‘Below Deck Med:’ Hannah Ferrier Reveals the Most Stressful Part of Her Job
Hannah Ferrier from Below Deck Mediterranean knows the buck stops with her if the guests aren’t happy.
The chief stew has years of experience running a tight interior. She is often seen on Below Deck Med exceeding guests’ expectations. But she knows demands are extremely high and she must be on her game 24/7 during charter.
She told Showbiz Cheat Sheet about what makes her job the most stressful. “You need to be prepared to work really hard and not get a whole lot of credit!” she remarked. So how does Ferrier deal with the stress of being a chief stew? Plus what aspect is the most stressful?
Being super organized is the only way to survive
Anticipating the guests’ needs is vital to staying ahead of the fray. Ferrier says being incredibly organized is key to staying on track (and hopefully reducing the amount of stress). One aspect viewers may not see is the amount of time and effort Ferrier puts toward keeping everything organized.
“Keeping everything in order takes a lot of time and organization,” she said. “Even having 20 people onboard that need laundry done every day. There’s a whole process to that! And keeping all those people fed and the liquor cabinet stocked is a job in its own!” Ferrier has often been filmed scrambling to replenish certain liquors or sourcing special foods on the fly.
Yacht stew Julie Perry blogged about how being prepared is the only way a chief stew will make it. “Being organized is an especially vital attribute for the chief stew since he or she is the one managing the interior department and the rest of the stews,” she wrote. “I cannot stress enough the importance of having systems in place to keep the everyday management of the yacht under tight control. A chief stew will usually be meticulously organized and will assign a place for everything on the boat.”
She says this is the most stressful part of the job
Anyone in management knows they are on the hook if anything goes wrong. That means if you are in charge of the interior and rooms are a mess or drinks are terrible, it all falls on your shoulders.
Ferrier said knowing the weight of the guest experience can be debilitating. “I would say the most stressful part is knowing that any mistake in the interior comes down to you. Three meals a day have to go flawlessly and the guests can never know you are about to have a breakdown!” Ferrier was applauded for showing considerable restraint when Chef Mila Kolomeitseva insisted she serve subpar food from a box.
Thankfully, Ferrier has a very tight team this season. She has a symbiotic relationship with second stew Aesha Scott and third stew Anastasia Surmava. But Ferrier just lost Surmava to the galley kitchen as Survama was appointed to take over the chef position on the superyacht. Even though Surmava moved to the chef position the team continues to be closer than ever. “I think this team gets along really well together and is there to support each other,” Ferrier said.
Catch Below Deck Mediterranean Mondays at 9 pm ET/PT on Bravo.
