The Iron Chef 2024 was produced by WheninAruba.com, a local blog-driven website and social media highlighting Aruba’s unique and authentic island lifestyle.
This year’s edition was a dynamic co-production with the Aruba Tourism Authority and Autentico, Aruba Culinary Festival.
The producers recognize the importance of both highlighting and elevating Aruba’s culinary landscape, putting the spotlight on the importance of encouraging and developing our local talent, while inspiring the next generation waiting in the wings.
Months of preparation for this event included the assistance, knowledge, and skills of many in our hospitality community, some of whom were introduced throughout this evening.
The evening was skillfully emceed by Aissette Rivera. As the event took off, Rona Coster and Tina Bislick with When in Aruba, explained the format of the competition.
The culinary festival featured three chefs, cheered on by a live audience, at Plaza Nikki Habibe, in Oranjestad, at the end of the main street. This was the third edition of Iron Chef Aruba, matching up 3 of Aruba’s budding culinary talents in a 3-course, mystery ingredient format.
The three chefs were chosen from an open application process several months before.
Joining the chefs on stage were two students per chef. These students were chosen during a separate competition held back in August with students from the culinary programs of both EPB and EPI.
The students have been training with their chef for several weeks, gaining real-world kitchen experience and knowledge from their mentor.
The competition featured three courses, each with mystery ingredients that was revealed at the beginning of the competition.
Once the competition began, the chefs and their student teams began preparations on all three courses; however, the starter course had to be completed within 30 minutes and presented to our judges.
Once the judges scored all three chefs, the clock started over, and the chefs had to have their main course ready within 45 minutes. The dessert course clock started after that, with a 30-minute time limit.
What were the judges looking for? Creative application of the mystery ingredients; skill, style, and composure under pressure; uniqueness and originality of the dish; with the highest score range on presentation and taste.
Four judges were tasked with deciding who would be Aruba’s 2024 Iron Chef!
Álvaro Clavijo
Joining the panel as a guest judge, Iron Chef welcomed Alvaro Clavijo, from Bogota, Colombia’s hottest chef and owner of famed contemporary bistro, El Chato. The restaurant is ranked 25th among The World’s Fifty Best Restaurants for 2024 and ranked #4 in Latin America.
Chef Alvaro feels the ingredients to success are finding your passion in life, working hard at it, and above all, staying curious!
Antonia Lolfaso
We welcomed Antonia Lofaso to the judging panel. She is a chef, television personality, restaurateur, and cookbook author based in Los Angeles, where she runs celebrated restaurants like Scopa Italian Roots, Black Market Liquor Bar, and DAMA. Antonia has been featured on top television shows including Bravo’s Top Chef, The Food Networks’ Cutthroat Kitchen, and CNBC’s Restaurant Startup.
The chef is also the author of The Busy Mom’s Cookbook: 100 Recipes for Quick, Delicious, Home-cooked Meals.
Olivier Falchi
From our local community, we welcomed Hilton Aruba’s executive chef, Olivier Falchi. French-born Chef Olivier is a member of the French Culinary Academy and a member of its chef association, Les Toques Blanches International. He has been the Executive Chef at the Hilton Aruba since 2020, leading the resort’s culinary team and overseeing eight food and beverage outlets, including the famed Sunset Grille, currently undergoing spectacular renovations, and reopening soon. The chef has already judged a few culinary showdowns during his career.
Aldwin Donata
The popular local chef started his career at the University of Central Florida, obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry. He soon discovered that the kitchen makes him happier and signed up for a culinary arts degree at EPI Hospitality in Aruba. He credits his profound knowledge of chemistry with his understanding of people and food, and today he is an accomplished hospitality professional serving as Executive Chef at Holiday Inn Resort Aruba.
Chef Donata is credited with the creation of the outstanding menu of the latest Holiday Inn culinary success, Agave, serving Mexican food creatively interpreted by the chef and his team.
Then it was time to meet the three competitors…
Juan Ludeña – Executive Chef at Bistro L’Avenue & Papillon Restaurant
Born in Lima, Peru and raised in Aruba, Chef Juan Ludeña melds the flair of European culinary techniques and excellence with the color and spice of the Caribbean. The chef laid the groundwork for his career studying culinary arts at Roc Eindhoven School in the Netherlands and serving internships in bistros in both the Netherlands and Belgium. Several years later, Chef Juan returned to his homeland of Aruba, eager to be a driving force in elevating the island’s culinary landscape, obtaining a diverse career trajectory with experience in trendy beach cuisine and fine dining restaurants. He is currently the executive chef at both Papillon Restaurant and the recently opened Bistro L’Avenue. As a leader in hospitality, he is an endearing personality and nurtures a warm and collaborative team spirit among the colleagues of his two kitchen brigades.
