Vivi and Hugh
Capt. Hugh O'Brien -
Born in England and then lived in more than a dozen countries across Europe, Asia and the Americas. Now a permanent US Resident living in the Caribbean & Florida, predominantly in the US and British Virgin Islands.
Hugh started competitive sailing and ocean racing in the UK & France in 1987 (36 years of ocean sailing experience). He com¬pleted his intensive Royal Yachting Association (RYA) YachtMaster 500 Ton Sail & Power Commercial License in 2002 at the presti¬gious UK Sailing Academy and worked as a Captain & Chef in commercial yachting in the Cayman Islands, Virgin Islands, USA & Japan. Hugh also ran 5 Star Sailing with a 50 ft Beneteau Sloop as a Captain Chef in the Virgin Islands from 2007-2011.
A 20-year career in Marketing & Sales for American IT & Database companies saw Hugh working in some 20 countries and heading up operations in Europe, US, Asia & Latin America.
From 2018-2022, Captain Hugh owned and operated Ocean Star 60, a 60 ft Beneteau sloop. Having worked with Chef Vivi on Ocean Star 60, they have since become partners in Serena Yacht Charters, LLC, and operate the 63-ft sloop Yacht Serena, their new Beneteau Oceanis Yacht 62. Yacht Serena is the Hull #1 of Beneteau’s ultimate Oceanis Yacht cruiser series and has many extras, including a carbon fibre Code 0 racing sail.
Hugh attended culinary classes and schools in France, Japan and America, and specializes in Mediterranean, Latin American and Asian fresh food dishes with premium ingredients.
Hugh is a light social drinker but nonsmoker, no drugs, no criminal record, clean licenses and a broad sense of humor especially when trying to catch fish!
Vivianne Swietelsky
Chef/First Mate Ocean Star
Vivianne, or “Chef Vivi” is based in Water Island, USVI and Coconut Grove, Miami. She is known for her authentic interpretations of the world’s great cuisines – American, Mediterranean, Southeast Asian, and Latin American, and her signature fusion MediterrAsian cuisine. She is also makes amazing desserts and is an inspired cocktail mixologist.
For as far back as she can remember, Chef Vivi has been passionate about food and the artistry of its preparation. Born in the U.S. to an Italian father and a Venezuelan mother, she has travelled all over the world and lived in the United States, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Mexico, and the Caribbean and is fluent in five languages. Her family life revolved around the enjoyment of great food and her mother taught her to cook instinctually, from the heart. Chef Vivi built upon this foundation and has expanded her culinary knowledge and skills over the years.
Chef Vivi attended different culinary schools around the world and studied Hospitality Management at the Florida International Universi¬ty’s School of Hospitality & Tourism. She has been a restaurant Pastry Chef, owned her own upscale Miami catering company, “Truffles Catering”, and worked as Private Chef for HNWI in both private homes and on charter yachts.
Another one of Chef Vivi’s passions is sailing, and she has enjoyed working on sailboats around the world. She also has an ASA Certificate for Offshore Sailing gained in the U.S. Virgin Islands and has owned and operated several Beneteau yachts.
After working as Yacht Chef with Captain Hugh on Ocean Star 60, Vivianne and Hugh became partners in 2023 and now operate Serena Yacht Charters, LLC on their beautiful 63-ft Beneteau sloop, Yacht Serena. Yacht Serena is a very special yacht: she is the Hull #1 of Beneteau’s ultimate luxury Oceanis Yacht 62 cruiser series. Vivianne has enjoyed refitting Yacht Serena with many upscale amenities, including FRETTE sheets and towels, Lanvin products, and Bose sound systems in every cabin.
What Vivianne enjoys the most about being a Private Yacht Chef is the daily interaction with her guests and the pleasure of creating wonderful memories for them. She really loves the feeling of serving wonderful food, drinks, and delivering excellent service on gorgeous Yacht Serena. Her and Captain Hugh’s motto about their guests is, “it’s all about you, all the time”. Nothing matters more to them than delivering a five-star experience and exceeding even the highest expectations.
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