8 Signs Below Deck’s Chef Nick Tatlock's A Bad Fit For St. David

Summary Chef Nick's refusal to take direction and work with the team has caused tension on the St. David among the crew.

Nick prioritizes longevity over quality, serving dishes that fit his vision rather than guest preferences.

Nick's large ego and inappropriate comments towards other crew members have made it difficult for him to fit in on the superyacht.

Below Deck season 11’s replacement chef, Nick Tatlock, has been creating tension aboard the St. David, making it clear he doesn’t fit in with the rest of the superyacht’s crew. Nick, who joined the superyacht crew at the request of Captain Kerry Titheradge after he unfortunately had to fire Chef Anthony Iracane. Chef Anthony began the charter season aboard St. David with the rest of the crew, but his time on the superyacht wasn’t easy for the chef. While Anthony had the skills to cook beautiful meals, he struggled in other areas.

Chef Anthony’s shortcomings were clear from early on in the charter season, but it wasn’t apparent if his problems would seep into his work. Anthony, who has worked in various environments throughout his career, had experience working on superyachts and shared that he enjoyed the sense of pressure aboard St. David, though it sometimes caused him difficulty in his work. Chef Anthony, who got along with the rest of the superyacht crew, was able to create some incredible meals in his first chaters aboard St. David, cementing him as one of the better chefs in the franchise.

While Chef Anthony had the skill and ability to create some wonderful dishes, there were issues in his work that eventually began to get noticed by the charter guests. Anthony struggled with his timing aboard St. David, taking too much time to serve the first course, or leaving guests waiting too long between courses. He shared that his sense of perfectionism left him struggling to say his dishes were ready to be served, even when the rest of the interior crew, including Fraser Olender, Barbie Pascual, and Xandi Olivier were ready to run them to the guests.

Anthony’s time management wasn’t his only problem. The chef struggled with his organizational abilities as well, which made Fraser more keen to the issues happening in the kitchen’s galley. While Fraser wasn’t much help for Chef Anthony in keeping the galley organized and running smoothly, he complained often about the chef’s inability to do so. Anthony, who was open about his struggles with dyslexia during his time aboard St. David, had a hard time managing the guests’ orders and dietary restrictions with the provisions available to him.

Though Anthony’s issues weren’t entirely detrimental to the success of the charters he was on, Captain Kerry had seen enough problems in his work that he felt it was time to take action. Though the Captain knew there were just a few charters left in the charter season, he chose to fire Chef Anthony and ask the staffing services team to find him a new chef as quickly as possible. Though Chef Nick seemed promising at first, his behavior aboard the St. David has been less-than-favorable.

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Nick Refuses To Take Instruction

He’s Interested In Doing Things His Own Way

Chef Nick began his time aboard the St. David with a charter of guests who were looking for the most Instagram-worthy moments possible. From their views on the deck to their time in the water, the guests wanted to take photos of everything, including the food. Chef Nick knew that presentation was going to be a must when serving the guests, and the rest of the St. David crew tried to ensure that they were keeping that in mind as well.

While Chef Nick was aware that the guests were going to be looking at his presentation closely, he still chose not to garnish the dishes or do any sort of elaborate presentation, which bothered Fraser as the Chief Stew. After asking Nick why he wasn't garnishing, the Chef tried to provide an explanation, but it ultimately fell flat. Fraser argued, but Nick made it clear he wasn't interested in doing what the Chief Stew said.

Nick Isn’t A Team Player

He Works Alone

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While the majority of the St. David crew are aware of how much they have to work together to make every charter the best possible time for the guests, Chef Nick is of a different mindset entirely. While the Chef on a superyacht tends to work in a more isolated manner than the rest of the crew, it's clear that the new Below Deck season 11 chef has his strengths and weaknesses when it comes to being part of a team. Chef Nick would clearly rather be on his own.

Throughout the most recent charter, Nick made it obvious that he wasn't open to commentary or criticism of his work. Though the St. David crew knows how things work on a superyacht a bit more clearly than he would, Nick wasn't open to their discussion. He clearly struggles in a more team-based environment, and doesn't seem to be open to changing his ways.

