Bilingual Japanese chef. Authentic Japanese & European cuisine.
Hello — I'm Monet, a Tokyo-born chef with six months' sea time as cook
& crew aboard S/Y Catana 581 (Trinidad → Colombia). Rooted in Japanese
technique, confident with modern Western service — relocating to
Manchester, UK in September 2026.
Based
Fukuoka → Manchester
Languages
JP / EN
Available
Late Sep '26
Chef portrait · 4:5 · Galley or dockside
02 · About
From potatoes to the open sea.
As a child I had severe allergies and could eat almost nothing but
potatoes. Overcoming that turned food into something I never take for
granted — every plate is a small act of care for the person eating it.
I came up through Japanese hospitality — sushi counter, izakaya floor,
and as an early team member at a Tokyo café-startup helping develop new
menu items from scratch. In June 2026 I completed the Certificate in
Culinary Arts (CTH) at Ashburton Chefs Academy in the UK.
Then the sea: six months crewing from Trinidad to Colombia aboard
S/Y Catana 581, cooking every meal from scratch under way, plus a solo
washoku guest engagement aboard an 85 m motor yacht in the
Mediterranean. Calm and easy to work alongside, allergy-aware by
instinct — now relocating to Manchester on a UK Youth Mobility visa,
no sponsorship required.
03 · Culinary Experience
Counter to galley, six kitchens in.
Sushi counter, izakaya floor, café startup, school-festival pop-up, a
catamaran galley across the Caribbean — and a week as solo washoku chef on
an 85 m motor yacht. Each one taught a different muscle — precision,
pace, menu-build, service rhythm, and cooking under way.
Feb — Aug 2026Trinidad → Colombia
Cook & CrewS/Y Catana 581 · ocean passage
Six months living aboard — cooked and served meals from scratch through ocean and coastal passages across the Caribbean. Provisioning, watch-keeping and live-aboard crew duties alongside cooking.
Jun — Jul 2026Mediterranean
Guest Chef — Washoku85 m private motor yacht · name confidential
Invited aboard for a one-week solo Japanese-cuisine engagement, during leave from the Catana — full washoku menus prepared and served single-handed for the owner and guests, with bilingual menu cards. Yacht name withheld under owner confidentiality.
Feb 2025 — presentTokyo, Japan
Startup Team MemberMacho Cafe (Macho Inc.)
Joined as an early member of the startup. Contributed to menu and product development — recipe creation, tasting, and bringing new café products to launch alongside the founding team.
Jul 2025 — Oct 2025Tokyo, Japan
Food ServiceAntoki no Izakaya
Front-of-house service in a fast-paced izakaya. Teamwork under pressure, serving traditional Japanese dishes through a high-turnover dinner service.
Oct 2025Japan
Team Member (school festival)Maro Cafe — pop-up
Part of the team running a café pop-up at a school cultural festival — prep, menu and full service for the run of the event.
May 2024 — Apr 2025Japan
Food ServiceKamesho Kuru Kuru Sushi
Served guests in a busy sushi restaurant — presentation, hospitality, and the high-standard customer service that defines Japanese hospitality.
04 · Certifications
Ready to sign on.
Core safety paperwork in hand. Originals and digital copies available
on request.
01 / 05
STCW '10 Basic Safety
Personal survival techniques, fire prevention & fire-fighting, elementary first aid, personal safety and social responsibility.
IMO / MCA
02 / 05
PDSD — Security Duties
Proficiency in Designated Security Duties — ISPS-code awareness for crew with designated security responsibilities on board.
MCA-approved provider
03 / 05
RYA Competent Crew
Practical sail-cruising qualification — sail handling, helm, watch-keeping, deck work and safe live-aboard crew skills.
Royal Yachting Association
04 / 05
Food Safety & Hygiene
HACCP-aligned food hygiene — preparation, storage, temperature control and allergen management for commercial kitchens.
UK accredited · 2026
05 / 05
ENG1 Medical
Seafarer medical fitness certificate. Required for all commercial yacht crew under MCA and Flag State regulation.
MCA Approved Doctor · 2026
＋
Certificate in Culinary Arts (CTH)
Full culinary diploma covering classical technique, kitchen management, menu development and food & beverage operations.
