Cuisine

The Radisson Aruba Resort Casino & Spa has just announced the appointment of Gerard Coste as the resort’s new Director of Food & Beverage.

“We are really excited to acquire such an industry professional as our new Food and Beverage Director,” states General Manager Rob Smith. “His classic French training combined with his experience as Executive Chef for over 20 years, is matched by his ability to work with diverse cultural backgrounds in different culinary styles. This fusion of broad knowledge and rich experience makes him a very valuable addition, as the leader of our culinary team.”
Born in Nice in the South of France, Gerard packs a Mediterranean-French culinary lexicon, enhanced by traveling around the globe. Cooking runs in his veins, he reports, having observed his mother in the kitchen practically since the day he was born. “Cooking,” he offers, ”comes naturally to me; it’s my passion and first love.”

As kitchen apprentice, young Chef Gerard was first discovered by an award-winning French master, Jean Michel Pericou who guided him through the challenging maze of French cooking techniques. Gerard then went on to England and broadened his horizons at the internationally renowned Harveys Bristol Cream restaurant in Bristol, England, and at the Concorde Hotel in London, also keeping up with the great French chefs of that time, at Hotel de Paris and the Hotel Mirabeau, in Monaco.

Prepared to move on to a different region of the world, he asked for his old mentor’s input and Pericou immediately recommended his prodigy to a property in Aruba, almost 20 years ago, thus launching a successful career in the Caribbean. Gerard has fond memories of Chalet Suisse & La Vie En Rose restaurants, where he first worked on the island. He then joined the Hilton, which later became the Wyndham, and the Westin, where he served as the Executive Chef for a number of years, also nurturing that hotel’s famed Food & Wine festival, for the past five.

When General Manager Rob Smith came on board the Radisson in October, he was looking to recruit a food industry icon. Executive Chef Gerard Coste came to his mind as the ideal candidate, providing the chef would be prepared to step into the Food & Beverage director’s shoes. He checked. The answer was “Yes!” “What is great about acquiring Gerard,” the enthusiastic Smith explains, “is his ability to affect the front-of-the-house service experience, in combination with the back-of-the-house food product; as he is equally comfortable in these two areas.”

From the perspective of his new office Gerard is looking forward to contribute to the only 4 diamond hotel restaurant on the island, the Sunset Grill, and also anticipate pushing all other food outlets to even higher levels of food, presentation and service.

Personally he likes his dishes fresh and simple, he confides, and he can have a Salade Niçoise for lunch every day of the week, providing it is sprinkled with the highest quality olive oil, which he is finicky about. As a father of five, he also cooks at home, and always finds time to discover the talents of young chef apprentices in the culinary stream of the local hotel school. Welcome to the Radisson, Gerard, light and refined gastronomy, sounds good to us.

There is a new Starbucks Coffee and Specialties Store now available in
Aruba! Renaissance Marketplace proudly announced the opening of the
first Starbucks store in the Dutch Caribbean. The popular coffeehouse is
open every day from 630 a.m. - 10 p.m. For more information call (297) 583-6000.

Tierra del Sol Ventana’s del Mar New Year’s Party includes a 5 course dinner, champagne
toast, live music, open bar from 8pm - 12am. For more information contact Ingrid de
Marchena at Ingrid@tierradelsol.com or call (297) 586-0405.

Marriott Aruba’s New Years Bash

Marriott Aruba is having a New Year’s Party with the famous local band Oreo on the Trade Winds Beach
area. There will be a champagne and a cash bar. Tickets are for sale in the lobby starting December 26,
2009 10.00 am. For more information contact Joanne Dirksz at
mhrs.auaar.fb.marketing.coordinator@marriotthotels.com or call (297) 586-9000

Aruba’s Sizzling Steakhouse Delivers Grand Surprise To Loyal Guests

It was a night that will be remembered forever for Maria and Gifford Andrew from Waretown, New Jersey and their best friends Suzanne and Patrick Reilly from Orohara Park, New York. What was supposed to be a farewell dinner in Ruth’s Chris Steak House celebrating their last night of their Aruba vacation, turned out to be a night full of surprises. The two lovely couples, both long time repeat visitors to Aruba as well as loyal guests of the Aruba Marriott, turned out to be the actual 100,000th visitor to Ruth’s Chris Steak House on Wednesday December 9th.

Welcomed by Marriott’s General Manager Kevin Schwab, Hotel Manager Louella Brezovar, Director of F&B Steve Marra, Restaurant General Manager Eduard Renaud, Ruth’s Chris Chef Charles Wagner and a group of servers and hostesses, the Andrews were caught completely by surprise. They were thanked for their loyalty and support to the sizzling steakhouse, followed by a champagne toast in their honor. Maria and Gifford were handed a commemorative plaque and received a dinner for four ‘on the house’ at a decorated table.

Ruth’s Chris Steak House opened its doors in February of 2008 as part of a $50 million overhaul of the Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino. The famous steakhouse, with roots in New Orleans, is best known for its high service and quality levels, paired with great wines and steaks that are served sizzling hot.

With over 100,000 visitors enjoying dinner at Ruth’s Chris in Aruba in nearly 22 months, the steakhouse has proven to be very successful with Arubans as well as visitors to the island. The celebrations of the 100,000th visitor will conclude with a VIP Reception on Saturday December 12th and a festive drawing of a lucky winner earning 100,000 Marriott Rewards points on December 19th. All visitors to Ruth’s Chris will receive a coupon for every $50 spent and can participate in this grand prize give-away. Promotion ends December 18th.

