Bernhard Koll, Executive Chef at Dusit Laguna Phuket hails from Munich. Phuketindex.com recently had the opportunity to talk to him about his background, attitude and perspectives of his work. We hope this interview inspires you as much as it inspired us.
Please introduce yourself
My Name is Bernhard Koll, I was born in Erding – Munich (Bavaria). I started my career in cuisine at a local restaurant in Munich where I studied for three years. After that I had jobs in Germany, East Germany and Switzerland to gain more experience and culinary knowledge to further my career.
In 1997 I achieved my master’s degree in the culinary arts and in 1999 I started as Sous Chef in Bermuda with the Mandarin Oriental Group (Elbow Beach) for two years. After this I was offered a job as Sous Chef at the famous Mandarin Oriental Bangkok where I ran four major outlets which were The Riverside, Ciao, The Veranda and an off-property restaurant The Salon de L’Oriental.
I worked with the Oriental for almost four years and then I took another step to the higher role of Executive Chef for a small private hotel in Koh Samui called Dara Samui before moving to Anantara Sikao, in Trang Province (Minor Group) again as Executive Chef and enjoyed working there for four years before transferring to another beautiful property in Koh Samui, the Anantara Bophut Resort where I got an opportunity to be part of the renovation and reopening team.
Two years later, I moved to Phuket where I worked with Dusit at the Dusit D2 Hotel in Patong and of course nowadays I’m at Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket where I enjoy working and taking on wider responsibility with different tasks ranging from kitchen, banquets, events, caterings, restaurants, safety management and revenue leverage with the Dusit team.
What inspired you to become a Chef?
Watching my father cooking for the family on his day off with all the fresh mushrooms we picked together from the forest and our home-grown garden vegetables.
What special dish have you created for the Casuarina Beach restaurant?
Pan-fried local sea bass on a lentil and sundry tomato salad. This is a new healthy dish at Casuarina Beach and will be ready from June onward.
Please tell us about the restaurant.
Casuarina Beach Restaurant is located in a prime area by the beach where you can enjoy sensational sunsets and enjoy our drinks from the bar. The restaurant offers fresh seafood and grilled dishes as well as international menus and a barbeque night three times a week.