Ashburton Chefs Academy, UK · Jun '26
Japanese
Native · 母語
English
Working · professional fluency
05 · Beyond the Galley
Food is the centre. Craft is the frame.
Long before I trained in a professional kitchen, I trained as a calligrapher —
brush and pen, from the age of six. The practice still travels with me. On a
charter, it shows up quietly: a handwritten card at each setting, a guest's
name in kanji, a single character brushed and gifted at the final dinner.
品
01 / 05
Handwritten menu cards
Each course brushed by hand on washi paper — one card per guest, one per service. A quiet detail that sets a private charter apart from a restaurant booking.
名
02 / 05
Guest names in kanji
Each guest's name rendered in ateji — chosen kanji matched to the sound and meaning. Presented at the first service and kept as a souvenir.
海
03 / 05
Voyage-theme scroll
A single character chosen for the charter — 海 (sea), 縁 (bond), 航 (voyage), 和 (harmony) — brushed in one stroke and gifted framed at the final dinner.
宴
04 / 05
Live performance
A short one-stroke piece before dessert for celebration charters — birthday, anniversary, honeymoon. Quiet, meditative, under five minutes. The finished work is gifted to the guest of honour.
習
05 / 05
Mini workshop
On sea-days or by request, a thirty-minute introduction — guests brush their own name or a character of choice. All tools provided; no prior experience needed.
苺
＋
By request
Bespoke pieces for proposals, family crests, yacht names, or a guest's own chosen phrase. Discussed during the pre-charter briefing, prepared discreetly, and presented at the right moment in service.
Background
Japanese Calligraphy 書道
Certified in both brush (毛筆) and pen (硬筆). Selected for exhibition at the
Nippon Budokan, Tokyo — 武道館奨励賞 (Encouragement Award). Trained from
age six through senior secondary school under classical masters.
Offered at no extra fee. All tools — brushes, ink, stones, washi paper — are personal
stock, brought in a single compact case and set up without disruption to galley service.
06 · Sample Menu
One day at anchor. Four services.
A sample day from a seven-night BVI charter — built around what day-boat fishermen
actually land and the four techniques I want on the table: house-cultured sourdough,
self-milled ramen noodles, hand-rolled sushi, and fresh-baked Japanese pastry.
Slow-fermented country loaf, cultured butter, seasonal preserves, dashi-cured salmon trout, six-minute egg, seasonal fruit. Japanese breakfast (grilled fish, miso, rice, 出汁巻き, pickles) on request.
13:00
Lunch on deck
House-made chicken ramen, guest's choice of tare昼食 — 自家製鶏ラーメン、たれ選択
Self-milled noodles, clear chicken stock, shoyu · shio · miso at the table, house ajitama, chashu, scallion. Cold tsukemen option on warm days.
17:30
Canapés at anchor
Temaki station, hand-rolled at the tableカナッペ — 手巻き寿司、甲板にて
Three fillings set out with warm shari and crisp nori — tuna-avocado, cucumber-umeshiso, smoked trout & cream cheese. Guests roll their own. Cold sake flight and aperitifs alongside.
Can extend to a full-service day (mid-morning pastry, late-night petit-four & whisky pairing) on request.
07 · Plated Work
Dish portfolio.
03 Selected · Updated Apr 2026
House-made chicken ramen, three tare
Signature
Basque burnt cheesecake
Dessert
Prawn & pancetta linguine
Pasta
08 · Intro Video
90 seconds, face to camera.
A short personal introduction covering my story, training, and why I'm
heading to sea. Captions in English and Japanese.
01:28 · Monet Hayashi · Intro
09 · References
Direct contacts, on request.
Owner of the catamaran I cooked and crewed aboard for six months across the Caribbean. Can speak directly to my work at sea, galley discipline, and life on board.
Gil Barden
Owner · S/Y Catana 581
Founding team at the Tokyo café-startup where I developed menu items from scratch. Can speak to recipe development, product launch and team work.
Manager — Macho Cafe (Macho Inc.)
Tokyo, Japan · contact on request
Manager at the sushi restaurant where I first worked the floor. Can speak to hospitality standards, service pace, and reliability.
Manager — Kamesho Kuru Kuru Sushi
Japan · contact on request
Full contact details for all referees released directly to placement agents
and captains under consideration. Happy to set up a call.
10 · Contact
Available from late September 2026 in Manchester, United Kingdom.
