Team Players
In this issue, we introduce you to three chefs who have come ashore in Aruba after intriguing journeys through the kitchens of some of the most luxurious hotels and resorts on the planet. All three started out with few expectations but plenty of passion for hospitality, even when washing dishes in a pub's galley kitchen. That passion has given them plenty of altitude without any attitude.
Indeed, their names may not be on the resort marquees, but their dedication to the craft of cooking can be felt and tasted in every restaurant at their respective resorts. These are skilled tradesmen who understand the crucial relationship between good cooking and good management across a resort's portfolio of dining experiences. More importantly, they champion their staff in the kitchen and at the front of house because they have been in the trenches themselves and understand the elemental value of disciplined teamwork. These guys are mentors who teach by example during every shift. A culinary exploration of all Aruba has to offer is no longer complete without a dinner reservation with at least one of our featured chefs.
— By Timothy Dugdale and Kylee Ross
— Photography Kenneth Theysen
Andres Davila
Complex Executive Chef
Andres Davila studied culinary arts and hospitality management at the International Buenos Aires Hotel and Restaurant School in Argentina and received a sommelier certification from Universidad San Francisco de Quito.
Prior to working in Aruba, Davila worked as the executive sous-chef for the Grand Cayman Marriott Resort in Grand Cayman and executive chef for JW Marriott Panama. Now, he is the complex executive chef at the Marriott, where he oversees the 14 on-site restaurants at Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino, Marriott’s Aruba Ocean Club and Marriott’s Aruba Surf Club. “We’ve opened more projects [at Aruba Marriott Resort] than I’ve opened in my life,” says Davila. “In a year and a half, we opened Mercát, we changed the Atardi and Waves Bar & Grill kitchens, and we opened Champion's as a new restaurant.” His focus now is on infusing happiness into his team’s work at the Marriott complex and maintaining the resort’s culinary reputation on the island.
Birth year: 1982.
Birth place: Quito.
Birth country: Ecuador.
Favorite Aruban dish: Pastechis and ayaca.
Favorite drink: I’m a tea lover. As for alcoholic beverages, I like gin.
Favorite food trend: I do prefer honest concepts more than trends, and using, as much as you can, locally-sourced food. At the same time, I believe the future is vegetables.
Not restrictively, but much more as an understanding of nourishment.
Favorite song to cook to: Dance Me to the End of Love by Madeleine Peyroux. But I do like Ramones, Daft Punk, The Chemical Brothers, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Sinatra as well. Depends on my mood.
Best meal of your life: Ever Restaurant in Chicago. The whole experience was something so precise, warm and enriching that fulfilled my cook soul.
Favorite local ingredient: Lion’s mane mushrooms
from Farmacure Fungi.
A chef who inpsires you: Mauro Colagreco from Mirazur.
On a deserted island, which 3 ingredients would you bring?: Black tea, maple syrup and Ecuadorian toasted corn.
What is your comfort food?: I love chifa food (Chinese-Peruvian fusion). A veggie chop suey is my go-to.
What would your last meal be: Encebollado, a traditional
Ecuadorian fish soup made with albacore tuna, yucca and onion, and served with plantain chips.
Sebastian Cechet
Executive Chef
Sebastian Cechet got his first job in a restaurant when he was in high school.
“One day, they put me on prep to julienne vegetables, which is quite difficult for somebody who's barely held a knife before,” says Cechet. He excelled at the task and was promoted to short-order cook. Cechet continued to work in restaurants in Ontario, Canada, where he had moved with his family from Uruguay as a child. He was intrigued by the restaurant industry and wanted to learn more. He completed a Red Seal certification as a cook and then moved to Paris, France, where he studied at the two-Michelin-starred restaurant, Le Taillevent. Then, he worked at the Michelin-starred Le Violon d'Ingres. Cechet always knew he wanted to work in the Caribbean, so he accepted a position with Blue Diamond Resorts and was part of the team who opened the first Royalton Resort. Cechet has remained in the Caribbean ever since. He spent the next few years as executive chef at Sandals Resorts in Turks and Caicos and finally made the switch to executive chef at the Renaissance Wind Creek Aruba Resort.
Birth year: 1983.
Birth place: Montevideo.
Birth country: Uruguay.
Favorite Aruban dish: Karni stoba.
Favorite drink: Rémy Martin XO
on the rocks.
Favorite food trend: Foams, airs and gels.
Favorite song to cook to: Fortunate Son by Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Best meal of your life: My wife’s Cuban arroz congri.
Favorite local ingredient: Comcomber chikito and grouper.
A chef who inpsires you: Not a chef, but rather my parents for their determination and sacrifice to provide me with opportunities they never had.
On a deserted island, which 3 ingredients would you bring?: Potatoes, mangoes and black beans.
What is your comfort food?: Neapolitan pizza.
What would your last meal be: Uruguayan asado surrounded by all my friends and family.
Joseph Murphy
Executive Chef
Joseph Murphy was born in London, England, and raised in the English countryside.
When Murphy was 15 years old, he got a job at the local pub. He started as a dishwasher and slowly moved up through the restaurant, filling different roles in the kitchen and at the front of house. “They got me to do some waitering,” says Murphy. “There used to be a little fine dining restaurant, so they taught me silver service.” The experience helped him realize that he most enjoyed interacting with locals at the bar and working in the kitchen. Murphy attended Westminster College for a three-year internship and has held various positions in kitchens around the world, including as sous-chef at the Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park in Sydney, Australia, executive chef at The St. Regis Doha in Doha, Qatar, executive chef at the Marriott International in Doha, and executive chef at The St. Regis Abu Dhabi in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Now, Murphy relishes in a role where he interacts with a team and is able to support them in their professional growth.
Birth year: 1980.
Birth place: London.
Birth country: United Kingdom.
Favorite Aruban dish: Pastechi.
Favorite drink: Guinness.
Favorite food trend: Global flavors.
Favorite song to cook to: No music in the kitchen.
Best meal of your life: Too many to mention, but small restaurants down the back streets in Paris, noodle soup beside the road in Laos, and potato curry on the streets of New Delhi come to mind.
Favorite local ingredient: Pica di papaya.
A chef who inpsires you: Charlie Trotter.
On a deserted island, which 3 ingredients would you bring?: Tarragon, garlic and caviar.
What is your comfort food?: Burgers.
What would your last meal be: English Sunday roast.