Juan’s team of students are Jayden Heyden and Phelan Tromp
Moises Ramirez – Sous Chef at Lima Bistro
Chef Moises is a proud graduate of the culinary arts program at EPI school in Aruba in 2014. His passion for cooking was ignited from a spark to a flame during his internship at local restaurant Screaming Eagle, under the guidance of one of Aruba’s top chefs, Erwin Husken. Upon graduation, Chef Moises was delighted with the opportunity to work with Aruba’s first Iron Chef winner, Urvin Croes, helping with the opening of Croes’ The Kitchen Table by White.
In 2015, Moises had the rare opportunity to work under the supervision of two renowned Michelin starred chefs, in the Netherlands. In 2021, Chef Moises returned home to work with Aruba’s second Iron Chef, Teddy Bouroncle of Lima Bistro, where he currently serves as Sous Chef for this popular Peruvian restaurant.
Students: Michael Padron and Dylan Cardona
Jeanclaude Werleman – Chef De Cuisine at Infini Restaurant
Jeanclaude Werleman is a graduate of both EPB’ and EPI’s culinary arts programs while also completing internships at a variety of restaurant concepts on the island. After finishing his studies, he joined Chef Urvin Croes, a former Iron Chef Aruba title holder, and his culinary team at The Kitchen Table by White and White Modern Cuisine, gaining valuable overall kitchen experience.
But it was working in pastry that excited Jeanclaude, leading him to The Ritz-Carlton, Aruba to work as a pastry cook for two years. He then rejoined Chef Urvin at his new restaurant, Infini, as pastry cook, and was promoted to pastry chef after a year. He is now the restaurant’s Chef de Cuisine. He feels that his in-depth experience in pastry helped hone his artistry in plating, a standout feature of the seasonal dishes prepared at Infini.
Jeanclaude’s team of students are Annie Ortega and Kahlil Mullers
Having been introduced the chefs were presented with one of the mystery baskets to pull ingredients out to show audience.
First course mystery item: Locally hunted Lionfish from LionFish Snack Shack Aruba
Second course mystery item: Certified Angus Beef Tri Tip courtesy of the US Meat Export Federation.
Third course mystery item: Locally grown peanuts from Santa Rosa.
But wait, there was more! It’s not a great chef’s competition without a curve ball thrown in…and a second set of mystery ingredients, were just that.
In this second basket the chefs found six locally produced ingredients that had to be used at some point in their various courses. It didn’t matter which course they used them and in what combination, but all six had to be used at some point.
The six locally produced mystery ingredients were:
Cucumber blossoms from Petite Greens
Wood’s Ear mushrooms from Farmacure Funghi
Pica di Papaya from Hot Delight
Kombucha from Granny Matis: two flavors—hibiscus and passion fruit (they can choose between the flavors)
Sourdough preparations with several different herbs from T2Pan
Quail eggs from the Savaneta Quail Farm
The clock was started for the Appetizer, 30 minutes.
During the course of the event, Lionfish Hunter, Patrick was interviewed by Rona Coster. , Patrick Van Brakel, a school teacher and an avid diver turned Lionfish hunter, speared the lion fish for the Iron Chef competition the previous day, at Arikok Park. Lionfish is an invasive species, which harms the reef and fish population and while it cannot be eradicated, it can be spearfished, and it is delicious. Patrick runs the Lionfish Snack Shack next to Paradera 100. Saturdays 12noon to 7:30pm.
Tina Bislick had the pleasure of interviewing Lorraine and Pamela with Petite Greens. Having served the Royal Dutch Navy for 18 years, Lorraine and her partner Pamela settled on Aruba and became farmers with the help of YouTube and whatever else they could lay hands on, to become exclusive purveyors of fresh microgreens on the island. They grow about 25 varieties of vegetable shoots, their vibrant greens are grown on demand and personally delivered every Tuesday to Aruba’s fine dining restaurants and hotels.
