Nuri
… so believes Mykhailo Chekan, head chef on board superyacht Nuri, and a man who draws inspiration from a million different ports, markets, conversations and culinary traditions to create something remarkable for his guests.
Exceptional fusion cuisine. To some, it may mean merging Italian flavours with Japanese ingredients. To others, a succulent tandoori chicken burger, or a Korean-style burrito. But to Mykhailo Chekan, chef of superyacht Nuri, the possibilities of fusion are endless. His fusion cuisine isn’t about simply blending one with another, but creating an endless sense of surprise. For himself, as much as for his guests.
“I’m a fusion chef, but one that can’t be put in a box easily,” says Mykhailo, “and I like it that way. I don’t just combine two cuisines, rather I like to explore and incorporate a touch of every possible cuisine out there. And continually learn new things in the process.”
Mykhailo, originally from Ukraine, developed a passion for Italian cuisine while working at Bigoli, one of the best and most upscale eateries in Kiev. But his innate interest in new flavours, ingredients and techniques led him to accept a job as a chef for a cruise ship company, where he created everything from French to Mexican to Brazilian cuisine, as well as Japanese-German fusion cuisine in one of the cruise ship’s Michelin-starred restaurants. During that time, a passion was born. A passion for exploring and combining different elements of countless different culinary traditions. And never for a moment stopping at just two.
This sense of exploring and combining to create something unique is something Mykhailo does every day for guests on board the beautiful Nuri – a 41-metre expedition yacht with a dedicated crew of nine, and space to accommodate up to 12 guests. “One evening, guests might enjoy a Mexican-Thai main course of achiote chicken with green Thai sauce, and the next, a Greek-American dish of an orzo mac ‘n cheese, perhaps followed by a deconstructed tiramisu with a light-as-air mascarpone foam. But I’ll always try to put my own little twist on the dish.” Having grown up close to Georgia, Mykhailo also likes to experiment with Georgian cuisine, elevating meat-heavy traditional fare to something more gourmet by using the most succulent wagyu instead of a regular cut of steak, for example.
This desire to surprise also drives Mykhailo’s love of fermentation, a passion that’s influenced by what’s in season or fresh-to-market in whatever destination the boat happens to be exploring that week. “If I find juicy blackberries in Dubrovnik, I’ll add some chilli, garlic and apples, and let the mixture ferment for one week at 28 degrees. After that, I might use the juice as a dressing to serve over a fillet of fresh dorade. Then I might dehydrate the rest to use as a powder to sprinkle over a grilled steak.” If Mykhailo has a spare half an hour on board, one day you might find him making sourdough, the next kombucha, the next yoghurt, and the next kimchi. And the creation is often as spontaneous as it turns out to be versatile.
During a typical charter, Mykhailo will take the tender and go to local markets to source ingredients three or four mornings a week. Like any good chef, he hunts for what’s locally grown and in season. That might be succulent tomatoes or a bag of juicy peaches, offering such a blast of sun-ripened flavour that the dish or dessert that evening will need little else in the way of embellishment.
Before a charter, Nuri’s guests fill out an extensive culinary questionnaire so Mykhailo can cater to their personal needs and tastes, but in terms of menu creation, there’s always room for spontaneity. “If I find sensational wild strawberries in the morning, then it might be wild strawberries and cream as a light dessert after lunch. Or if I find a crew of Greek fishermen returning to land with a great catch of a particular kind of fish, I’ll ask them how they’d cook that fish at home, then combine their techniques with a twist or two of my own later that evening.” Mykhailo, always eager to learn, says he finds inspiration in every port, every market and every chance conversation. And it’s inspiration he takes back on the tender with him, back to Nuri, and back to his expectant guests.
Mykhailo believes dining should be an experience, after all. Something that celebrates and draws from its unique surroundings. Something that’s not just delicious to taste, but interesting to engage with. If he buys the 5-kilo prize catch directly off a fishing boat, and there’s a story to tell about how that fish was caught, he’ll relay the story to guests as he preps a salt crush and wraps the fish in banana leaves, ready for grilling. And those succulent tomatoes he bought at the market earlier? Guests might smell their wonderful aroma emanating from the pizza oven as they climb back on to the swimming platform after a busy morning of watersports.
“The most important thing as a chef,” says Mykhailo, “is to keep experimenting, to keep moving, to stay flexible, to never get stuck.” And just as a superyacht moves from one port to the next, so his guest’s dining experience moves from one surprise to another. Scrambled quesadilla for breakfast, or Asian porridge made with lemongrass and soft boiled eggs? Miso codfish served with Italian caponata for dinner? Or beef brisket tacos served with the sweetest fresh-to-market Sicilian coriander? Fermented or blended, whisked or baked, grilled, shared, dipped, deconstructed or freshly plucked from a Mediterranean mountainside: one thing Mykhailo makes sure of on Nuri, is that it’s always different. And always delicious.
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