New Chef Anthony Iracane is cooking up a storm on the hit Bravo show
The success of each season on the Below Deck franchise hinges largely on the chef’s abilities. Not only are they responsible for the round-the-clock satisfaction of the guests, but they are also responsible for keeping the crew fueled at all hours as well. The position truly requires a high level of culinary skills and incredible organization in order to be successful. But the other skills that are required have to do with communication and intention, a mindfulness of the important role they play in everyone’s ability to have a good time. Guests want their requests met, and the crew need their energy in order to keep a very complicated machine running. Throughout the different iterations of the franchise over the years, there have been chefs who can fill the position with clear-headed competence, and others who have left something to be desired for its reality viewers.
In Season 11, Chef Anthony Iracane stepped into the role and immediately proved that he had the passion and creativity to bring a variety of culinary feats to the guests. Any hiccups he has encountered can be attributed to building experience. He has always found a way to learn from the mistakes he has made, finding a way to correct and improve wherever he can. His culinary skills are not the only ones that Chef Anthony brings to the St. David this season. His openness and vulnerability also prove to be his strength. Through his interactions with the crew and his confessionals, Anthony has found ways to express himself while also maintaining a professional standard that is admirable. Especially when compared to some of the other chefs from the franchise that have shown themselves to be less capable than Anthony in many different ways.
‘Below Deck’s Chef Anthony Is Open to Any Challenge
It is true that in recent episodes, fatigue seems to be getting the better of Chef Anthony. His time management and organizational skills leave room for improvement. However, when comparing Chef Anthony to other problematic chefs on the franchise, he always comes out looking like an all-star. While his kitchen may be chaotic at times, his positive attitude and endearing qualities never seem to waiver. This is largely due to the vulnerability and openness that he has shared with viewers this season. Over the course of the season, he has proved that he is open to any challenge, open to critique, and open to communicating his emotions at all times.
Being a chef is a role that requires a certain amount of passion. The hours are long, the recipients of your work can be ungrateful, and the pressure of the kitchen can be incredibly stressful. Especially when, like Chef Anthony, they are a one-person department. Anthony has certainly got his steps in this season, running up and down stairs to the freezer to get the ingredients he needs to prepare meals for the guests and crew. He often struggles to get assistance from the crew, who have been in a compromising position this season after losing two key staff members in close succession. When speaking about why he loves his profession, Anthony says, “Cooking brings people together. You know, you need that passion and love.”
Chef Anthony Has a Positive Attitude
When a vegan guest comes aboard and Chef Anthony has the challenge of making tofu tasty, he takes it in stride. As he prepares scallops for the other guests, he explains that he wants the vegan guest to have the same experience of being amazed by her meal as the other guests. So he takes time to prepare the tofu in such a way that it looks just like little scallops on the plate. Taste, presentation, and guest experience are important to the Chef, no matter the circumstances. Compare this attitude to Chef Ryan McKeown from Philadelphia on Below Deck Down Under. When his charter guests caught a squid while fishing on their vacation, they requested that the Chef prepare it for them. Chef Ryan heatedly refused at first, putting his crew in the awkward position of not being able to answer the guests’ request. Chef Ryan was only forced to concede when the guests asked him point-blank about the squid. His negative attitude was the last straw for Captain Jason Chambers, who reached out to the staffing agency for chef resumés right after the incident.
When Chef Anthony is confronted by a request or restriction, while it may be irksome, he rises to the challenge. Early in the season, when a charter guest has a series of lengthy restrictions on the type of food that she prefers to eat, Chef Anthony’s positive attitude didn’t waiver. He showed he can be flexible in accommodating restrictions, adjusting to requests, and providing options for the primary to keep her happy. He says, with a particularly French charm: “Let her pick between different options. You know what, princess, don’t worry. I got you.” However, as the season wears on and the guests become more difficult, even the passionate Chef Anthony has his limits. Despite putting his best effort forward, he stumbled when trying to keep the many restrictions and allergies straight when Real Housewives of New York City alum Jill Zarin and her friends came aboard. Their pickiness got the better of him, but even when facing tough criticism, Chef Anthony didn’t lose his cool.
