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Linda Steen, Executive Chef
Executive Chef  ·  Private Chef  ·  Yacht Chef  ·  Food Tech
Let me introduce myself.

I'm Linda Steen. Executive chef, private chef, and food tech consultant. Fifteen years cooking at the highest level for UHNW families, diplomatic residences, and private estates across New York, Europe, and Asia. Globally trained — French, Italian, Greek, Nordic, Asian, Mexican, American, Russian, and longevity cuisine. Fine dining standard every day. Complete discretion. Available from May 2026 for the Mediterranean season and engagements worldwide.

Available from May 2026 · Mediterranean season open STCW · ENG1 · TQUK Level 2 Food Safety (RQF)
Available for seasonal engagements, projects, and contract placements worldwide
Executive, private or yacht chef?

Fifteen years. UHNW, New York, Europe, diplomatic residences. Certified yacht chef. The standard you won't have to set.

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Plant-based, longevity, or both?

Plant-forward specialist. Hyper-customised menus developed in collaboration with physicians. Full spectrum, same standard.

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Building a food tech product?

Product strategy, chef credibility, and EMEA market entry. Project-based or fractional.

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Background

Three worlds. One standard.

Context changes. Execution doesn't.

What you need is someone who has operated at the highest level across every context: executive kitchens, UHNW private estates, diplomatic residences, food tech, and the sea. Fifteen years of environments where the standard is non-negotiable and discretion is assumed. The craft deepens with every context. The standard does not move.

Where

Diplomatic residences and UHNW private estates in New York, the Hamptons, and across Europe. VIP chef at World Expo Shanghai. STCW and ENG1 certified for superyacht seasons.

Who

Principals and their estate managers. Diplomatic households. UHNW families with complex dietary requirements, including hyper-customised longevity and nutrition programmes developed in collaboration with physicians. Charter managers and food tech founders who need a culinary voice with genuine kitchen credibility.

Context

High-pressure environments with exacting standards and no margin for error. Nutrition and longevity-led cooking. Allergen and dietary complexity managed at scale. Absolute discretion, professionally and personally.

Education & Certifications

Chef's Education, Netherlands · Cornell Nutrition Certification · Yacht Cook Certificate · Ayurvedic Nutrition · STCW · ENG1 · TQUK Level 2 Food Safety (RQF)

Availability

Home base: Kefalonia, Greece (summer) and Cascais, Portugal (winter). Available for projects, seasons, and engagements worldwide.

At a glance

  • Executive Chef, restaurants, high-end museum restaurant & large-scale events · brigades of 2–25
  • 15 years, diplomatic residences & UHNW private service · NYC
  • VIP Chef, World Expo Shanghai · Dutch Government
  • Hermitage Amsterdam, launch chef & kitchen director
  • Employee #3 Europe, Redefine Meat, starting team
  • Horecava Innovation Award 2023
  • Best Chef Awards Madrid  ·  SIAL Paris
  • STCW  ·  ENG1  ·  TQUK Level 2 Food Safety (RQF)
  • Global repertoire: French · Italian · Greek · Nordic · Asian · Mexican · American · Russian · Longevity
  • Plant-based, longevity & physician-collaborated nutrition
  • Dutch national · English · Dutch · Spanish · Greek

The trust I've earned stays earned.

Discretion is the foundation, not the disclaimer. References available on request from a Senior Vice President, a Diplomatic Principal with 30 years international service, and a private UHNW client.

Kind words from collaborations, clients, and colleagues.

Food Tech · EMEA Launch

Linda makes the impossible happen, and then makes sure everyone around her gets to feel it too. We were working together at a UEFA club, and she somehow arranged for the entire kitchen team, people who had worked there for years and never set foot on the pitch, to walk out onto the field. One afternoon. Magic. That’s who she is: the work is always exceptional, and she never forgets the people doing it with her.

Senior Vice President, Redefine Meat
Private Estate · 3 Months

Linda loves her profession and is extremely good at cooking the whole spectrum. She kept us surprised with new dishes even after 3 months of cooking daily, European, Asian, Mexican, Indonesian, Indian, Lebanese, Greek, and Plant-Based forward. She is well organised, a good communicator, and helpful to all staff. She can read the room. During a lockdown, when you cannot leave the estate, the energy of a person is a gift.

