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Welcome to Iron Chef Aruba, where culinary creativity and island flavors take center stage! In this thrilling competition, three renowned chefs will go head-to-head, crafting a stunning three-course menu to impress both your palate and our esteemed judges. The chefs will be joined by local culinary students, working side by side with these masters, gaining invaluable experience and showcasing their passion for the culinary arts.
The event will feature three commercial kitchens and a stocked pantry, with chefs tasked to prepare three courses: an appetizer, main course, and dessert. Each course must include mystery basket ingredients. The winner will win a culinary trip for 2 to NYC. Come and watch as Chef Juan Ludeña, Chef Moises Ramirez, and Chef Jeanclaude Werleman compete to become Aruba’s next Iron Chef.
A proud graduate of the culinary arts program at EPI school in Aruba in 2014. His passion for cooking was ignited from a spark to a flame during his internship at local restaurant Screaming Eagle, under the guidance of one of Aruba’s top chefs, Erwin Husken. Upon graduation, Chef Moises was delighted with the opportunity to work with Aruba’s first Iron Chef winner, Urvin Croes, assisting with the opening of Croes’ The Kitchen Table by White. In 2015, Moises had the rare opportunity to work under the supervision of Chef François Geurds of Michelin two-starred FG Restaurant in the Netherlands. His hard work and discipline helped open the door for future Arubans to work under Chef François’ tutelage. Moises went on to gain more experience under another Michelin two-star recipient, Chef Sidney Schutte, at Librije Zusje (now the Spectrum) at the Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam. After three years there, Moises earned the title of Sous Chef. In 2021, Chef Moises returned home to work with Aruba’s second Iron Chef, Teddy Bouroncle of Lima Bistro, where he currently serves as Sous Chef for this popular Peruvian restaurant. You can see Chef Moises in action live on the main stage during the Iron Chef Aruba competition at Autentico Aruba Culinary Festival on Sunday, October 13.
A graduate of both EPB’ and EPI’s culinary arts programs while also completing internships at a variety of restaurant concepts on the island. After finishing his studies, he joined Chef Urvin Croes, a former Iron Chef Aruba title holder, and his culinary team at The Kitchen Table by White and White Modern Cuisine, gaining valuable overall kitchen experience. But it was working in pastry that excited Jeanclaude, leading him to The Ritz-Carlton, Aruba to work as a pastry cook for two years. He then rejoined Chef Urvin at his new restaurant, Infini, as pastry cook, and was promoted to pastry chef after a year. Chef Jeanclaude is now honored to expand his skill set once again, being named Chef de Cuisine at Infini last year. The chef feels that his in-depth experience in pastry helped hone his artistry in plating, a standout feature of the seasonal dishes prepared at Infini. We look forward to seeing his culinary artistry come to life on the main stage during the Iron Chef 2024 competition at Authentic Aruba Culinary Festival this October 13.
Born in Lima, Peru and raised in Aruba, Chef Juan Ludeña melds the flair of European culinary techniques and excellence with the color and spice of the Caribbean. The chef laid the groundwork for his career studying culinary arts at Roc Eindhoven School in the Netherlands and serving internships in bistros in both the Netherlands and Belgium. The chef notably worked under the mentorship of Chef Jermain de Rozario, owner of Michelin-starred De Rozario. Several years later, Chef Juan returned to his homeland of Aruba, eager to be a driving force in elevating the island’s culinary landscape, obtaining a diverse career trajectory with experience in trendy beach cuisine and fine dining restaurants. He enthusiastically embraces the farm to table movement and developed his own menus for his current position as executive chef at both Papillon Restaurant and the recently opened Bistro L’Avenue. The chef also conceived numerous seasonal chef’s table menus for The Secret Garden Aruba and Papillon. As a leader in hospitality, he is an endearing personality and nurtures a warm and collaborative team spirit among the colleagues of his two kitchen brigades. Be sure to attend Autentico Aruba Culinary Festival where Chef Juan will take the stage to showcase his wide breadth of culinary skills while competing for the title of Iron Chef Aruba 2024.
The Iron Chef competition will take place live at The Autentico Pavilion on Sunday, October 13th. Three chefs, selected from an open application process, will compete after a preliminary round held in late August featuring culinary students from local trade schools. Four judges (three local and one guest) will evaluate the competition.
To elevate the on-island culinary scene, the Autentico Culinary Festival is also creating learning opportunities for local culinary, hospitality and, tourism students. During the Autentico Iron Chef competition, winners of the Autentico Local Students Competition will have a prominent role; they'll be supporting the professional chefs on stage!
Congratulations to the following students!
• Michael Padron • Kahlil Mullers
• Shandon Helder • Jayden Heyden
• Dylan Cardona • Annie Ortega
Join the Autentico Pavilion on October 13th to see them in action on stage and show your support.
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