Soloevent.id – There is a chef that will make you praise about his great food in Alila Solo, Erwan Andri Wijaya. The man who was born in Banyuwangi, May 25, 1981, is an Executive Chef of Alila Hotel Solo.
After helping his mom washed a dishes, he just found his dream for his future. Then, he worked so hard to reach it, autodidact. Since graduating from high school, Erwan explores Bali such as in Jimbaran, Ubud, Seminyak, to Nusa Dua for the culinary world.
For 18 years, Erwan has been in the culinary and hospitality world in Bali. That made him feels that Bali was his second home. At the end of 2018, Erwan must leave Bali. He went to Solo to become an Executive Chef at Alila Hotel Solo.
Bali and Solo are differences, both from culture to culinary. This man admitted that he was surprised when he was first in Solo, especially regarding the culinary taste.
Solo is known for its sweet foods. However, he argues that not all Solo food is sweet and some people just don’t like sweet. He learned how to adjust the market tastes.
As an Executive Chef in a five-star hotel, Erwan must be innovative and have new ideas. Luckily he was facilitated by the internet. Erwan explores food websites and looks for references on Instagram. This is very contrary to the past. He said, before the internet was rife, he bought many culinary books to add references.
Erwan has unique skills. He claimed to be a visual learner. That means only by looking at the sample of the food served, he was able to analyze the composition of a dish. Especially is spicy food.
He experienced difficulties when presenting Middle Eastern food at Alila Solo during Ramadan this year. According to him, the taste of the Middle East is difficult to pamper the Indonesian tongue.
For Erwan, it’s quite challenging when he serves the Ramadan menu. It is a new thing for him. While in Bali, he has never presented a Ramadan menu. “The Ramadan menu in Bali is not familiar, because Ramadan in Bali is so-so,” he told Soloevent.
This Ramadan, Alila Solo offers fast-food dishes from four countries. It is also a new challenge for Chef Erwan because he must be able to serve food with genuine taste but still be able to be enjoyed by the community.
