BALI – A junior high school student in Bali has become a chef. He is Made Radya Kennard (14), who is currently still a student at SMPN I Denpasar. In between his busy life as a junior high school student, Kennard can share his time by becoming a chef at NAD COFFEE & EATERY which is located on Jl Batubulan, Gianyar District, Bali.
When met at his residence at NAD COFFEE & EATERY, Kennard said that his hobby of cooking had been since he was in grade 3 elementary school.
Time is ticking. Until 2021, the world was hit by the Covid19 pandemic. Everyone is working from home (WFH). School holidays, students also learn from home online. Kennard used this opportunity to deepen his knowledge through YouTube. Kennard devoured various cooking and culinary broadcasts through the YouTube channel. As a result of work from home, Kennard’s house in Batubulan Bali has become a gathering place for young people, from neighbors, peers to people who have to be sent home.
Seeing this opportunity, under the guidance of his grandfather named Ketut Arya, who had been a chef at a number of 5-star hotels in Balui and Jakarta, Kennard’s residence, to be precise, opened his garage to become NAD COFFEE & EATERY.
“I taught myself, just from hobbies. I never got formal lessons about the culinary world. I really taught myself. I got interested in cooking when I was a child from elementary school, around the age of 9-10. At first I watched videos to see how to cook then cooking became a hobby. While watching it, it seemed easy to cook, then I tried to cook and it turned out that I could cook it and some people I asked to taste apparently someone said it (the cooking) was delicious,” said Nad when met at NAD COFFEE & EATERY.
According to him, what he tried was often consulted to his grandfather Ketut Arya. Because he believes his grandfather had a career in Jakarta, in several star hotels in Jakarta and most recently became Chef at the hotel owned by former American President Donald Trump in the Tanah Lot area, Bali. Currently, his residence has been transformed into NAD COFFE & EATERY. Different customers or markets. Starting from expatriates to youth organizations.
Currently, the student who is fondly called Nad, who is a student at SMPN 1 Denpasar, is focusing on exploring his dream of becoming a professional chef by directly serving the food ordered by the visitors. Because this has been his hobby since childhood when he was in elementary school (SD). Unlike most other elementary school students who spend their time after school playing outside the house, Nad actually spends part of his time watching cooking broadcasts on online video channels and then practicing live at home. At first, I enjoyed watching Gordon Ramsey.
“From Chef YouTube, I want to be a real chef. Actually, I was also inspired a lot by my grandfather who happened to be a chef. So he was the one who guided me, taught me to cook. So I was also inspired by my grandfather. Anyway, my grandfather was cool when he taught me,” he said. .
Kennard’s grandfather, Ketut Arya, acknowledged his grandson’s extraordinary talent. “Kennard’s talent is extraordinary. Many surprise new products that he produces with new flavors,” he said.
He also admitted that his grandson was focusing on exploring his dream of becoming a professional chef by directly serving food ordered by visitors. Ketut Arya also admitted that he was only asked when there was something new or asked to be a tester. His grandson’s curiosity was extraordinary. He learned to deepen the technique of processing food and understanding the types of food.
“I salute you. There are many new products, with new textures, with different tastes too,” he said. Because the most important thing in processing and serving food is appearance and then the taste factor.
What was conveyed by Ketut Arya was also agreed by Kennard. “In my opinion, the most important thing is the appearance of the food. Because if it doesn’t look good, it’s bad too. So appearance is very important. After the new appearance then is the taste of the food. These two things are the most important,” he explained.
Furthermore, Nad also said that his hobby of cooking was fully supported by his parents and older brother. “The parents are very supportive. If you want to cook, it’s the parents who usually buy the ingredients, I’ll cook it then serve it to the parents,” he said.
Established NAD COFFEE & EATERY
After believing in themselves and making preparations, in 2021, Nad and his older brother, Denis, ventured to open NAD COFFEE & EATERY. Even though they don’t have experience in managing a coffee shop, it’s not an obstacle for them. Armed with the ability to cook and under the guidance of their grandfather and parents, Nad and Denis slowly built NAD COFFEE & EATERY into a popular coffee shop which is a destination for young people to spend their time either working or just hanging out together enjoying the natural atmosphere.
This is because NAD COFFEE & EATERY offers the concept of enjoying coffee and food accompanied by the sensation of a beautiful natural atmosphere, starting from the sound of the river water to the graceful bamboo trees blowing in the wind. “Hopefully in the future it can continue to be busy,” he said.
In the future, Nad also said that he wants to take part in the Indonesian Master Chef Championship. According to him, the championship is a prestigious national championship. In this championship, he wanted to show his cooking skills. Through his cooking skills and knowledge, he believes he can prove his quality to the jury. “Of course in the future there is hope to be able to join the Master Chef. It’s a famous chef competition. If you can pass there, it will be very good,” he explained. ***
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