Seminyak appoints award-winning Aussie chef

Seminyak appoints award-winning Aussie chef

Chef Matthew McCool has been crowned chef de cuisine of Starfish Bloo, signature restaurant of Seminyak’s W Retreat & Spa Bali.

The restaurant’s Pan-Asian menu, peppered with Western flourishes, is an ideal fit for McCool, whose two-year stint at Beijing’s Aria gives his dishes a distinctly Asian feel.

Kicking off his career over a decade ago in London under Gordon Ramsay and later Tom Aikens, McCool has since become a culinary heavyweight in his own right. In 2011 he earned Chef of the Year at the Time Out Beijing Awards and ‘Restaurant of the Year’ by City Weekend Beijing.

“I’m really excited to be heading up the kitchen at Starfish Bloo,” McCool said.

“The resort is like no other property in Bali, offering pure luxury in the perfect location, and the W brand was a natural fit for me. I’m always looking for innovative ideas and cutting edge approaches I can bring to my cooking; a philosophy which W Hotels brings to every aspect of the guest experience.”

Before his Bali appointment, McCool was chef de cuisine at Sydney Shangri-La’s Altitude Restaurant.

McCool, who has relocated to Bali to take on his new role, is eager to showcase the best of the country’s natural produce to the many Australians visiting the destination.

 

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