IDIN ASMITHA

Executive Chef at Anantara Eastern Mangroves

I was 12 years old when I first joined my mother in the kitchen preparing chicken porridge. That’s when I found my passion. Even now when I cook porridge, the memory of it makes me smile.

My home country is Indonesia. I have been living in the Middle East for 20 years.

I work a 14-hour day. It all starts with the daily morning briefing, coordinating the activities of the cooks. During the day, I frequently visit the kitchens for inspection and oversee the operations to ensure food quality and presentation.

My greatest achievement was back in 2007 during Ramadan. I was the head chef in one of the five-star hotels in Dubai. At the time, I worked up to 18 hours a day together with a team of 15 chefs serving 5,000 covers a day per outlet. It resulted in a recordbreaking Dhs10million food revenue that month.

My last three-course supper meal would start with carrot and ginger soup. For mains, I’d enjoy a simple beef and broccoli stir fry with steamed rice, and I’d finish my last ever meal with crème brulee.

Anantara Eastern Mangroves Abu Dhabi Hotel. Tel: (0)23659110. anantara.com