Kitchen Confidential at Kayumerah with Chef Vindex Tengker
In a world where recipes are easy to Google and technique is a TikTok away, true culinary experience demands something deeper — connection. Connection with culture, with craft, and with the ones who shape the fire behind the kitchen doors. Enter: Kitchen Confidential at Kayumerah, a two-day culinary revelation led by none other than Indonesian culinary maestro, Chef Vindex Tengker. This was not your average cooking demo or fancy dinner. It was a behind-the-pass, hands-dirty, soul-stirring immersion into heritage, flavor, and reinvention.
Day 1: The Hands-On Fire – Cooking Class with Chef Vindex Tengker
Aprons tied. Knives sharpened. Pans sizzling. The first day unfolded with a hands-on cooking class, where participants didn’t just watch — they cooked. The spotlight? Ayam Tuturaga — a bold, heartwarming dish from North Sulawesi. Rich with coconut milk, turmeric, and the unmistakable tang of local lime (jeruk nipis), this wasn’t just a dish. It was history on a plate. Chef Vindex didn’t just guide; he told stories. Of spices that traveled oceans. Of how Ayam Tuturaga once fed royalty, and now, stood proudly in a modern kitchen surrounded by inquisitive cooks and crackling firewood. The lesson was clear: Nusantara food is not stuck in the past — it evolves, breathes, and still burns with relevance.
Day 2: The Revelation – A 7-Course Dinner with an Indonesian Heart
If day one was the warm-up, day two was the main act — a refined 7-course dinner under the stars, inside Kayumerah’s enchanting forest ambiance. Carefully curated by Chef Vindex, the menu danced between tradition and innovation, marrying indigenous ingredients with fine-dining techniques. The undisputed highlight? A show-stopping Beef Wellington, but not as the West knows it. Wrapped in golden pastry, yes — but what hid inside was a tender beef fillet, deeply marinated in native spices. And instead of the classic red wine jus? A silky, soulful Semur sauce. Sweet soy, cloves, nutmeg — that unmistakably Indonesian signature. The kind of twist that made you pause mid-bite and rethink everything you knew about fusion.
More Than a Meal,A Movement
Kitchen Confidential wasn’t just a name. It was a statement: that behind Kayumerah’s serene facade lies a kitchen unafraid to push boundaries. A chef not content with nostalgia. An audience ready to taste, ask questions, and be part of something different. Chef Vindex Tengker didn’t just cook. He revealed. He challenged. He brought the stories of Indonesia’s past into the now — plated, garnished, and unapologetically alive.
