In the current season of Below Deck Mediterranean, the crew has had to deal with internal and external drama. From major storms to personal upheavals, nothing goes smoothly. Chef Jono has weathered every wave and is committed to continuous improvement.
Chef Jono, Johnathan Shillingford, entered the world of Bravo bringing a strong personality to the kitchen. It seems like he’s always ready to offer a kind word, a bright smile, or the occasional dance break to ease tensions.
But his food wasn’t always culinary perfection. After a stern reprimand from Captain Sandy, he seems to have gotten back on track during the season. It’s always difficult to please demanding guests, but this self-taught chef is willing to put in the effort.
I recently spoke with Chef Jono via email, and while Below Deck Mediterranean fans will have to wait for the rest of the season, the personable chef seems ready, willing, and able to make the season one to remember.
Cristine Struble: What inspired you to become a yacht chef and do you think being self-taught is an advantage or disadvantage to your position?
Chef Jono: “I have always loved food. I think coming from the Caribbean, there is a strong food culture there where food is seen as a gift of love. When I came home for Christmas holidays or during my studies, the first thing my father would ask me was: what do you want to eat when you arrive? I have always loved food. Throughout my architecture studies I had a very close relationship with food.”
“I became a yacht cook by accident when my best friend, who was also a yacht cook, was on a yacht that needed a cook for about a week. And she said, ‘Jono, please do it. You’re an incredible cook. I was used to having a lot of dinner parties at home for friends and stuff. And she knew I was a pretty good cook. So I did that for a week and it turned into two years on that first yacht. And I think that’s where I learned the most. I think in the first episode they teased me about not knowing where to put the rubbish on a boat. I get in trouble for not taking the rubbish out.'”
“That’s how I became a chef. I think I always loved cooking, but the appeal of sailing was the travel. I left the Caribbean at 17, lived in Chicago for my first degree, London for my second, worked in Paris for a while and spent some time in Rio. I loved traveling from the start. I guess sailing kind of enabled me to do that and turn one of my passion projects into a career.”
Struble: Do you think it is an advantage or disadvantage for your position that you taught yourself everything?
Chef Juno: “I think (being self-taught) is an advantage, 100%. I think I loved that I was able to teach myself everything. I don’t have to unlearn anything that I might have learned in culinary school to approach food in a more fusion or design-oriented way. Being self-taught, I couldn’t commit to a classic French recipe and make it that way. I think to myself, let’s twist it and make it even more unique or appealing. So it’s definitely an advantage, not a disadvantage, never a disadvantage.”
Struble: Do you think cooking in a galley is easier or more difficult than in a professional kitchen?
Chef Jono: “Everything on a yacht is 100% more difficult. I think in every department, especially the kitchen, people compare the food on a yacht to a restaurant. That’s the biggest mistake because in a restaurant there are about 10 chefs. On the Mystique I was alone. So that’s a whole different challenge.”
“And then there are certain appliances in a galley that you can’t have on a yacht, like open flames and things like that that give different types of food different flavor profiles. I think cooking on a yacht is definitely more challenging than in a restaurant kitchen.”
Struble: In some of your Instagram posts you describe yourself as a culinary architect. How has your architectural training helped you in the culinary world? And are there similarities to the creative aspects?
Chef Juno: “They’re so similar. I think it’s crazy. Since I started marketing myself as a culinary architect, I’ve noticed so many other architect friends who are moving into cooking or have similar brands. I think for me, the influence is the process.”
“In architecture, you start with inspiration. I think as a chef, inspiration is often food. For example, if you have a great product, you think: oh wow, this tomato is incredible. Let me make the most beautiful soup out of it or something else, because that inspires you.”
“Sometimes it’s preferences that inspire you as a chef, isn’t it? It’s the same as architecture, or when a client comes in and says, ‘Oh, I want this two-bedroom house, but I want it to float over the water.’ And you think, ‘Oh wow, I’m absolutely blown away.'”
“Sometimes a guest comes in and says, ‘We want something that’s gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan or ketogenic.’ And I say, ‘Okay, that means I can’t cook anything.’ Then you get the idea and that preference or that restriction in food can be a great inspiration.”
“I think that’s the commonalities I take from both professions. I think it’s the way I go from inspiration to execution.”