Private Client, during Covid lockdown
Diplomatic Service · 20+ Events

Linda has engaged in over 20 engagements with numerous heads of state, members of royal families, as well as Dutch and global politicians. Her modest, yet cheerful character makes it a pleasure to have Linda lead all culinary aspects of these gatherings. Her resourcefulness within constraints is unparalleled.

Diplomatic Principal, 30 years international service
Get in touch

Let's talk.

Whether it's a yacht season, a private residence, an executive role, or a food tech project. The conversation starts here. All enquiries in complete confidence.

Currently available for
Superyacht Seasons Private Residences Executive Chef Roles Food Tech Strategy Worldwide Travel
Book a conversation

Pick a time that works for you. 30 minute introductory call, no obligation.

Prefer email? linda@cheflindasteen.com
For agency and estate manager enquiries.

Location & availability
Home base Kefalonia, Greece (summer) · Cascais, Portugal (winter) · Flexible for worldwide placements
Available worldwide Projects, seasons, and engagements globally. 2026 season open.

All enquiries treated with complete discretion.

Linda Steen — plated dish
Executive Chef · Private Chef · Yacht Chef

Knowledge.
Discipline.
Trust.

What you need is someone who doesn't need managing. The standard is already there. The craft, the discretion, the temperament. You shouldn't have to ask for any of it.

01, Executive Chef

The best kitchens are happy kitchens.

Brigade Leadership

Menu architecture, supplier relationships, cost control, and the commercial instinct to make a kitchen work at every level, not just during service. I've launched restaurants, directed multi-kitchen operations, and cooked for heads of state.

Key Experience

Hermitage Amsterdam: restaurant launch and full kitchen direction. Netherlands World Expo Shanghai pavilion: culinary team lead for diplomatic and VIP guests. High volume, high stakes, the same standard throughout.

  • Restaurant launch & kitchen direction
  • Brigade management & menu architecture
  • Hermitage Amsterdam
  • World Expo Shanghai, VIP culinary lead
02, Private Chef

From intimate dinners to ballroom events.

Private Households

Fifteen years of private service across New York, the Hamptons, and Europe, for UHNW families and diplomatic households. Bespoke menus built around the household, not the chef. Every dietary requirement, preference, and lifestyle consideration anticipated, not accommodated after the fact. Longevity and nutrition programmes developed in close collaboration with the household's physicians. Because the best private chef work starts long before the kitchen does.

The Discipline

This is not restaurant cooking in someone's home. It is a completely different discipline, one that requires discretion, adaptability, and the kind of trust that takes years to earn.

  • 15 years, diplomatic private service
  • Diplomatic residences & UHNW households
  • Dietary complexity & wellness menus
  • Absolute discretion & confidentiality
03, Yacht Chef

A lifelong sailor. Taking the kitchen to sea.

On Water

Sailing has been part of my life long before the galley was. STCW, ENG1, and TQUK Level 2 Food Safety (RQF), bringing the same culinary standard to the sea that has defined the work on land.

The Galley Standard

Plant-based and all-around menus, dietary complexity, and fine dining in motion. The standard does not change because the kitchen is at sea.

  • Lifelong sailor, Mediterranean & offshore
  • STCW Basic Safety Training · ENG1 Seafarer Medical · TQUK Level 2 Food Safety (RQF) · Cornell Nutrition
  • All certifications current · available on request
  • Plant-based, longevity, allergen-complex menus at sea

Available worldwide. 2026 season open.

Home base: Greece in the summer and Portugal in the winter. All enquiries in complete confidence.

or email linda@cheflindasteen.com CV and references available to verified agencies and principals. Book a call to request.
Plant-Based Specialist

Where plants lead,
everything elevates.

If longevity, performance, or simply the best version of what plants can do drives how you eat, you found the right chef. Fine dining standard, every single day, no compromise.

The philosophy

Plant-based is not a trend. It is where food is going, and it has been at the core of my work for a long time, at the highest level.

The clients I work with know exactly how they want to eat. UHNW families, principals, and estate managers who understand that longevity starts at the table. Who expect elegance, not compromise. Plant-forward, nutritionally intelligent, and fine-dining standard every single day.

There are many chefs who cook plant-based. Very few have built a career doing it exclusively at this level, across this many disciplines, for this calibre of client. This is my specialty. And it is something I love sharing.

What this looks like in practice

Private Households

Daily cooking, weekly menu planning, longevity and wellness nutrition developed in collaboration with the household's physicians, full allergen and dietary management. Designed entirely around the household and updated as needs evolve. The goal is never a meal. It is a way of eating that people look forward to, every day.

