A F O O DI E ’ S L I F E
CHEF DEDEN PUTRA by RIAN FARISA photograph by THE PENINSULA, NEW YORK AND HIMAWAN SUTANTO
Deden Putra, the humble young man from Bandung is now at the peak of his career as Executive Pastry Chef at The Peninsula, New York. This pushes him to be always on the creative side with a high level of consistency every single day. Living in the bustling city, Deden doesn’t forget his me-time and still recalls fondly his favorite dish while growing up.
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s a graduate of the National Hotel Institute of Indonesia, Deden Putra was already designed to conquer the kitchen world. Of course, like in any drama, some make it and some fail, while some settle with whatever they can get but others make it to the top. Chef Deden Putra happens to be one among the few that has made it. It all, of course, comes from hard work and a string of street smart moves. Since day one, he intensely developed his sense of belonging with his line of work, starting when he became pastry cook during his internship in Singapore and Jakarta as part of the opening team for Shangri-La Hotel. “Our head and mentor that time, Executive Pastry Chef Felix Schmid, was the perfect teacher for me. He’s the one that inspired me to be a better pastry chef,” he said during our encounter on his recent trip back to Indonesia. After a year at Shangri-La Jakarta, Chef Deden joined the staff of Holland America Lines and sailed around the globe. “I’m so glad that I did it and the tough life gave me so much experience,” he said reminiscing, “Next, I returned to Bandung as a part of the opening team for Hyatt after the cruise”. A year after his return to Bandung, he set out on his fateful journey to conquer the U.S. Once in America, Chef Deden tried to ensure that his career would take a steady ascend. It was not always about working hard, but also by absorbing as much knowledge as possible about his chosen field. Within the span of around more than a decade living in the West Coast, he worked with Mondrian Hotel, Sofitel Los Angeles, and Bacara Resort & Spa, he also took short courses under the tutelage of notable pastry icons such as Ewald Notter, Jacquy Pfeiffer, Sebastian Cannone, and several others. These became his vantage point on his
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