“And then the joy, right? When I design a house for someone and they like it and then I see it finished, I find it incredible. It’s the same with food, except that it takes about an hour, whereas a house takes a year or more. And so you feel that joy, that satisfaction, much more quickly as a chef.”
Struble: This Below Deck season has been a rollercoaster ride in the galley. Have you ever had such difficult charter guests? And how difficult was it to accommodate their demanding preferences?
Chef Juno: “It’s very challenging. Captain Sandy says it’s about managing guest expectations. (There were) a lot of different preferences; some charters don’t have as many crazy, different preferences. Those who were crazy at the time thought, OK, so how do I do this? When I looked at it in hindsight, I could see that a lot of those different preferences were maybe not really realistic. I don’t know if I could have said anything at the time, I don’t know.”
“I’m proud of how I’ve handled it and weathered those different preferences. I don’t think there’s been a charter where at least two people weren’t happy, right? For me, two out of eight is still not good enough, but not failure. And for me, that means I can maybe get even more things out of these crazy preferences.”
Struble: In some cases, the charter guests were not entirely satisfied with the food. What would you have done differently in these situations? And do you think it would have been difficult to satisfy them in any case?
Chef Juno: “I think some people are difficult to please, no matter what you do. Unfortunately, I didn’t have much time with guests because I was always stuck in the kitchen cooking, so I wouldn’t have been able to judge whether they were the type of person who is definitely difficult.”
“But what would I have done differently if they didn’t like the food? I mean, what else could I have done differently? Yeah, I mean, I think maybe I would have gone out and talked to them more.”
“I think I was shocked when they left the Gigi charter and said they didn’t like the food because Sandy gave me feedback in the middle of it. But every time I went out, they never said, ‘I don’t like that.’ They were more like, ‘Oh, okay, yeah, good, fine.’ I think it was difficult in that moment to gauge how to correct it in the middle of it or make it better. I usually go out after every meal and if someone says, ‘Oh, it was too salty or too spicy,’ I can correct that and be sure the next meal will be to their liking.”
Struble: Which charter do you think best represents your food?
Chef Juno: “The Charleston charter dinner was really fun because it was such great people and they liked everything. Even with the last group of guests who were a little rude, I was really proud of my food at the time. I think they had a different style, more gastro food.”
“For me, plating is something that I love so much. I think I took the time to maybe do a little bit more prep so I could spend more time plating and making sure everything looked ‘gorgina’. I would say that was my best performance to date. But I think there were just so many challenges working on Mystique.”
Struble: Is there a special dish that you know your guests always enjoy?
Chef Juno: “(I have) several. Every yacht chef has at least 10 special dishes that the guests always enjoy. If it’s an appetizer, I tend to choose Southeast Asian food to please the guests because it’s always full of flavor and super fresh. And it’s great in the hot summer, right? Because it’s lighter and doesn’t have too much cream. I love Southeast Asian dishes, like Thai curry.”
“I don’t know if I was able to do much of that on the show though, because of the guests and their preferences. They also specified what type of cuisine they wanted to eat. A lot of the cuisine requests were either sushi or Mediterranean Greek dishes. I have a lot of specialty dishes.”
Struble: You are from Dominica. What are some fun, interesting or unusual facts about your country? And why should we all travel there?
Chef Juno: “Thanks for asking, because I love Dominica. I love being an ambassador for my country.”
“I think it’s one of the most magical places in the world. And I’m not biased, I’ve been to many places in the world. Dominica is called the nature island of the Caribbean. And to me it’s like Jurassic Park. You go there and you feel like you’re in the middle of nature. The plant you just paid $500 for in the store is growing wild on the sidewalk. It’s that beautiful. There’s so much nature, there are waterfalls. It’s one of the few places in the world where you can see whales year-round. There’s a huge whale and marine life population.”
“We just won our first medal at the Olympics, which happens to be a gold medal at the Olympics. So that’s pretty awesome. And yeah, there are lots of rivers and waterfalls, lots of great hiking and canyoning. It really is like an adventure destination. If you want to stay at a resort, you can. But I would say it’s attractive to the ecotourist who wants to get off the beaten track and have a damn good time. So come on. Let’s go.”
While there may be an opportunity to travel with him to Dominica, Chef Juno is back in the galley bringing his culinary architecture to Below Deck Mediterranean. What does the rest of the season have in store? Everyone will have to tune in to find out.
New episodes of Below Deck Mediterranean air Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo. They are also available to stream on Peacock.
