Captain Sandy From ‘Below Deck Med’ Is a ‘Hero’ Chef Dave Says
Chef Dave White said Captain Sandy Yawn was a compassionate and caring person when he worked for her on Below Deck Mediterranean.
Yawn was seen comforting White when he experienced overwhelming anxiety after he sent aggressive text messages to chief stew Natasha White when he was drunk. At the same time, Yawn gave White another chance to redeem himself. He noted that Yawn could have easily fired him for sending the angry messages.
White described Yawn as a “hero” and said he has the utmost respect for her.
Captain Sandy was in the galley a lot, Chef Dave said
Yawn has gotten criticized for being in the galley and hovering over her chefs. In her defense, she’s had some unqualified chefs in the past. But this time she’s in the galley to marvel at White’s creations. “She was in the galley a lot,” White said on Another Below Deck Podcast.
“Captain Sandy could have gotten me fired, she was very supportive,” White added. “Sandy’s a hero. I respect her. Sandy, what she’s achieved, it must be so hard … honestly, a captain of her status has to manage these reprobates. All I can tell you right now is what she did for me was, she gave me a chance.”
He added, “She really f***ing supported me. And I’ll never forget that.”
Dave said Sandy really understood him and lets him do his job
In an interview with Decider, White echoed what he shared on the podcast. “Captain Sandy is awesome. I love her to bits,” he remarked. “I’ve worked with some incredible captains, and she’s up there. For me, management was key, and she was so brilliant at it.”
“She understood me so well and I really respect that,” he said. “She just let me get on with my job. There will be times during the season when you can see that she trusts us and will give us a second chance, even if we messed up. She doesn’t give up on people and that’s a real skill.”
Chef Dave said Captain Sandy was a hands-on captain
White also observed how Yawn was totally hands-on when it came to helping on deck too. The Below Deck Med season started when two deckhands (Mzi “Zee” Dempers and Storm Smith) were stuck in quarantine. Yawn didn’t hesitate to roll up her sleeves and get to work on deck.
During a Below Deck Med episode, Yawn shared that White is probably the best chef she’s ever worked with on the show. “Some of the chefs I’ve had were incredible, but Dave is like no other chef I’ve ever had on the planet,” Yawn said in a confessional. “He is the true artist. It’s incredible to witness this guy at work.” Some of her favorite chefs to date included chef Ben Robinson and chef Tom Checketts.
Some of Yawn’s harshest galley criticism stemmed from her relationship with chef Hindrigo “Kiko” Lorran. While a talented chef, Lorran wasn’t quite ready to be the sole chef on a superyacht, which brought out Yawn’s anxiety. She was often seen in the galley checking up on his work, which added to his stress. He quit/was fired after a disastrous “Vegas Night” meal.
But this season, Yawn seems to be interested in viewing White’s creations. The pirate ship birthday cake blew her away and she was stunned to see his mastery when he built the cake. She recently tweeted, “Chef Dave is amazing!”
