Chef Deden Gumilar has always been passionate about Indonesian food. Since young, he has been helping prepare Indonesian dishes for his mother’s catering business. It was from there that his love for food, especially Indonesian food, grew.
As he was furthering his studies in one of the Tourism and Hotel Education schools in Bandung, he did his internship in Sari Bundo (a well-known Indonesian Padang food restaurant) and pushed himself to learn more about traditional Indonesian recipes. After graduation, he continued working in many hotels and resorts in Indonesia and abroad.
When Chef Deden Gumilar was at the Banyan Tree Hotel and Resort in Bintan, he faced guests from around the world who visited the hotel looking for good Indonesian food. This challenged him to find new ways to serve traditional Indonesian food to global diners.
When he was working abroad, Chef Deden learned more about Turkish cuisine at the Hilton Hotel Istanbul. He was also tasked to organise the Indonesian Food Festival at the Hilton Hotel Ankara and JW Marriot Hotel Venezuela for three weeks. Later on, he got the opportunity while working with JW Marriot Hotel Jakarta to travel South East Asia and it was then that he learned more about South East Asian and Asian cuisine for two years.
When he became the Executive Sous Chef for the Banyan Tree Hotel and Resort in Bintan, he faced guests from around the world who visited the hotel looking for good Indonesian food. This challenged Chef Deden to try his best to satisfy them and work hard to perfect his dishes. It was from this experience that he became even more passionate about finding ways to serve traditional Indonesian food to global diners.
After Banyan, Chef Deden worked for many premium hotels like the JW Marriot, Aryaduta, Grand Preanger and Holiday Inn before becoming the Executive Chef of The Park Lane Hotel Jakarta. Continuing his passion in traditional food, he now tries to add a modern twist to them to fulfil his dream of spreading his love for local food globally.