Petite Greens provided Iron Chef with an abundant selection of greens: 3kg of local comcomber, 3 medium tray cilantro, 3 medium tray red amaranth, 3 medium trays mix, 3 medium trays pea tendril, 3 medium tray fennel bronze, 3 medium trays shiso green, 3 medium trays basil Thai, 3 small boxes edible local comcomber flower for the mystery basket.
The appetizer was presented to the judges, each chef presented in his turn, and received feedback.
The clock was restarted for the main course, 45 minutes.
Tina Bislick interview Liz Wunderlich from Certified Angus Beef, CAB, who donated and shipped the competition’s Tri Tip beef as the mystery ingredient for the main course. Liz is a tireless promoter of CAB, the brand started by a group of ranchers in 1978, which went around the world to be recognized for superior taste and quality. The beef was imported here by Caribbean Overseas, especially for the competition, it is a triangular cut of beef, cut from the bottom of the sirloin, named after its triangular shape with a tapered tip. It is one of the most flavorful cuts of meat and is increasing in popularity. The shipment arrived here on time thanks to Liz and Caribbean Overseas’ diligence. The CAB brand has 96% recognition worldwide. Thank you, USMEF, US Meat Export Federation, for all you do to provide the islands with top quality food. Both USMEF & CAB sponsored the amazing prizes.
Rona Coster interviewed Zaida Everon from T2Pan, a popular Micro Bakery. Zaida provided the competition with three kinds of sourdough flour with fresh herbs, for the chefs to figure out a preparation, to complement their dishes.
T2Pan, the Sourdough Boutique, at Caya Taratata opened this year and offers breads, cookies, pastries and seasonal specialty items, from an exhibition bakery and a retail counter run by a lovely barista. The bakery makes good bread, just the way our ancestors baked bread every day in pre-historic times, food that’s beneficial to our diets.
Tina Bislick interview Rachel Peterson with Farmacure Fungi, who provided the mystery basket with wood’s ear mushrooms. Rachel runs an Urban Farm, it started at Royal Plaza, on the third floor and recently moved to a new location. The audience found out that tattoo artist Rachel Peterson always grew mushrooms, as a hobby, until one of her clients, favorite local chef Urvin Croes, told her she should make a business out of her hobby. She was admiring the mushroom tattooed on his arm, and they started talking. Rachel now grows 18 species of wood-loving mushrooms in a tent, mimicking the mushrooms’ beloved levels of temperature and humidity. She finds mushrooms fascinating, besides being delicious, with many health benefits attached, they have a long history on planet earth, perhaps on other planets too.
Tina Bislick also got to spend time with Teddy Bouroncle, past Iron Chef title winner, and the chef proprietor of Lima Bistro & Azar Open Fire Cuisine. Chef Teddy was executive chef at the Marriott complex before spreading his wings and opening his own restaurants. All along Chef Teddy has been grooming the next generation of chefs as in his view, if you are enthusiastic about food and want to turn that into a profession, a culinary education, combined with good mentoring, can be the perfect springboard for an exciting career. Thank you chef Teddy for all you do to help us raise fantastic cooks.
The main course was presented to the judges, each chef presented in his turn, and received feedback from the judges.
The clock was restarted for the dessert, 30 minutes.
Tina Bislick interviewed Rodney Theysen from ASD, the local company who supplied the setup, with full kitchens on stage, in the heart of town presenting numerous challenges which Rodney and ASD, traversed successfully. According to organizers, this event would not have been possible without all contributors across the board, but ASD was the anchor of it all, the most important one. Rodney was the mastermind behind designing three working commercial kitchens, and collaborating with Elite Productions and various technical companies to make sure the infrastructure behind the scenes supported this set-up. ASD is the hospitality community’s go-to for equipment and supplies for hotels, kitchens, and restaurants, but the store also invites the public to shop for any cooking and entertaining at home. ASD offered the Iron Chef competition top service, and generous pricing, to make this event possible.
While the Aruba Tourism Authority graciously picked up the overall tab on this event, it also donated some of the kitchen equipment and supplies, at the end of the event, to the culinary programs at EPB and EPI, and Cas Di Machi, the elderly home.
Thank you, ASD and the Aruba Tourism Authority for your confidence and support of this event, our culinary community, and our students.
A great number of local companies contributed generously towards the success of the Iron Chef Competition. Ling & Sons Food Market is first on the list with its new line of curated spices and dried herbs. The market went above and beyond, pre-shopping for the competition and delivering the goods to the EPB walk in coolers the day ahead of time.
