‘Below Deck Med’: Chef Mathew Shea Opens Up About His Panic Attack, Provisions, and That Pesky Pile

Needless to say, there is a lot to discuss with Chef Mathew Shea when it comes to this season of Below Deck Mediterranean. So when I hopped on a Zoom call with him from his home in Rhode Island last week, I was sure to address all the biggest dramas, in and out of the galley. “I’m freelancing based out of Rhode Island this summer, a mixture of yachts, charters and stuff in the Hamptons for some clients,” Mathew told me of his current life — of course, in between watching Below Deck Med episodes to find out exactly what he said and did on those drunken nights out.

Here, Mathew opens up about his thoughts on that disastrous first charter, how he really feels about potentially being on Lexi’s burn list, and the crew member he’s totally got a crush on.

Decider: First, I wanted to give you the opportunity to say anything you want to about your knee and about missing the first charter. Is there anything you want to clear up?

Chef Mathew Shea: Well, obviously it was a very overwhelming situation, starting a new job and new crew. I got a lot of provisions and the walk-in was not in the galley, it was two floors down. My knee was really sore, but I hadn’t slept. So I wasn’t thinking, maybe I’m a bit of a hypochondriac, and all of it was very overwhelming. I had a panic attack and yeah, of course I regretted it, especially looking back and seeing the first dinner. That was harder to watch than me having my panic attack on TV. That dinner was awful. So I feel bad about that whole first day. If I could change it, I would change everything.

When you were watching, what did you think about what you saw? Did any of it surprise you? Is it super cringe-worthy?

Well, yeah. First of all, Dave trying to kill those lobsters was really sad and horrible, and then no one knowing how to cook the lobsters. I’m from New England, I grew up with seafood, so to see those lobsters getting butchered and seeing those oysters get cooked to death. Then the meat they use was meant for a stew, like a braising meat for slow cooking. It was not a searing slice, like a filet. The whole thing was really tough to watch as a chef, and it was all my fault, so imagine how I feel. I’m sorry to everyone involved, Captain Sandy, the charter, the guests, the crew.

Did you feel like you got a grip on the provisions moving forward after that?

Yeah, but regarding the provisions, there was stuff I got for the season that day. I got crew meats for the season that went in the freezer, I got cases of butter, milk and cream. It wasn’t like a bunch of perishables that went to waste, although it was a lot. It was also a pandemic — other seasoned chefs have been able to go to fresh markets and work with locals, and I was kind of stuck.

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Speaking of being stuck, let’s talk about Lexi. Tell me about that first interaction with her stepping in the pile and eating the lamb. Was there anything we didn’t see or any more insight into that? And what were you thinking during that moment?

I was thinking, the whole floor is clean besides this one space. I cannot believe she is refusing to move. Then she started eating the lamb and it was either get really mad and angry or say nothing. I’ve got to pick and choose my battles. But then when she was rushing me to plate, I thought it was more important that I just told her, it’s my galley moving forward. If she grabbed a piece of lamb moving forward, I would have yelled. It was a tough moment and situation. And at the same time, I hadn’t been there for the first meal. So maybe she thought it was really weak and was trying to pick on me, who knows.

It’s funny because you can see that you’re weighing how you’re going to react. You could see that you were thinking, I’m not okay with this, but you kept it in at first, until you couldn’t. 

Yeah [laughs]. While standing in the pile, rushing me to plate the lamb, while eating the lamb, it’s unheard of in the service industry. Especially with the second stew, I mean, there’s a hierarchy on boats.

In Episode 4, we learn about her burn list. Did you know about the list on the boat? 

Later that day after she told Malia, Malia came into the galley [and said] she has a burn list. And I think I was like, so I’m probably on that burn list because I asked her not to stand in my pile. So it’s a weird situation, she’s upset at the moment.

Were you worried when you found out that you might be on the list?

Well, I’m not sure I’m on the list. But I don’t care really. I think it’s sad. Poor girl.

When she says you should be outside to direct where the provisions were going, I thought she might have a point. Did you think so? 

Well, all these provisions are coming at once, it’s a mix of interior stuff and galley stuff, and it’s like two hours before the guests arrive. I was where I needed to be and there were certain things that I knew where they needed to go. Whichever box is handed to the person who’s grabbing it at that point, you take it that way. If I had stood on the dock, the crew would have gone all over the place with the provisions. It just went faster with the way I do it. You can see me again, trying not to be mean, but I’m the boss of the way provisions are put away. That’s my favorite quote so far. I’m the boss of the way provisions are put away [laughs].

I want to ask about some of other crew members. When I talked to Courtney last week, she said she found you to be really funny, and it sounds like you feel the same way. 

She’s hilarious. I’ve got a big crush on Courtney, that’s for sure. She’s like sunshine. She just makes me smile ear to ear.

That’s nice. And a lot of times we’ve seen on the show, some butting heads between the chef and the chief stew, but it seems like you and Katie got along pretty well. 

