Below Deck’ s Bugsy Drake Dishes on New Book, Rivalry with Co-Star Hannah Ferrier and More
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Daniel Zuliani
Christine "Bugsy" Drake's first book is officially here!
The Below Deck Mediterranean star just dropped her debut title, The Art of Tablescaping: Deck Out Your Table with the Queen of Theme, and talked to PEOPLE about dining, design and which of her co-stars she thinks could use a copy of her how-to guide.
Having worked her way up from second stew to chief over the years, Drake feels she has the expertise to give her thoughts on who has a natural talent for tablescaping: She compliments Aesha Scott, Jessica Moore, Kate Chastain, and Francesca Rubi. But, the famous stew added, "I'm sure it's no surprise, but in my opinion, Hannah needs the most help!"
On the show, Drake and co-star Hannah Ferrier rarely saw eye-to-eye. She says because of their tablescaping rivalry, she doesn't think Ferrier will be quick to read her book anytime soon.
"From what I have heard, she doesn't plan on buying it as she now pays people to set her tables. I'm more than happy to send her a copy free of charge though—maybe it will ignite some inspiration," Drake said.
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Daniel Zuliani
The 30-year-old announced the writing project in February on her Instagram, expressing her excitement to "share my passion with the world." The book features step-by-step instructions for "building your own enchanting events." According to Drake, there's a lot to consider when decorating a tablescape, especially on charter.
"Usually, I have enough time to think out a theme, prepare, and play around with different ideas… But guests can be very unpredictable at times-- and when they want to sit down and eat, they want to sit down and eat," she tells PEOPLE.
She recalled a moment in St. Barts when guests changed their mind about what they wanted, leaving her with 10 minutes to prepare a buffet for 12 people.
"Anticipating guests' wants and needs is a massive part of the job—and I have learned, over the years, that this type of situation tends to happen a lot—so now I almost always have a plan in place, just in case," she added.
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In addition to releasing her first book, Drake has also been working on plenty of charters in the Caribbean despite the ongoing pandemic.
"I have been so lucky to have continued working throughout the pandemic on the same boat I joined after the Med season," she said. "I have done a lot of charters out of the Bahamas, St. Barts and St. Maarten. I also got to do a fantastic trip over New Year's in the Dominican Republic! Having said that, I have had my fair share of nasal swab COVID tests, as all guests and crew have to be tested before every charter or trip!"
