Refined cuisine. Calm leadership. Seamless service.

I’m Chef Keith Clifford, founder of Relief Chef Services. I’m a South Floridian with more than 30 years of experience in hospitality, private service, and yacht operations. My career began in local restaurants and hotels, where I quickly found my stride in team leadership, training, and service standards—skills that continue to define how I work today.

That early dedication earned me advanced placement into the prestigious Johnson & Wales University College of Culinary Arts in Charleston, South Carolina, where I graduated Summa Cum Laude. During my studies, I apprenticed at The Cloister at Sea Island, Georgia, gaining hands-on experience in refined, high-level hospitality that shaped my professional foundation.

After graduation, I took to the sea, joining Windjammer Barefoot Cruise Line to train culinary teams. It was there that I developed a lasting appreciation for life on the water, international travel, and the inspiration that comes from experiencing cultures and cuisines from port to port—beginning a career that would take me throughout the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, the Eastern United States, Mexico, and Central America.

I have spent more than two decades working aboard private and charter yachts, as well as within private estates, hunting lodges, and wineries—supporting owners, guests, and crew while adapting to the unique rhythms and expectations of life on the water.

Today, Relief Chef Services reflects everything I value in hospitality: creative, thoughtful cuisine crafted with the finest local ingredients; calm, capable leadership; and seamless, professional service. Whether supporting guests, crew, charter programs, private clients, or bespoke culinary needs, my goal remains the same—to deliver a refined experience that feels effortless, memorable, and tailored to you.

Alongside my yachting work, I have served as Executive Chef within private residences and estates, as well as in luxury hospitality roles in Aspen, Pennsylvania, New York, Charleston, South Carolina, Santa Rosa, California, Fort Lauderdale, Eustis, Miami, and St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Estate service has strengthened my focus on consistency, discretion, and close collaboration with household staff—whether supporting daily service, private entertaining, corporate events, or seasonal transitions.