Bumbu Bali Restaurant & Cooking School Dedication to authenticity
CLAIM TO FAME
If there is a single institution that has done a remarkable job at introducing and promoting Balinese cuisine, it has to be Bumbu Bali. The man behind the eponymous restaurant and cooking school is Heinz van Holzen. The professionally trained Switzerland chef first came to Bali to work as an executive chef for a five-star hotel. Then, he fell in love with Balinese cuisine and a Balinese woman who was to be his wife, Ketut Puji Aniki Oka. In 1997, they opened the first Bumbu Bali Restaurant & Cooking School in Tanjung Benoa, offering access to visitors who wish to learn and taste the real Balinese cuisine in a time where Balinese restaurants was hard to find. Over the years, Holzen, who is also an avid photographer and prolific writer, managed to create 10 internationally published cookbooks covering different aspects of Balinese and Indonesian cuisine, be it the Street Foods of Bali or A New Approach to Indonesian Cooking.
BLAZING THE TRAIL
Bumbu Bali’s Balinese Rijstaffel is often the first introduction to Balinese flavour for many visitors. It is beautifully served on a round wooden tray and comprises different small dishes, from Sate Lilit to Be Celeng Base Manis (pork in sweet soy sauce); rice, soup, and a tantalising array of desserts. To dine at Bumbu Bali is to experience the different flavours of Balinese cuisine in one seating. Bumbu Bali was also the pioneer of market-to-table cooking class and teaches its numerous students a comprehensive introduction of Balinese spice mixtures through a hands-on approach in the kitchen.
GREAT EXPECTATIONS
Holzen is more than ready to pass the ladle to his son, Putu Fabian von Holzen. Together, they are now overseeing the reopening of Bumbu Bali Restaurant & Cooking School in the end of April and the operation of their newest venture, Art Cafe Bumbu Bali in Nusa Dua. He is also a passionate advocate of turtle conservation, having actively saved more than 3,500 turtles from butchery during his market visits. His current passion project is to assist Sumba Hospitality Foundation in educating underprivileged Sumbanese through education and training.
THE OM FACTOR
“We are committed to preserve Balinese cuisine and that’s what we will continue to do, as a family and as a team,” states Heinz von Holzen.