never know something's going to turn out better and how it can improve what you're already doing. So I thought that was important. That was a really good point that she made. And I also think that attitude of cockiness, like, thinking we are the best, it doesn't live in private, neither on a yacht nor in an estate. Like, it's something that maybe survives in a restaurant that's chef driven.

Hannes Hetji
And I think even there, it doesn't make for a great work environment. No, I mean, I. Listen, there's. I'm not the best chef, but I'm really good at what I. What I do.

Hannah Staddon
Right. And there's different things where, for instance, my chocolate chip cookies. Okay, Americans that come on board, they love a good chocolate chip cookie. And as simple as it is, I make the best goddamn chocolate chip cookies that they will ever have. Okay?

And then when they're like, oh, my God, Hannah, these cookies are so good. I'm like, thanks. You know, I'm not going to be like, oh, you know, thank you. I'm not shy about it because it is what it is, and it's the best one that they're having in this moment. Whether they have another good one another day, then that's great.

It's. I think it's. I think it's important to be humble and to just embrace who you are, what your talent is, and. And just roll with it, because there's always someone better, there's always someone worse, and just to embrace who you are and. And what you are good at, you know, I think that's the most important thing.

And just being realistic and being able to laugh at yourself as well. Like, you know, the. When I was making those the last, you know, a couple of weeks ago, I was just making stories of myself on. On Instagram, what I was doing that day for lunch, you know, and when my pitas were too hard and I couldn't fold them and I just smashed them and was like, okay, done. You know, that that's.

I'm just laughing at myself because, hey, it wasn't working out, and now it's working. It's gonna work. And I feel like it's just important to be able to laugh in a situation like that and just not take yourself too seriously. I think that's a good formula for life. Yeah, 100%.

Hannes Hetji
So how much longer do you see yourself on the ocean? So I definitely think going back to our kind of chat about, you know, relationships on yachts and, like, how it works, and, like, with my husband and I, I'm 31. He's turning 33 this year. We've been in yachting for about 1212 years. Is it twelve years?

Hannah Staddon
Yeah, something like that. And whilst we've been with these owners now since 2017, I think there's also a limit as to how long we want to spend in the industry. Right? And my idea, you know, everyone, I have this fear. I've got this great fear of, I've got multiple friends that have left the industry, and they've had kids, and the dad has to come back and he has to do rotation.

You know, they try and start something on land. And I've got this great fear about not being prepared to move onto land because it's an eventuality, you know, it will happen at some stage. So I think the, like, driving force behind funky ship was to start something before I leave yachting so that I have some kind of security when I do move to land. As for when that'll be, who knows? There's always a timeline on women, right?

As to when. When our body clocks will eventually, I don't know, run out or whatever, but for the moment, we are definitely here for the next couple of years. We have really good owners that are the nicest people and are so generous with their time and their knowledge. They've really, like, helped me develop funky chef and are, like, instrumental in the running of Funky chef, so. Yeah, but they're not facilitating shipping for you while you're in the ocean now.

Hannes Hetji
I'm just kidding. Yeah, they are what? Really? They are? Yeah, that's wild.

Hannah Staddon
Yeah, that's really wild. Again, super lucky and super fortunate to have found these people. I think it's also, I mean, one thing that I. I keep seeing is that when people give their life to the right owners, whether that's an estate or a vessel, there is a sense of gratitude that somebody is willing to give their life to. Like, I mean, there is people who don't see it like that, that they just look at it as a transaction.

Hannes Hetji
I give you extraordinary amount of money for your time, and you get to be in the BVI while I'm actually working somewhere else. But there are some people who see that it's not a simple thing to dedicate, like, 15 years or something to a family. I never thought I would be in a position to be able to work for someone for this long. It's not something I've ever liked. Been like, oh, I need to find a job and work there for the rest of my life.

Hannah Staddon
And I think that a lot of yachties come into this industry thinking, oh, we just need to find, well, at least maybe half come into the industry thinking, oh, I'm just going to change boats until I find my unicorn owner, you know, whatever that looks like to someone. But it's really just about being able to put up with someone's bad habits, like, going into a relationship. Right. Can you put up with their worst traits? Yes.

Okay, cool. Well, then you can put up with everything else, right? Because everything else is great. So I feel like it's in a way similar to having an owner where, you know, can you put up with their worst traits? Like, what are their worst traits?

They fall asleep at 08:00. Like, if that's the worst trait, then, you know, that's amazing. And I feel like working for these owners has been. Well, we actually just stumbled. We stumbled across them, and it was really by chance that we bumped into them.

