Tales of the Kitchen with Dave Minten


Maldives
PUBLISHED January 30, 2018

Amid a busy couple of hours, we caught up with Dave Minten, Executive Chef at Lux* South Ari Atoll. He is an extremely talented person with a massive amount of experience in the industry. His time in the Maldives gives testament to his ability to adapt to different locations and still succeed.

1)      How long have you been working for Lux*? What do you think about the Maldives?

I have been here for exactly 1.5 year now and I think that its simply brilliant! I was here in 2009 and 2010, then stayed in Seychelles for four years and came back. So obviously I like it.

2)      Whats your favorite thing about the Maldives?

I think the people are beautiful. And the hotel industry in the Maldives is fantastic. So many five-star hotels and lots of opportunities. But I like the hospitality of the Maldives. I like the lifestyle as well. I mean I have been to Malaysia, Europe and Holland which is where I am from. I had fantastic four years in Seychelles as well. Nevertheless, I think the lifestyle here is a bit different. We have a lot of creativity in Lux* as well. The island and the lifestyle does the trick for me.

3)      How did you find out that you had interest in cooking?

When I was 13 years old, I said to my parents, I want to become a baker. Because I liked bakery at that time. My father had a lot of connections and hooked me up with a local restaurant to work at the weekends. He also hooked me up with a bakery in town for a Friday night and by Saturday morning, I told him bakery isnt my thing. I just wanted to become a chef!

4)      Whats your favorite dish?

Its hard to choose. In this industry, you get into contact with a lot of food. And here in the Indian Ocean, theres a lot of Indian influence, Asian influence. A lot of European chefs who stayed back arent familiar with this many cuisines. We need to know a little bit of everything. But if I had to choose, maybe as I am living in Manila right now, I would say that Asian food is where my heart is.

5)      What do you think is the highlight of your career?

Thats a difficult question. I went from Europe to Malaysia in 2008 and had a fantastic two years, which is a highlight. And I came to the Maldives, it was a good experience as well. I think the beauty of what I am doing today is travelling and experiencing other countries and cultures.

6)      What do you enjoy most about your job?

Seeing other cultures, meeting other people, meeting the diversity of people we are working with. Getting the influences of all the foods and all the people from around the world and that makes me enthusiastic about what I do.

7)      We understand that Maldives is a bit limited on resources, specifically ingredients. So what are the challenges you face to operate a kitchen in the Maldives?

A lot of our guests ask us that question as well. But for me the actual beauty of Maldives is that your shopping ground is the world. We import from Australia, Germany, Malaysia, Singapore, Dubai, so getting it fresh to the island is a bit of a challenge.

But our suppliers know exactly what is required to bring the stuff here and obviously it takes a bit of time but in generally, what we can get around here in Maldives is not what we can get in Holland. Here we can buy whatever we want. You have specialized suppliers of Asian food. Specialized suppliers of Arabic food. The diversity is bringing the excitement to us. Comparing to Seychelles its easier here.

8)      Obviously, youll be changing menus every now and then, what are the things you consider when changing a menu?

We have a big island over here with nine restaurants. For me it is important that my chefs, are involved in the menu development as well. Its very easy for me to say cook this or cook that. But I want them to develop themselves. And I want them to come up with ideas. Inspiration comes from reading and travelling. Also, inspiration comes from events like Lux* Super Chef fiesta 2017 as well. Of course, we are here to lead them but I try to get as much information from my team as well. We work on a dish before the panel chooses to implement it on the menu.

9)      How many chefs are under your supervision currently and what is your secret to managing such a team so well?

At the moment, we have 85 chefs and 20 stewards.

I believe that kitchens are always hard. Everybody knows that the kitchens are tough with long hours. So, when you are inspiring the guys with new things, you make them a part of the process they become excited and they dont mind a 15-16-hour day.

10)   Do you think events like the Lux* Super Chef fiesta will help your chefs develop in a better way?

As a chef and I know the guys pretty well, I am pretty impressed. I didnt expect that when we started the event in the morning. This is the first time I did it here. And I am very pleased with what they have done. Our staff restaurant cooks around 1800 meals a day and we have seen two of their chefs participate and one of them was number 3 so its great. And it proves that we have talent with in. And they can make their move into the main kitchen that way.

11)   The Maldives is mostly known for its beautiful sun, sea and sands. What do you think will make Maldives into a culinary destination as well?

That is a very good question! What I would love to see in the Maldives is there to be more corporation between the schools and unfortunately, we have only one Maldivian in the kitchen and I would like to see more of them in the kitchen. It would be great if there would be more collaboration between schools and resorts. I had a lot of Maldivian chefs with me before, I tried to nick them for Lux* when I started working here but they are happy where they are.

12)  What are the words that you live by?

I live by the saying, "You work for me, I work for you!". Meaning that chefs work for me if we work together we make it a great success and make our guests happy, then I will work for you for the rest of our lives and try to put you in better places for your career. 

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