Nick Prioritizes Longevity Over Quality

He’s Looking For Dishes That Will Stand Over Time

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While charter guests are always able to request what they'd like in terms of food and service aboard St. David, it's obvious from his first charter that Nick has a way he likes to do things, and he isn't interested in changing that. In serving meals that are delicious and visually stunning, Nick is able to connect with the guests, but he made it clear during his first charter that he wasn't necessarily interested in adjusting to the guests' demands if they didn't fit within his plan.

Nick prepared several meals for the guests of his first charter that they were excited about but weren't exactly what they'd asked for. Though he was happy to prioritize the guests dietary preferences, Nick was also keeping within his own interests in cooking for the guests. He prioritized food that would last and taste good over what the guests wanted, visual presentation.

Nick Doesn’t Listen To People Who Know More

He Doesn’t Trust Others Opinions

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Chef Nick shared upon his first appearance on Below Deck season 11 that he's been a chef for over 2 decades and his knowledge has a wide range, but his decision to trust himself over others who may know more about the specifics of the St. David is interesting. Chef Nick has been a chef for over half his life, and it seems clear that no one would question his cooking. Though there's no one that has more knowledge about the food aboard the superyacht, Chef Nick may not know as much about the vessel.

Though his skills are sharp, there may be things about the superyacht specifically that Chef Nick isn't aware of. He's proven in just one charter that he's not interested in having others tell him what he can and can't do in the galley. Nick isn't interested in taking direction from anyone, including someone who may have more awareness of his surroundings than he does.

Nick’s Behavior Has Been Upsetting

He’s Not Working Professionally

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During his first charter, Nick explained that he's a bit quirkier than the rest of the superyacht crew, but eccentricities are expected in chefs. While Nick's behavior may be a bit more off-beat than some of the other yachties, he hasn't made the best impression on the rest of the St. David crew. Nick quickly crossed some lines and boundaries, and has yet to take any accountability.

Throughout his first charter, Nick's behavior came off as harsh, hostile, and uncomfortable. He very quickly made it clear that he wasn't interested in hearing anyone else's opinion on the food he prepared or the way he chose to serve the guests. That quick, harsh tone rubbed most of the interior staff the wrong way. On top of his attitude, Chef Nick had some one-to-one issues with one of the stews aboard St. David, making him even less palatable.

He’s Been Concerning With Paris

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Nick's issues with stew Paris Field, who joined the crew of St. David midway through Below Deck season 11, were difficult to watch as he made some incredibly inappropriate comments about Paris' body during their first charter together. Clearly trying to find camaraderie with Paris, Nick was a playful sort of aggressive with the Stew. He made it clear that he was interested in talking to her, but was also giving her some sort of backhanded compliments during their interactions.

When Nick commented on Paris' food intake and attempted to lightly body shame her for it, he crossed a line. Paris explained that she didn't take what he said about the idea of her gaining weight and eating too much to heart, but it still wasn't something she was interested in entertaining. Nick owes Paris an apology, but it's possible he doesn't understand that he's crossed a line.

Nick’s Ego Is Too Large

He’s Got A Big Head

While Nick may be good at what he does, his ego is far too large for it to make sense that he hasn't gotten criticism in the past. Nick is a good chef, capable and able to make wonderful dishes for the charter guests, but he doesn't seem like he's ever gotten used to taking criticism to heart. As a chef, criticism is one of the ways that pushes you to improve your craft. Nick's inability to be criticized is concerning.

The St. David's new chef may have been able to wow the charter guests during their time aboard the superyacht, but it's clear that he doesn't have the ability to take feedback from those he doesn't feel are qualified. Nick's ego surrounding his cooking and his job as a whole is too large. He very clearly needs to be humbled a bit so he can take valid criticism.

Nick Came Into The Charter Too Late

He Doesn’t Have Time To Fit In

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While Nick is a good chef, the fact that he's come into the St. David crew so late is probably one of the more difficult things keeping him out of the tight-knit circle of the crew. With the charter season almost at an end, Nick's arrival to work on just a few more charters isn't something that the crew was expecting. Though Chef Anthony had his issues, they didn't seem to anticipate that he'd be fired for them.

Chef Nick was nice enough upon arrival, but his attitude and his outlook about his craft have been tough for the crew to adjust to. Making room for a new chef this late into the charter season was hard, and the Below Deck cast struggled to let anyone else in. Though they're doing their best, it may simply be too late for Chef Nick to fit in with the rest of the yachties.

Below Deck airs Mondays at 9 p.m. EDT on Bravo, then streams the following day on Peacock.