There's a whole backstory to that as well. But, yeah, I think working for someone that appreciates you and all the time that you put in. And the fact that you're managing their, you know, $3.54 million investment, you know, obviously plays a big role in that. But, yeah, it's just finding someone that is really grateful to you and verbalizes that, you know, monetizes and verbalizes that, and then, yeah, you have to be the type of person to be able to reciprocate and be. We're super grateful, and we're so excited whenever they come on, and we genuinely really like them as people, and we're just grateful to have them in our lives as mentors as well.

Hannes Hetji
Wow. That's a kind of relationship that is. I think I see it occasionally, but it's rare. So I'm very happy. It's very rare.

Hannah Staddon
It's very rare. All of our friends, like, I don't think any of our other friends have a relationship like we have with our owners, where we're actually, like, excited to have them on board and excited to chat to them and excited to update them on, like, what's going on. And. And for them to be helping me so much with the business as well, like, it's just unheard of, so. Yeah, yeah.

Hannes Hetji
But I want to touch up on one thing that you mentioned that people have to go back on rotation. You know, they try to go on land. And I think this is, this is actually, it's a common theme where we get used to our income. The income is so based on being available somewhere else than where we want to be. And the minute you kind of take that one willingness out of the equation, which is being in a place that someone else determines the income potential to potentially.

But I think it's so important for chefs just like yourself. Like, don't start thinking about that even a year before you try to exit is too short. Like, we have a level of income that ideally can put us in a position where we can invest our time and money in a better transition plan, and whether that's building a business on the side, which I think is great, or at least get the money to work that we earn, like, if it's. Especially if we're a couple and both. Both earn yachting income, like, okay, that's.

That's. That's some. Some pretty good money. While the expenses can be kept in check, that can work towards that in the future. Yeah, 100%.

Hannah Staddon
I'm all about that. We save every penny that we can, and we have some investment property, and, you know, I really, my husband is really good with investments and managing his money, and he's at a really good point in his financial life or whatever. So I'm, I guess, a bit further behind because naturally, when I was younger, I was like, spending frivolously and not really saving anything. But in the last couple of years, I've really been hampering down and have really good savings now. So I'm not worried in that sense.

It's just always scary when you move to land because, you know, all of a sudden you have all of these expenses that you're not used to having and then maybe not earning. Definitely not earning the income that you would. That you would usually be used to earning. So our main, I guess, theory is to just live as poorly as possible, which is obviously not appealing to anyone, but just living within our means and not buying, spending frivolously or whatever, and we don't anyway. But, you know, I think that is just the thing that catches most people.

They carry on living their lives the same way that they've been living when they've been on the boat and going out for expensive meals and buying a bag and whatever. And I think it's just important to not be doing that on the boat and then moving that, moving that kind of mindset into land shouldn't be as much of a shock then because you don't have as many expenses going out in theory, you know, practice is always a bit different. But yeah, we've definitely got some good plans in place for when we do transition. Art.

Hannes Hetji
What'S kind of your favorite read? And I want you to particularly think about something that could resonate with females because I feel like this topic is maybe even more relevant for them. So this is going to sound really odd, but it's a book called who said elephants can't dance? And it's by Louis v. Gesner, I think it is.

Hannah Staddon
And it's basically about IBM and how. Which, again, sounds a bit silly, but it was just about how IBM kind of decentralized their decision making and gave it to the individual apartments. And that's what kind of saved the company. And I don't know why, but that book has been the one that's really stuck with me because it was about making decisions easier in order to keep something alive and to. To take risks in order to grow.

And I think that it's so important that anyone, including women that are really. I mean, us women, we really have a superpower that a lot of us haven't really even uncovered because we're so good at multitasking. There's so many things that we can be doing and investing in ourselves, but we kind of hold ourselves back because we feel like it's very overwhelming. So we don't break down the steps. We don't break down the steps and put them into bite size chunks in order to achieve them.

So that was a really good book in kind of a business sense. Let me think of another book. I mean, I read a lot of World War Two stories, which aren't really appropriate in this situation. I think another book that I was really inspired by was shoe dog. I don't know if you've ever read.

Hannes Hetji
That one, but that was a story. Oh, there you go. Okay. Yeah, that was a really good story as well, of, you know, how Nike kind of became. So, yeah, I don't really have a story that's specific to females, and I don't think they really should be because, you know, it's.

