Meet The Masters

Get to know some of Aruba’s most sparkling hospitality stars that bring you the absolute best in fine fare, creative libations, and stellar service. Meet the masters!

Aruba’s food and beverage professionals are an eclectic collection of dedicated professionals striving to be the best at their craft and always seeking new ways to improve the overall experience. The hospitality industry here is a close-knit collective of creative individuals who are eager to share best practices with their colleagues and learn from each other’s successes. They bring a wealth of culinary knowledge, operational efficiency, conceptual savvy, and top-notch service styles gleaned from top spots the world over. Whether they are working for a well-known brand resort, a trendy upscale stand-alone establishment, an inviting family-style retreat, or they have realized their own unique vision of what they think visitors and locals alike will truly appreciate in the food and drink arena, the one thing these true masters all have in common is a passion for excellence. And they all adore what they do. So, let’s meet a few of this island’s hospitality rock stars who are always at your service…

Adrian Morua

General Manager

Brutto Beach House, Lucca Trattoria, The Office

Originally from Costa Rica, Adrian packed up his master’s degree in hospitality management with a Le Cordon Bleu Diploma after working top spots there to gain more invaluable experience in many different countries including Spain and Panama before landing in Aruba two years ago. Today, he is General Manager of operations at Brutto Beach House, Lucca Trattoria, and The Office Nightclub– sister establishments all under the same roof. Having hands-on experience in everything from dishwashing, serving, bartending, cooking, and hosting, has made him an invaluable addition to the enterprise, especially on the training front. His boundless energy and enthusiasm are hard to miss as he personally oversees all operations. And though each day can bring different challenges, he always relishes the opportunity to find creative solutions.

www.bruttorestaurant.com/bruttoaruba

Michael Otten

Specialty Sommelier and Manager

Papillon Restaurant & Chefs Garden

Originally from the Netherlands where he attended the University of Hospitality, Michael has garnered multiple diplomas in the food and beverage industry over the years. He also has in-depth sommelier knowledge and barista skills, and he had regularly served the Dutch Royal Family. He moved to Aruba and began working at Papillon Restaurant six years ago where his special talents are highly appreciated. He is also in charge of their new special pop-up restaurant called Chef’s Garden – an intimate small group experience held in a secret location every Wednesday. Making his guests feel special, royalty or not, is his constant goal, and he succeeds very well. He also loves to share his knowledge of wines with guests and Papillon has an incredible wine cellar.

www.papillonaruba.com

Jordie Klomp

Chef

Quinta del Carmen

When Jordie Klomp was young, he felt that being color-blind might limit his options career-wise. But his Indonesian mother was a fabulous cook, so he began experimenting in the kitchen with her and soon found he had a talent for cooking. He then dove into finishing his 4-year culinary school in only two years! He trained at many different restaurants around the world but then answered the call from his sister to move to Aruba where she was working at Barefoot. When the Barefoot owners opened their new restaurant Quinta del Carmen, Jordie put his talents to work in the new kitchen. Now a celebrated chef there, he continues to bring his colorful flavor fusions and playful style to their menu and specials.

www.quintadelcarmen.com

Sander van Kints & Pablo Aquirre

Chefs

The Kitchen Aruba

After studying culinary arts in the Netherlands, Sander moved to Aruba in 1988 and worked in legendary top restaurants. But he wanted his own space to realize his own culinary concept. So, he designed The Kitchen with his own two hands with a vision to open a massive unique buffet that offers a large variety of fresh, healthy food made from scratch, all sold by weight, so you only pay for what’s on your plate. He also enlisted Chef Pablo from Cali, Colombia to see his dream come to fruition, and together they launched this now hugely popular local lunch spot incorporating European techniques and flavors from South America and the Caribbean. Also open for dinner with a personal table-top buffet concept, too.

www.thekitchen-aruba.com

Wilma Benjamin

Bartender

Malmok Bar & Grill Marriott Ocean Club

Originally from Grenada, Wilma started her career 1999 with Marriott in Aruba, where she quickly made a name for herself due to her sunny personality and excellent bar skills. Beyond shaking up the classics, she likes to shake it creatively by crafting her own recipes such as her delicious signature cocktail “The Slippery Monkey”. Wilma says the favorite part of her profession is not only mixing up great drinks but also mixing it up with her patrons, many of them are long-time repeat visitors, and many have embraced her like family. In fact, Wilma received over 600 guest mentions in the official Marriott Vacation Club program “Way To Go”, giving her the opportunity to fly to New York to personally receive her Diamond Level award.

www.marriott.com

Urvin Croes

Chef

Director Food & Beverage Déjà Vu Gourmet & Entertainment

Aruban born Master Chef Urvin Croes is creating a foodie empire on this island. After honing his skills at Aruba’s top spots, he went to Europe to intern in Michelinstar establishments. He returned with a new passion for experimentation and modern cuisines and began opening his own signature establishments. His most recent endeavors under Déjà Vu Gourmet & Entertainment umbrella are Infini – a sophisticated foodie adventure via an intimate chef’s table experience, and two Po-Ké Ono outlets which offer a playful take on bowls, baos, and sushi. He’s often called upon to be a traveling culinary ambassador for Aruba, and he’s very excited to invite many top Caribbean chefs from other islands to come and guest host in their own style at Infini this year, too.

www.infiniaruba.com

www.pokeonoaruba.com

Article written by Susan Campbell