Both Marlenne and Leny, on the market’s management team understand the needs of the local community and support all culinary efforts with the best ingredients from around the world. The Iron Chef competition can wholeheartedly say that Ling and Sons Food Market, is our ultimate destination for all our supermarket needs! Thank you Melvin, in the warehouse for receiving all donated goods.
Santa Rosa the island’s Department of Agriculture, Livestock and Fishery, provided us with fresh peanuts that were just recently harvested at the department’s location in Paradera.
HappyPonix supplied us with farm fresh lettuce. It delivered five different kinds of greens, plus fresh basil and arugula.
Green Fish Distribution founded by Addie, a chef and restaurant owner and Sebastian, a marine biologist, provided the Iron Chef competition with freshly caught shrimp, used by the chefs for the appetizer, in combination with Lionfish.
Savaneta Quail Farm delivered quail eggs, the farm is a hobby-scale endeavor, and doesn’t even have a logo yet, but it was enthusiastic about the competition. The Savaneta Quail Farm just started to market its quail meat, in addition to eggs.
Do It Center provided us with groceries for the separate competition held back in August with students from the culinary programs of both EPB and EPI.
Deli Caribbean, which supplies over 70 businesses on Aruba, including all of the high profile restaurants, hotels and supermarkets, with imported fruits, vegetables and herbs, via weekly flights from the Netherlands and Colombia, came to our rescue with fresh herbs, basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, parsley, sage, cilantro, mint, lemongrass, lemons and pineapples.
With over 30 years of dedicated service in Aruba’s food industry, Bersah Aruba N.V. a trusted food wholesaler provided us with wine for cooking, rum, and vodka to further inspire the chefs.
The Marriott Aruba Resort, executive chef Andres Davila, personally oversaw the production of stock, chicken, meat, seafood and vegetable, to use during cooking and the making of sauces.
Gianni’s Group hydrated the Iron Chef competition with designer Italian still and sparkling water, Galvanina, imported by Ferrara Distribution
Thanks to a sponsorship by AHATA, the Aruba Hotel & Tourism Association, our chef helper students looked fabulous in new cook jackets.
Florence Edible Flowers delivered freshly picked edible flowers for plate decorations, adding colors and nutrition to all dishes.
A tiny home industry, Nonna’s Gourmet, provided us with excellent homemade Picca Jellies & Gourmet Hot Sauces. Nonna’s Gourmet is Aruba’s Artisan maker of specialty foods, made in small batches, fruity from local mango but hot from the indigenous peppers.
Thank you, EPB & EPI, for the excellent future generation of cooks and chefs, you help educate and raise.
Thank you Flexo, for providing us with a charming waiter and a super helpful dish washer, Alice.
The last interview from stage was with Granny Matis Kombucha, who provided the Iron Chef Competition with hibiscus and passion fruit kombucha, made from family recipes, which support gut health. We learned from Maya that Kombucha is a ‘living’ drink, meaning it has to be conserved in a fridge to slow down the fermentation process. Kombucha is an alternative non-alcoholic drink because of its very low alcohol percentage, under 0.5%.
The time was up, and the chefs presented their desserts to the judges.
As scoring was going on the prizes were described:
Runner Up Prize Package:
Certified Angus Beef International Round-up in Wooster, Ohio
Trip includes:
Roundtrip airfare for the chef
Hotel
Meals
Tours of working farms, carcass breakdown and ideation experience
Meeting and networking with chefs and industry experts
Runner up Prize Package:
Cattle Country Tour with Certified Angus Beef & US Meat Export Federation
Trip includes:
Roundtrip airfare for the chef
Hotel
Meals
Educational tour of the beef industry and cattle country with visits to a working ranch, harvesting facility, and more
Meeting and networking with chefs and industry experts
First Place Prize Package
New York City Culinary Exploration for Two
Trip includes:
Roundtrip Airfare for 2
4 night hotel stay
5 NYC culinary experiences for 2
Shortly before 10pm, Chef Moises Ramirez was crowed IRON CHEF 2024, with two runner up, chef Jeanclaude and Chef Juan.
Our heartfelt gratitude to the EPI student helpers and to the invaluable support of EPB teachers O. Geerman and R. Maldonado, we couldn’t have made it without you!
To the ELITE crew, you are fantastic.
To the ATA team, give yourself a raise. It was a pleasure working with you.
