Garuda Indonesia Colours Magazine July 2014 | Page 98

96

Explore | Interview

INTERVIEW
BREAKING
BREAD WITH
RANU IRAWAN
Interview by Paul Walters
Photography by David Burden

Gold medallist at the
Terinex Master Chefs Grand
Prix London, Conrad Bali’s
new executive chef, Ranu
Irawan, shares his culinary
thoughts with Colours.
I am always somewhat nervous when
meeting executive chefs as I have probably
been conditioned by watching too many
‘celebrity chefs’ on TV, especially the likes of
Gordon Ramsay, whose antics in the kitchen
can be quite frankly terrifying.
Taking my seat at the spectacular Eight
Degrees South, Conrad Bali’s beachfront
restaurant, my fears were put to rest.
Ranu Irawan is, like his outdoor restaurant,
a breath of fresh air. The man has a smile
that would light up even the darkest of
rooms and has the ability to put one at
ease in a second.
Having recently arrived ‘home’ after 14 years
away working at some of the Middle East’s
finest hotels, he admits that it has taken a
few months for him to ‘find his feet’ again,
albeit on home soil.
After starting out in the kitchens of 5-star
hotels in Jakarta, his skills have been
employed at such salubrious establishments
as the famed Buddha Bar & Restaurant and
the Siddharta Lounge in Dubai, and the
Yas Hotel in Abu Dhabi.
After finishing school in Jakarta he ‘drifted’
for a while before taking his first job at – of all
places – Dunkin’ Donuts! It was in this most
unlikely of environments that he began to see
that the food and beverage industry was where
he wanted to be. To see a process through from
raw ingredient to finished product fascinated
him. “And, yes,” laughs Ranu, “to this day I still
enjoy the occasional doughnut!”
Taking up residence in the Middle East was
a culture shock. He had to deal not only with