Chef Ben Robinson Reveals the Real Reason He Stepped Away from Below Deck

Guess who's coming (back) to the galley? In case you missed Monday's episode of Below Deck Mediterranean, here's a little spoiler for you: Starting next week, we'll see Chef Ben Robinson back on board the Sirocco. Of his surprise return, Ben recently told The Daily Dish: "It was really good. It felt right." But first, he needed to take a little break. 

Back in 2017, Ben announced his departure from Below Deck. Sure, he was burned out from the massive workload at the time — but that's not the only reason Ben decided to walk away from yacht life for a time. 

Speaking to PEOPLE, the chef said, "It’s not just the workload, it’s the compromise. I’ve got 8 or more crew members to cook for plus 8 guests who need breakfast, lunch, dinner, hors d’oeuvre, snacks, and anything else they want in the meantime. So I’m not obviously making the food that I would love to make, which I call ‘intelligent food’ or ‘art food.’ You just don’t have time to do it."

Ben continued, "There comes a point in a chef’s life where… what direction do you want to go in? I thought yachting was good for my 20s and early 30s, but now I’m really trying to push the envelope and make world-class food. I wasn’t really getting that opportunity on yachts. I’ll do one dinner for my own company — I’ll go to a city and do one really beautiful dinner — and I’ll have three or four days to prepare. That is a luxury. Beautiful food takes time."

During his break from the galley, Ben has been working on various projects, including whipping up some of that beautiful food for private dinner parties. But now, we're all ready to see him back aboard the Sirocco.