Superyachts & Charter

Plant-forward provisioning, rotating menus for multi-week charters, dietary complexity managed across crew and guests. Every engagement is different. The standard is not. Full fine-dining execution in every kitchen.

Events & Estates

Tasting menus, large-scale catering, weddings, and private dining. Fine-dining plant-based courses integrated into any menu, at any scale. Every guest at the table eats the same quality, regardless of what they can or cannot eat.

Restaurants & Restaurant Chains

Integrating plant-based into an existing menu, building a new plant-based offering from scratch, or training a kitchen team to execute at the highest level. From single restaurants to multi-site operations. The goal is a plant-based offer that guests choose, not one they settle for.

Food Tech & Product Integration

Helping food tech companies bring plant-based products into professional kitchens. Product positioning, chef education, menu integration, and market entry strategy. Available on a project basis or fractional. The credibility comes from the kitchen, not the boardroom.

See the full Food Tech story

Sample menus available on request. linda@cheflindasteen.com

Capabilities

  • Plant-forward tasting menus, fine dining level
  • Daily household cooking, longevity and wellness led
  • Weekly menu planning built around the household
  • Full allergen and dietary management
  • Ayurvedic and nutrition led menu design
  • Plant-forward provisioning for superyachts and charter
  • Multi week rotating menus for crew and guests
  • Large-scale events, weddings and private dining
  • Vegan and vegetarian à la carte integration
  • Allergen protocols for private households and estates
  • Plant-based menu integration for restaurants and chains
  • Food tech product placement and chef education
Availability Available for private households, superyachts, and consultancy projects. Engagements from one week to ongoing. Worldwide.
The approach

Every constraint becomes a creative opportunity.
The goal is food so good that nobody asks which dish is the plant-based one.

Private households, UHNW families, and yacht charters rarely have simple dietary profiles. Allergies, intolerances, wellness goals, cultural requirements, and personal preferences, often across multiple generations at the same table.

Let's build a plant-based offering that doesn't compromise.

Private household, restaurant, superyacht, or food tech company. This is where the interesting work happens.

Food Tech Strategist

The kitchen
as proof of concept.

Fluent in both kitchen culture and commercial strategy. Built a new product category from zero to placement in leading restaurants across EMEA.

0 → 8 Wholesale accounts · from zero · in 6 months
2,000+ Restaurants placed across EMEA
5 Countries in 2 years
3 Industry awards Horecava 2023
Best Chef Awards Madrid
SIAL Paris

Redefine Meat, Employee #3 Europe

The best way to explain what culinary advisory work actually delivers is to show it. Redefine Meat is that example. A food tech product that needed to earn its place in professional kitchens across EMEA. And did.

Joined as part of the founding European team when the product existed but the market didn't. The role was equal parts culinary advisor, food strategist, and commercial bridge, translating between what the technology could do and what a professional kitchen would accept.

That required being fluent in both directions: kitchen culture, chef psychology, service constraints on one side; product development, market entry sequencing, and retail dynamics on the other. Placed a new product category across leading restaurants, wholesale accounts, and retail throughout EMEA.

Five countries in two years. More than 2,000 restaurants and accounts across the premium foodservice channel. The work was built on chef outreach, kitchen credibility, and a restaurant channel strategy that understood what chefs actually need to say yes. That is what product to market looks like when it starts in the kitchen.

If your product needs to earn its place in professional kitchens, you found the right person. Available on a project basis or as a fractional team member.

What this means for food tech companies

Getting a product into high-end kitchens is not sampling and pitching. It is understanding what makes a chef say yes, and what makes them say it to the next chef. Word of mouth in this industry travels fast, but only if the first placement is right.

Product positioning for the premium food service channel, chef outreach and education, translating technical capabilities into culinary language that resonates at the highest level. This is the work. Done before. Proven across EMEA.

Scope & engagement

  • Premium food service channel strategy
  • Chef outreach & product education
  • Fine dining and high-end restaurant placement
  • Wholesale & retail market entry, EMEA
  • Culinary translation for tech products
  • Brand positioning in fine dining
Engagement model
Project-based or fractional

Awards

  • Horecava Innovation Award 2023
  • Best Chef Awards Madrid
  • SIAL Paris

Media & Press · click to view

Great products deserve great kitchen partnerships.

The kitchen credibility your product needs is one call away. Project-based or fractional. Available now.

Currently available for new projects or email linda@cheflindasteen.com