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a8    local
                   Wednesday 22 June 2022

            Infini by Chef Urvin Croes




                                                                       “It is a flavor that you cannot define, but
                                                                       you can create."
                                                                       Inspired by umami, one of the five basic
                                                                       tastes, and also Japanese for “essence
                                                                       of deliciousness”, Chef Croes strived to
                                                                       organically produce this palate in each
                                                                       dish  of  the  twelve-course  Asian  Carib-
                                                                       bean  Impression  tasting  menu.  “It  is  a
                                                                       flavor that you cannot define, but you
                                                                       can create.

                                                                       "Without a great team, there is no great
                                                                       chef”
                                                                       “There  is  very  little  I  can  do  by  myself.
                                                                       Without a great team, there is no great
                                                                       chef”,  says  Croes,  while  raving  about
                                                                       the young professionals sharing his kitch-
                                                                       en. All graduates of Aruba’s EPI College   Sommelier  Jessica  Theysen,  who  previ-
                                                                       and familiar faces to the Chef as each     ously managed renowned Chef Dennis
                                                                       one has completed their culinary intern-   Huwaë’s Restaurant Daalder in Amster-
                                                                       ship under his guidance. In fact, Infini’s   dam, is a true storyteller. From the mo-
             PALM BEACH — After spearheading The Kitchen Table         Chef  de  Cuisine,  Ashwin  Maduro,  was   ment  she  serves  the  Salinity  welcome
             for five years, receiving notable recognitions in USA To-  Urvin’s very first student, before relocat-  drink  and  the  culinary  tale  begins,  she
             day, The Daily Meal and earning the #1 spot on Tripad-    ing  to  Amsterdam,  where  he  worked     takes you on an adventure around the
             visor’s list of Fine Dining Restaurants in the Caribbean,   at  several  Michelin-starred  restaurants,   world  to  discover  never-before-tasted
             Chef Urvin Croes has now moved on to higher heights.      including &moshik (formally &Samhoud       combinations. Then, towards the end of
             Infini, his new chef’s table, which opened at the Blue    Places).  Having  recently  returned  to   the night, it is his time to shine — Pastry
             Residences  in  2020,  allows  the  Michelin-trained  Aru-  Aruba, Chef Maduro is thrilled to be re-  Chef  Jean-Claude  Werleman,  that  is.
             ban culinary artist to create gastronomic experiences     united  with  his  first  mentor  and  hopes   After  spending  the  last  two  years  per-
             unconfined by cultural or regional expectations. Croes    to secure Aruba’s space on the global      fecting his recipes in the Pastry Depart-
             says: “We opened up the entire kitchen and elevated       map  of  unique  culinary  experiences.    ment  of  the  Ritz  Carlton  Aruba,  Wer-
             the dining tables so guests have a front row stadium-     Similarly, after four years working in the   leman  joins  Infini  to  continue  exploring
             like  view  of  each  step  of  the  preparations.  A  chef’s   two-Michelin  starred  restaurant  Spec-  his passion for experimenting with colors
             table concept where diners and staff are able to inter-   trum,  Chef  de  Partie  Moises  Ramirez   and bold flavors.
             act throughout the evening, channeling through a story    returned home to share his vast experi-
             guided by a 12 course menu.                               ence in formulating recipes with meticu-   "It's time to show that Aruba is a culinary
                                                                       lous attention to detail and consistency.   destination of its own"
                                                                       Further down the kitchen line, Chef de     “The goal is to leave our visitors speech-
                                                                       Partie Alvaro Yi, who has worked at the    less.  The  look  on  their  faces  whenever
                                                                       two-Michelin starred FG Restaurant, is all   they take the first bite says it all and it
                                                                       about expressing himself through cook-     is priceless'', shares Croes, with a smile.
                                                                       ing  and  plating  to  create  art  that  you   Reclaiming the spot of number one res-
                                                                       can eat. Mixologist Marc-Anthony Ran-      taurant in the Caribbean is also in sight,
                                                                       nis  brings  eight  years  of  experience  in   but  this  time  he  will  not  stop  there.  “In
                                                                       the fine dining industry to Infini. His fine   the end, we want Aruba to be recog-
                                                                       craftsmanship  is  displayed  in  the  un-  nized for its culinary mastery. We have
                                                                       paralleled  wine  pairings  and  signature   trained the best culinary artists right here
                                                                       cocktails,  which  include  his  personally   on  the  island  and  they  have  proven
                                                                       homemade syrups, garnishes and fresh       themselves  internationally  in  the  most
                                                                       local  ingredients.  Maître  D’  and  Junior   renowned kitchens in the world. Now it
                                                                                                                  is time to show that Aruba is a culinary
                                                                                                                  destination of its own. Who knows where
                                                                                                                  that will take us; hopefully to infinity and
                                                                                                                  beyond.”















                                                                                                                   Infini  located  at  Blue  Residences  cur-
                                                                                                                   rently  serves  an  eight-course  Chef’s
                                                                                                                   Impression  to  up  to  21  guests  starting
                                                                                                                   at  6:30PM.  To  make  reservations  visit
                                                                                                                   www.infiniaruba.com or call +297-699-
                                                                                                                   3982.q
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