The steakhouse is open for dinner seven days a week. More information and gift cards can be obtained at www.ruthschris.com or by calling Ruth’s Chris directly at  520 6600 after 1 PM. You can become a friend of Ruth’s Chris Steak House Aruba on Facebook as well.

Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino boasts 411 fully renovated guest-rooms - the most spacious on the island - each with large, private balconies overlooking the sparkling waters of the Caribbean Sea. On property, seven restaurants and cafes provide fare from light to elegant, while the largest casino in Aruba, a 6,500 square-foot spa, renewed free-form swimming pool with cascading waterfalls and high-energy health club offer entertaining diversions. To obtain more information call the Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino at 888-PARADISE or visit www.arubamarriott.com.

In pictures: Ruth’s Chris staff and management, Marriott Executive Committee members and the 100,000th visitors Maria and
Gifford Andrew with their best friends Patrick and Suzanne Reilly, honoured as special guests for their loyalty and support.

The kitchens of Aruba’s EPI School of Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts were busy this past weekend as twelve teams of future chefs, mentored by twelve of the island’s most respected executive chefs from restaurants and resorts, competed for the gold in the 1st Aruba Chef & Student Culinary Festival.
The festival, organized by Eddeline Dijkhoff, EPI Coordinator of the Apprenticeship Program and a dynamic team including Nathalie Maduro of the Aruba Tourism Authority, Vanessa  and Chef Leest and Randy Geerman of EPI, proved to be a landmark event which will likely become an annual competition.

EPI School welcomed three celebrity chefs to join Chef Bartholomo Kelly as judges for the event. Returning to Aruba was Chef Michael Deihl, chef to Tiger Woods at the East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, and  President of the Atlanta chapter of the American Culinary Federation-ACF. Chef Christian “Kit” Kiefer and Chef Charles de Vries, both award winning cooks, joined him on the panel.

The three days produced dozens of utterly gorgeous culinary creations, which Chef Deihl explained were judged not only on appearance and taste, but also a balanced use of proteins, fats sugars, as well as flavors, colors and textures. A strict international point system was employed in the judging, but before announcing the three winning teams, Chef Deihl reminded all the students they were all winners for having had the courage to demonstrate their creative cookery and egos for judging, always a difficult but rewarding, and often exhilarating experience. Teams were allowed to devise a cold appetizer and dessert before the competition, but were presented with a “mystery box” during the event, from which they had to create a hot appetizer and main course.

Claiming the third place bronze medal with a score of 34.2 points was the team working with Chef Scot Scheurman of Aqua Grill Restaurant. Chef Deihl proclaimed that choosing the first place winner was exceedingly difficult, and that only 2/100th of a point separated the silver and gold medal teams, who won with scores of 34.46 and 34.48. Silver medals went to Myron Winterdaal, Juni Henriquez, Miguel Clemendore and Eldrick Franken, under the tutelage of Chef Erwin Husken of Screaming Eagle Restaurant.

The gold medals and certificates were won by the team working with Holiday Inn Executive Sous Chef Dennis Daatselaar, consisting of EPB student Wilbert de Cuba, and Ivan Koolman, Enny Servines and Rudlaine Croes of the EPI. Chef Daatselaar reports he was very pleased with the performance of his group, which presented to the judges a menu of  Tropical Mango Salad with Poached Coconut Shrimps, Kerri-Kerri of Red Snapper with Banana Pan Bati, Leg of Lamb Papaya Style, and a Charlotte of Prickly Pear with Fresh Fruit; all distinctly Caribbean and very colorful.

Present for the closing event was ATA Director Myrna Jansen-Feliciano, who awarded Chef Deihl with the title of “Ambassador of Goodwill” for sharing time and expertise with Aruba’s present and future chefs. He, in turn, announced that he is working with Chef Kelly and the Aruba Chef’s Association to see they receive full recognition on the website of the AFC as an accredited chef’s union. “The world will be hearing about you!” he promised.

Photo’s and article courtesy of Mrs. Rosalie Klein

Top: First place team, Left above: Second Place Team and Committee members and chefs

Above: First Place Dessert and Appetizer Dishes

The Village and Aruba Wine and Dine present:
The Village Food and Wine Festival
Irausquin Blvd. 348A, Palm Beach - Oct. 1

Click to enlarge

A few of Aruba’s restaurants, Amazonia Churasscaria, Aqua Grill, El Gaucho Restaurant, Madame Janette, Pago Pago and Sunset Grill, were featured as “The Best Restaurants for Wine Lovers” on Aruba by the Wine Spectator. For more information please visit www.winespectator.com

CILO, City Lounge Aruba is now open at the Renaissance Marketplace. Located at the old “Villa Germania” corner, it is open daily from 7am till 3am, except on Sundays, offering breakfast, lunch and dinner with an extended international menu. The restaurant features three wide screens, a superb sound system, terrace couches and parasols with marina view tables. With live resident DJ Jereon every Wednesday from 10pm till 3am and a two for one happy hour every Friday from 5pm till 6pm. For more information please visit  www.cilo-aruba.com

Moet Et Chandon and Dom Perignon Invites You To an Evening of Sensual Persuasions