langkawi magazine
Reviews SECTION
Meet Cheft Uieli Bachhofner from Tanjung Rhu Resort
German born (Swiss Australian citizen) Chef Ueli Bachofner was drawn to the kitchen from as early as he can remember.
"Unlike other kids my age who preferred playing outside, my favourite place in the whole house was in my mother's kitchen," he remembers "where I spent hours just watching and helping her cook loving the steam, the noise and the flavours." The passion that he couldn't quite understand at a tender age became obvious as he grew older. When he finished school at age 16, he became a kitchen apprentice at a hospital for diabetics in Davos, Switzerland.
For the first six months, he did nothing more than learn to peel onions correctly, followed by another six months of peeling potatoes. While amusedly admitting this wasn't the most exciting time in his life, Chef Ueli says it laid an important foundation for the career that would follow. "All the peeling was done by hand, not by machines and we learned all kinds of different cutting techniques," he says. “We learned to prepare and cook from scratch."
Three years later, with a Professional Chef certificate in hand, Chef Ueli's career began at the Palace Hotel Lucerne in Switzerland. It was a quantum leap from hospital kitchen to a five star hotel kitchen serving lobster, goose liver and caviar! The journey that began at the hotel would take him to some of the best hotels and resorts around the world and expose him to the flavours of different cultures. Over the last 25 years, Chef Ueli has worked in hotels and resorts in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Russia, the Czech Republic, Australia, Switzerland, Malaysia and participated in professional training courses in the USA, UK and Jordan. Among the hotels he has worked at are the Palace Hotel St, Moritz CSwitzeriand), Sport Hotel Alexandra Arosa CSwitzerland), Grand Hotel Victoria Jungfrau Interlaken eSwitzerland), Grand Hotel Regina Grindelwald (Switzerland), Hilton Hotel Cairns in Queensland (Australia), Hyatt Regency Perth (Australia), Southern Cross Hotel in Sydney (Australia), the Gulf Hotel Bahrain, Jeddah Marriott Hotel and the JW Marnott Hotel in Dubai.
In I999, during a visit to Russia by then US President Bill Clinton, Chef Ueli oversaw the creation of a huge saxophone
made out of sugar to commemorate his visit. Bill Clinton enjoys playing the saxophone. In 200I, Chef Ueli realized another long standing dream. I had always wanted to work in the Far East," he says. 'When the opportunity came to work at the Tanjung Rhu Resort on the island of Langkawi, I didn't have to think twice!" he says. The Far East has earned a special place in Chef Ueli's heart for its charm, culture and culinary delights, and he plans to settle down with his wife in this part of the world.
"The resort is fantastic and I find Malaysians so friendly and understanding and they are just generally more happy with life," he observes. I found the food in this part of the world fascinating there are so many spices and herbs that make these unique tastes." Unlike many other established chefs, Chef Ueli has no plans to set up his own restaurant some day. "No, not for me," he says definitively. 'At Tanjung Rhu, I treat the three restaurants as my own. The private dining facilities are also a great pride to me. That is the way I work and I love it. I will not retire and will continue to do this as long as I can."
Langkawi 3-Jul