Hannah Staddon
We're all, you know, we should all be equals in that sense. And, yeah, women just have to realize their superpowers, I feel like, and really just tap into that. And we are slowly but surely there's more and more of us female chefs coming into the industry, which I absolutely love to hear about. So, yeah, I don't know if that answers your question. Yeah, it was more so about kind of for one, I've never heard of who said elephants can't dance?

Hannes Hetji
So I love that part. And the other one is that, see, my, my brother has always been smart with his money. I I was the entrepreneurial one in, out of the three of us, so I became smarter with money, and it kind of rubbed off of my sister. And the interesting thing is, from the get go, my sister was actually the highest earner out of all three of us, but she had the lowest saving and investment rate, but she had a very good lifestyle. And.

But then the conversations kind of rubbed off on her, and she just feels strongly about being around women or groups of women who are conscious about what they do with the money, financial independence, and. And she says it's more powerful for her to win a group only of women than it is to be part of a cohort in a mentorship system where there's also a bunch of men in it. Sure. Yes. Okay.

Hannah Staddon
I definitely agree with that. And there's multiple groups that, like I say that I'm a part of that are just for women, that are empowering women, and female startup club, I don't know if you've heard of them, have been, like, instrumental. They've been a really good resource for different things. It's run by a girl called Doon Noisen, and she's australian, and she's an incredible. An incredible resource.

And, yeah, my. My owner also is an incredible resource. She's very intelligent, and so hands on the ground, knows so many different things. And with her launching a product as well, I'm going through a lot of the same things she is. So I can tap into her a lot as well.

But then, yeah, it sounds silly, but on Instagram, there's a ton of pages that are about women saving, you know, saving money and what their expenses are like this month and how to save money with whoever. I can't think of any specifics at the moment, but, yeah, there's a ton of resources out there for women specifically. Yeah, I feel like. And again, this comes down to who wants to grow and who doesn't. Like, there is people who just want to do their job, take their paycheck, and they take it to the trusted source, whatever that is, security and maybe 401K, maybe if they've read a little bit more, they have an IRA, Roth Ira or something.

Hannes Hetji
But there is a small group of people who want to take this into their own guidance. I think it's never been easier to be well educated. Like, this used to be country club kind of stuff, like where you needed to know somebody to know something, but now it's out in the open. It's on YouTube, it's on Instagram. And at least occasionally, I want to throw it at other chefs.

It's your responsibility. And the same actually goes for health. Like, I'm just going through such, like a series of surgeries, and what I'm realizing is nobody is interested in my health more than I could be. Like, so if I'm not interested, and I'm not digging for the better doctors, and I'm asking not better questions, the next doctor might just think of paying off his mortgage, and he will do some procedure, whether it's in my best interest or not. Yeah, 100%.

Hannah Staddon
I'm also going through a series of surgeries with. I can relate to, I have really bad endometriosis, which is like growth on my ovaries, etcetera, and hence why the jackets will, when I eventually start making a profit, will donate a portion of to the endometriosis. Foundation of America bought that research. But, yeah, I understand. If you don't have wealth, you don't have.

If you don't have health, you don't have anything. So you have to invest in yourself before. Before you do anything. And that's also been a big turning point. For me, because I've always kind of always had, like, up and down weight fluctuations, and I've never really looked after myself.

But the last two years, I've really started taking my workouts and my eating seriously. So, yeah, I'm in the best shape of my life, I feel. And, you know, whether I'm on charter or not, I always make it a priority to give myself at least half an hour or an hour a day if I can. So, yeah, yeah. Another big topic for chefs.

Hannes Hetji
Like, take care of yourself, guys. Yeah. What is the point? If you're like, a chef in a restaurant and you're super overweight, like, what are you even doing? You know, like, you're just wasting your life in a dark place on this constant hunt for perfection, which we all know never comes.

Hannah Staddon
Right. It's strife for perfection that never happens. And what do you get out of it? You get nothing. You know, if you don't have your health, you don't have anything.

Hannes Hetji
I actually think that a lot of people in the Michelin star world, especially, they have a chip on the shoulder, and that's their vehicle, and they have a very unhealthy relationship to it. And there's very few individuals that I admire there for how they've kind of managed to transition into a healthy family life and, like, see that their career is not the meaning of life, you know, as much as made it to be, and as much as maybe some culinary magazines want us to believe that. Yes. Yeah, 100%. And, you know, there was a situation that actually happened when I was studying.

Hannah Staddon
It was so 2015. I was trying to decide what direction I kind of wanted to go in because I wasn't necessarily going to go to the yachts. I was really enjoying my restaurant work that I was doing, and I was involved. I was chefing at a restaurant called the test Kitchen, which was at the time, was number 28 in the world. But you know how the shifts work, right?