Criticism Is No Problem in Anthony’s Galley
Captain Kerry Titheradge understands better than anyone how sensitive a creative temperament can be, and how artistic people need to be handled with care. When Chief Steward Fraser Olender spoke to Captain Kerry about the galley being disorganized, the Captain admitted that he needed to be careful with how hard he pushed Anthony to change his ways: “Chefs are artists, and they can be quite sensitive. Anthony is a great chef and I don’t want to push him over the edge.” He even tried to get Fraser to see the chef’s perspective, allowing that at the end of the day, chefs are sensitive because their art is being so frequently critiqued. Chef Anthony has been remarkably open when it comes to his struggles with dyslexia, which seems to play a big part in his ability to keep his galley and guest orders organized, especially when they come at him at a rapid fire pace.
At the beginning of the charter season, it took Chef Anthony a moment to learn the correct balance between crew numbers and the amount of food he made for them. However, when Captain Kerry stepped in to request Anthony prepare more food, Anthony took the criticism in stride. Although it might have hurt his creative sensibilities, he understood when the Captain advised him to focus less on perfection and just turn out some basic meals like sandwiches to keep the crew fueled. Anthony is at first hurt at the thought of limiting his creativity for the sake of abundance. However, he warms to the idea and, in a confessional, says that from then on there would be a “buffet every day” for the crew.
Now that the series is mid-season, fatigue has set in and Anthony’s timing and organization are beginning to affect service more consistently, especially when guests have those pesky restrictions. The most recent episode showed Anthony forgetting to accommodate a guest’s dislike of both seafood and vegetables. Earlier in the season, having spent hours cleaning the galley after a long day of cooking, Chef Anthony observed: “Sometimes, you know, when you’re tired, exhausted, it’s hard to be creative in this vibe.” After running the galley by himself all season, his resilience seemed to be wearing out. In a preview for episode twelve, Anthony admits the service is not where it needs to be. Captain Kerry will be having a sit-down chat with Anthony about his organization affecting service in upcoming episodes, according to episode eleven’s “next on” preview. Hopefully, the Chef continues his frankness and opens up to Captain Kerry about ways he needs more support in the kitchen. He tells TV Insider that when a crew member goes out of their way to help him in the kitchen, he views them as “family.” They would do anything for him, and he in turn would do anything for them.
It would be a shame to see Chef Anthony depart the St. David, when other chefs who have been fired in the past have been much less sympathetic in their reasons for their errors. For instance, on Below Deck Mediterranean, Chef Adam Glick took offense to the request that onions be avoided in the cuisine for one group of charter guests. Instead of simply accommodating the request, Chef Adam went out of his way to slip onions into the dishes he prepared. He even went so far as to make french onion soup, as an affront to the guest who had made the request. In the face of such petty behavior, Chef Anthony’s struggles with organization seem a minor infraction that could be greatly helped with some assistance from the Chief Steward when it comes to planning in advance.
Chef Anthony’s Honestly Is Refreshing
Communication is key in any work environment, and viewers of this season know that with Captain Kerry it is a top priority. Anthony’s greatest strength this season, besides his creative cuisine, has undoubtedly been his ability to communicate. It is not always easy for men to honestly express their emotions, especially in a work environment with intense pressure. But whether it is a confessional or a conversation with crew members, Chef Anthony has shown his heartfelt emotions every step of the way this season. From his love of cooking, to his desire to take care of his mother so that she can retire, to mourning the death of his father, Chef Anthony has been refreshingly vulnerable this season on Below Deck, endearing him to the audience.
His vulnerability also allows for some hilariously insightful moments as well. When Anthony described his love life, he offered a quick summary of the time that his ex-wife left him for the Captan of another boat. Who also just so happened to be his uncle. The way that Anthony relays the story has such charm that the audience laughs with him as he describes the new love of his life, saying: “So, for the moment, I’m literally in love with my cat.” His openness with the rest of the crew about his emotions on the anniversary of his father’s death allowed him to gain sympathy and friendship, with Fraser and Steward Barbie Pascual going out of their way to comfort and console him. When this behavior is compared with how Chef Leon Walker treated his crew on Season 3 of Below Deck, the difference is immediately noticeable. Chef Leon was so nasty to Chief Steward Kate Chastain that he even went out of his way to pour honey on her bed as a “practical joke,” a fact which she revealed in a post on Twitter in 2020. Chef Anthony would never.
Chef Anthony’s openness to accepting challenges, taking critiques, and expressing his emotions makes him a rare find on reality TV. While he and his crew have been overburdened this season by circumstances beyond their control, his abilities often make the best of a bad situation. While his struggles with organization and time management can be frustrating for crew and guests alike, his endearing qualities more than compensate. Hopefully, the upcoming chat with Captain Kerry will result in more support in the kitchen and, perhaps, assistance in planning meals up front to keep the guests happy.
