CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Feb. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- There are a few fresh faces running the kitchens at Divi Resorts' destinations on Barbados, Bonaire and St. Maarten. Barbados native Steve Collymore takes the helm at Divi Southwinds Beach Resort, Curaçao native Dhanesh de Kok leads the culinary team at Divi Flamingo Beach Resort & Casino on Bonaire and India native Anil Yadav joins Divi Little Bay Beach Resort on St. Maarten in March.
Steve Collymore entered the culinary industry at the tender age of 17 and now has more than 20 years of experience having worked in many fine dining operations on Barbados and Bermuda, as well as running a successful catering operation for seven years.
I'm excited to demonstrate my skills at pureocean," said Collymore. "I will fully utilize the fantastic cultivated herb garden at Divi Southwinds as I strongly believe in providing fresh herbs and produce. The ideology is to implement the local farm to table concept, focusing on pairing these fresh ingredients with modern cooking techniques and plating presentations to offer a unique dining concept."
Collymore is well-versed in Caribbean and Asian cuisine and says he's known as a gentle giant in the kitchen.
"I am a very happy person and I enjoy making other people laugh," said Collymore. "It warms my heart to see my employees and co-workers happy, and I love to experiment on new dishes with my team. Once food is the topic of discussion, I am always eager to hear new ideas."
On Bonaire, Dhanesh de Kok will take over the role of Executive Chef at Divi Flamingo on February 24, taking the lead as the man in charge of the culinary offerings at pureocean, pureocean Beachside Bar and Chibi Chibi Restaurant & Bar.
Originally from Curaçao, de Kok has 15 years of experience in the industry. Most recently, he worked as the opening chef for Courtyard by Marriot Bonaire and started a business consulting and catering company that provides in-house fine dining experiences on Bonaire. He's cooked in several fine dining restaurants in Curaçao, Holland and Bonaire, and says he looks forward to starting his new adventure at Divi Flamingo.
"With great new ideas and an energetic management team, we will aim to exceed our guests' expectations and, of course, prepare some amazing food," said de Kok. "My favorite cuisine to cook is classic French as I was trained this way, so it's my personal foundation from which I approach new or other cuisines. But my specialty is modern Caribbean fusion cuisine."
De Kok will also be the Team Manager for the Bonaire Culinary Team heading to Miami to compete in the 2020 Taste of the Caribbean competition.
"Dhanesh De Kok is going to be a great addition to our team and we can't wait to see what culinary creations he has up his sleeves," said Celine Van Meer, Divi Flamingo Beach Resort & Casino's General Manager. "He's been in the industry for many years and he's worked in a Michelin-starred restaurant, so we know he'll bring his exceptional skills and fresh ideas to the table."
On the friendly island of St. Maarten, Anil Yadav will soon be in charge of the resort's five restaurants, one café and three bars. Yadav has over 17 years of culinary experience, working for hotels, cruise liners, luxury lodges and restaurants around the world. Yadav says he looks forward to bringing new and exciting dining experiences to Divi Little Bay.
"My vision is to provide guests a natural, fresh and memorable dining experience," said Yadav. "I have always focused on more traditional methods of cooking with combinations of different spices and herbs where I can innovate food by keeping the soul of the dish very authentic and traditional. In my opinion, food should bring the ultimate joy to guests, and I believe that an innovative approach to cooking creates a memorable experience,"
Yadav says he enjoys cooking with Indian, Asian, Mexican and Caribbean ingredients but also loves the flavors of Tex-Mex, Mediterranean, and African cuisines.
"My cooking strength is defined by inspiring and preserving the original local flavors of fresh ingredients. My sound sense on contemporary cuisine makes it easy for me to experiment with creative combinations of food across different cultures," said Yadav. "Cooking is a combination of science, art and passion. I see empty white plates as canvas and I am the artist."
About Divi Resorts
Divi Resorts is the vacation expert of the Caribbean, with a collection of seven premium resorts spanning the five stunning Caribbean islands of Aruba, Barbados, Bonaire, St. Croix, and St. Maarten. For more information on Divi Resorts, call 1-800-367-3484 or visit http://www.diviresorts.com.
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