It's a lunch and a dinner shift, and for a lunch shift, you have to be there at 07:00 a.m. So much like your story, I was having to travel for about an hour to get there, but I had to leave early for, because of the traffic. So I'll be leaving at five, getting there at seven, working a shift until, I mean, we weren't allowed to leave right, until the last person was finished cleaning their station. So it would be like, 12:00 sometimes with an hour's journey home. And I was still deciding kind of which direction I wanted to go in.

And take shifting in. And I saw an advertisement for a CDP, a job as a CDP at the fat duck in the UK with Houston Blumenthal. And I was like, oh, I'm just going to apply and see if I could, like, get in. And I got a. Well, so the one night I was driving, I was driving home and it was late at night and I was going really fast.

I'm a fast driver because nobody likes to waste time driving. And I hit a duck. A duck smashed my window. I had to pull to the side of the road and the thing was definitely not in a good way. And I drove home.

My mum was waiting up for me. And she's like, oh, my God, Hannah, your windshield is smashed. And I'm like, yeah, but I'm fine. I'll just get it replaced tomorrow. I'm so tired.

And in my email inbox, there was a message from the fat duck saying, we would love to have you on board as the CDP at the fat duck. And I was like, oh, my God, no, this is the sign. There's a sign I smashed the duck. I'm not going.

And whether it is a sign or not, even having spoken to my chefs at the school, they were like, han, you're literally going to be wearing micro greens for the first year. There's no ways you're even going to get close to a stove. If that's the direction you want to go in. And if that's what you see, if that's what food is to you, then absolutely. But I'm not about that.

I just, I guess, was true to myself in thinking that I just want to give people really good experiences and I don't need to be. I don't need to be that kind of chef, which, you know, I take my hat off to anyone that can be. But to do it healthily and to put yourself first is a huge challenge, like, in that kind of environment. And I feel like those are the chefs that should be celebrated. Like, yeah, hundred percent.

Hannes Hetji
I want to see the people that don't freak out. And then somebody comes around with a camera and thinks, that's amazing. I want the people that are calm are like a monk and say, just do it. Do it again and keep the composure. And they don't.

And everybody still eats excellent food, you know, like, I would like to see those chefs being celebrated. Yeah, it's interesting that there's no, you know, there's no real thing for. There's no real showcasing of chefs that just make really good food that people really just enjoy eating. I guess they make cookbooks or. I don't know.

Hannah Staddon
Yeah, I don't know. Yeah. There's just not really any real advertising for chefs that just do a really good job unless you become a celebrity or participate in a cooking show or something like that. So, you know, this just made me think of gladiator, you know, where he is a really good sword fighter, but he kills too fast. So you have, you know, are you not entertained?

Hannes Hetji
And you have to, you have to entertain and you have to be pragmatic and then you're a crowd pleaser. Sure. Sure. 100% sure. If you don't have personality, then what are you even doing as a chef?

Right? Although, let's get serious. All chefs have to be a little crazy to be, to be able to withstand, like a kitchen or, you know, it's a very, it can be a very isolating job, especially in the, in the yachting world. If you're by yourself, you're in your own department and that kind of thing. Definitely a very isolating job.

Hannah Staddon
And we all get a little crazy. Some more than others, that's for sure. It feels like every, everybody could have a therapist in their corner almost. Wouldn't that be nice? Well, Hannah, instead of talking to ourselves.

We'Ll be talking to our therapist. That would be amazing. Can the boat pay for that as well? Should be part of the general expenses. Therapy for the crew.

Yeah. Your charter expenses.

Hannes Hetji
Well, Hannah, thank you so much for your time. Where can people connect with you? Find out more about funky chef collection. So we're on Instagram at funkyshefco, and then we have a website, www. Dot Funkyshef dot co.

Not like.com. So that is where you can find them. Yeah.com. Awesome. And we'll make sure to add those in the show notes.

Yeah. Awesome. Thanks again. This was very wide ranging, super interesting, very unique. Awesome.

Hannah Staddon
I really enjoyed our conversation. Thank you. Thank you for joining us at the private chef podcast. If you know any highly skilled chefs that want to take their life to the next level, make sure to share this podcast with them. And if you enjoyed this episode, click subscribe and check out our upcoming episodes.

Hannes Hetji
Thank you for listening.

The Empowering Journey of a Seasoned Yacht Chef Turned Entrepreneur

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2: Hannah's Story

3: Challenges and Successes

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