P
etty
Pandean Elliott is an award-winning Indonesian chef, writer, entrepreneur, philanthropist and author of several best-selling Indonesian cookbooks.
My culinary journey began in my grandmother’s kitchen in Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia, at just nine years old. I learned everything from gutting fish to cleaning chickens, and discovered the rich tapestry of spices and herbs that flavour our regional dishes.
However, I didn’t enter the professional culinary world until I was 37. Before that, I’d had a successful career in advertising and worked as a food journalist. The first turning point in my journey was when, shortly after moving to the UK in 2000, I was accepted as a contestant on MasterChef. Although I didn’t win, the experience was invaluable. Then, two years after returning to Jakarta, I was offered a food column in a local magazine. At the same time, I began hosting home-cooking classes for the expatriate community, and then self-published my first cookbook in English, Papaya Flower, which led to collaborations with foreign chefs interested in Indonesian cuisine. From there, I was given the opportunity to work as a visiting chef at one of Jakarta’s five-star hotels, thanks to executive chef Sean MacDougall. Back in 2011, modernised Indonesian cuisine was a rarity in Jakarta’s culinary landscape, but our collaboration helped pave the way for the resurgence of regional Indonesian food being cooked in upscale hotels and restaurants.
Growing up in a family that embraced diverse cultures, I was exposed to a wide range of foods as a child, including European dishes like empanadas with spicy smoked fish, cheese sticks and klappertaart – a tart made with young coconuts and custard. On Sundays, my mother would prepare a family meal that we enjoyed together, often in the company of other relatives.