Prior to the season start, Ruurd Romijn joined the PMYC team as an Executive Chef. Bringing his vast international experience, Ruurd was the man in charge of all the tasty menus you’ve probably been enjoying this summer. Here’s his story.
PMYC: Hi Ruurd, welcome to Porto Montenegro! Can you tell us a bit about yourself? What is your background?
RR: My name is Ruurd Romijn, I was born in the Netherlands, but I have been a Spanish resident for the last sixteen years. In Spain I have worked at some of the best hotels and I have also been a private chef for many years for some prestigious families.
PMYC: How come you decided to come and live in Montenegro?
RR: I really didn’t know a lot about Montenegro until Niek van Woensel, Head of Hospitality and Leisure at the PMYC, contacted me for this position.
He told me a bit about the company and the projects and about life and living here. I got really interested and decided to accept this challenge.
PMYC: You are working as a PMYC Executive Chef, how would you describe your role?
RR: My role as the Executive Chef is to oversee the daily operations of both kitchens at the PMYC, one for the Pool menu during the day and Panorama for dinner. This includes planning and directing the food preparation process, managing and training kitchen staff, menu planning and ensuring high quality and cost-effective product.
PMYC: This year, fine dining Panorama restaurant is open under the PMYC umbrella; what can your guests expect in terms of cuisine and experience overall?
RR: Exactly like you say, Panorama is a fine dining restaurant so we want to give the guest an ultimate culinary experience in combination with the best views of Boka Bay. With an outstanding service, you will be enjoying the best wines and gastronomic dishes.
PMYC: What’s one dish you think everyone has to try when visiting Panorama?
RR: Our best-seller at the moment is the tuna tataki, yellow-fin tuna seared with a sesame crust and thinly sliced, served with wakame salad, soy sauce gel and wasabi mayonnaise.