Yeah, Katie’s amazing, one of my favorite people I’ve ever worked with. In all my years of working and traveling, I’ve never met a person from New Zealand that I didn’t like. I met someone from every other country that I thought they’re an asshole. But Katie keeps that alive, she’s great. Just a nice, easy to get along with kiwi. We work really well together. I’m sure I annoyed the shit out of her though.

How about Malia? Did you interact much and get along? 

We got along. I’d say Malia is the sassiest but that’s not a bad thing. You saw her helping me with the cake decoration, and just seeing her on deck lead the guys. I think she’s a great leader and I don’t get the hate.

Well, most of it is hungover hate from previous seasons. 

But I’ve seen them all and I still don’t get it.

This is going to be controversial, but I have to ask you about a moment that happened with David in your room.  He said that you are the one that farted. What do you have to say for yourself? 

I say everyone needs to rewatch it. I’m the one who calls out, ‘Dave that stinks,’ and it seems like he admits to it on the show. Dave is throwing dirt on my name [laughs]. He’s the one who did it. Rewatch the episode, people. Yeah, judge me on other stuff, but for the fart, not fair.

It will remain a mystery! That primary cabin party in Episode 4 looked pretty epic.

We were all having a good time, lots of twerking. I forgot about Zee’s birthday cake, that was awesome. Lloyd was doing some grinding, there was some action going on and Dave just being so sweet picking Lexi up off the floor. He’s always being sweet and helpful, that’s what you’ll see from Dave all season.

Did you know how drunk Roy Orbison Jr. was getting? 

No, I didn’t hear anything about it. This is all new to me seeing it. I thought from all my interactions with them, they were lovely and sweet and this couldn’t be a nicer, more chill family. I did not see that incident, but also the first charter guests, every interaction I had with them was great. I only see what happens in the galley. Or the nights out, which I don’t remember.

Could you hear the musical guests from the galley?

No, no. You can’t hear anything over that extraction fan.

One of the things that we learned about you in this episode was that you don’t have formal training.  How did you get your start and how did you work your way up through the industry?

I have so much on-the-job training in really, really cool experiences. I started off in kitchens, when I was 12, my mom ran a cooking school in the ’80s. I worked my way up in line working with chefs locally in Rhode Island. I got a job in a Green Peace ship when I was 18, under a classically trained French chef who became my mentor. Then I did the pastry courses in Paris, I went to Mexico and studied ancestral Mexican cooking, I studied in Thailand, I did an internship in Noma, and then all my private chef experiences. I had long-term jobs working for well-known people. They had multiple chefs, and I’d work with them and learned with them, and just always stodged and interned at restaurants. So although I don’t have a four-year culinary degree, I probably have more experience and on the job than a lot of chefs who went to culinary school.

Have you ever been asked about a degree? 

No, because you look at my resume and people don’t care about that, because there are so many other experiences, and I think my resume and references speak for themselves.

Being a private chef, is it a lot of word of mouth and that’s how you get hired? 

Yeah, so much. I pretty much get to pick and choose my jobs now. There’s so much demand for personal chefs on yachts and on land. The first thing is, people need to feel comfortable with you in their home. And most jobs, private, they want at least five years experience in a home and these restaurant chefs just don’t have that. I’m like 14 years in, so I’m in pretty high demand.

What’s your preference? Do you prefer to do a yacht, do you want to do private?

I like freelance, what I’m doing now. So I have one boat I’m working with this summer, and I’ll do all their charters, which is like a week or 10-day trips at a time. And then in between, I have clients in the Hamptons. So I’ll go out to their house for the weekend and cook for the weekend or for dinner parties. I just like doing the mix. I did full-time jobs for over a decade, and I think I prefer freelance now so I get a bit of my own personal time mixed in.

Do you have a celebrity or anyone that is your dream to cook for someday?

Jay Z. I want to go on tour with Jay Z and Beyonce.

What would you think is your culinary specialty and then culinary weakness, the thing that you know you’re great at and the thing that you think, please don’t ask me to make this.

Healthy, seasonal, local. I’m really good with diet, vegan, gluten-free pastries. I’d say I need the most work on Indian food and decorating wedding cakes.

Throughout your experience with Below Deck, either before the show or after it, have you talked to any of the other chefs that have been on the show? Have you become friends with any of them?

I’m not friends with any of them, but Rachel [Hargrove] reached out when my season was announced and she sent me a really lovely message and a supportive message and I just really dig her. I’d say she’s like the best chef I’ve seen on the show so far.

Is there anything else you are looking forward to people seeing or that you can’t remember?

I’m just looking forward to people seeing our relationships grow and our bonds grow. We’re like family. And I’m looking forward to seeing all the parts I forget, the good and the bad.

Below Deck Mediterranean airs Monday at 9 pm ET/PT on Bravo, with episodes streaming one week early on Peacock.

Stream Below Deck Mediterranean on Bravo Now and Peacock