Anggara Mahendra Photos

(Ubud, Bali, Indonesia May 26, 2019) Over 100 chefs, farmers, entrepreneurs, and food writers from across Indonesia and 20 other countries are about to descend on Ubud Food Festival 2019 Presented by ABC (UFF) from 26-28 April. 

In its fifth year UFF will be generously seasoned with the theme Spice Up the World. As Indonesian cuisine’s status on the world food stage rises, and the nation itself emerges as a culinary tourism hot spot, the Festival will explore the best ways to make Indonesia’s culinary identity known. 

 The UFF menu features 36 cooking demonstrations across two stages, 23 special events at Ubud’s top-rated venues, 15 masterclasses led by industry leaders, and 23 discussions tackling topics ranging from Bali’s waste reduction efforts to reality TV cooking shows to the future of food. 

Home to high-energy demos and fiery competitions, the Kitchen Stage is set to welcome a quintet of chefs fresh from Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards. Luca Fantin of Tokyo’s il Ristorante Luca Fantin (no. 18), Chef Thitid Tassanakajohn of Bangkok’s Le Du (no. 20), Jordy Navarra of Manila’s Toyo Eatery (no. 43), Darren Teoh of Kuala Lumpur’s Dewakan (no. 46), and Jimmy Lim of Taiwan’s JL Studio (One to Watch Award) will share signature dishes with enthusiastic foodies. 

The ultimate foodie’s guide to town, the special events series of long table lunches and one-night-only degustation dinners are created by UFF headliners. Chefs Ray Adriansyah and Eelke Plasmeijer of Locavore (no. 42 and recipient of the Sustainable Restaurant Award) will collaborate with their Asia’s 50 Best list mates for two sold out events: Into the Wild and Best of Asia, held at Nusantara by Locavore. 

At Best of Bali 2.0, six chefs from some of the island’s most vaunted venues – Bikini, Cuca, Kaum, Mason and Mozaic – will go shoulder-to-shoulder to serve the best of the island’s produce. UFF also presents unrivaled opportunities to explore contemporary Indonesian cuisine. At world-renowned Amandari, Jakarta’s rising culinary star Fernando Sindu will join Amandari’s Executive Chef Reynaldo DeLuna II, and AMAN’s Regional Chef Shane Lewis, while at Four Seasons Bali at Sayan, voted World’s Best Hotel by Travel + Leisure last year, Jakarta’s Chef of the Year 2018 Ragil Imam Wibowo will serve six courses representing the major islands of the archipelago. 

Chef Ragil will also appear on the free entry Indonesian cooking demo stage Teater Kuliner (Culinary Theatre), alongside a host of the nation’s culinary heroes, including Ibu Sisca Soewitomo, Charles Toto ‘the Jungle Chef’ from Papua, and Bara Pattiradjawane. 

“At the fifth UFF food lovers can explore a feast of regional Indonesian cuisines that you’d rarely find in restaurants overseas,” commented Founder & Director Janet DeNeefe. “From Acehnese, Balinese, Batak and Betawi, to Moluccan, Sumbanese and Papuan – the diversity at UFF19 is testament to this nation’s astonishing yet under-appreciated culinary identity. 

“Alongside these unique regional cuisines, contemporary creations prepared by our most outstanding chefs will show that this identity deserves to be better known. I can’t wait to welcome you all to UFF19 as we spice up the world with Indonesian food,” concluded DeNeefe.