A VERY PAROCHIAL TAKE ON FARM-TO-
TABLE
At the Chedi Club Tanah Gajah, most of the
kitchen’s produce commutes less than 50 yards
from a thriving vegetable garden -- the tarragon,
garlic chives, oregano, marjoram, lemon balm,
cinnamon basil, Vietnamese coriander, turmeric,
and vegetables from okra to eggplants, along
with fruits ranging from limes to durian. The
mastermind behind the initiative, Chef Khairudin
‘Dean’ Nor, harvests edible weeds and bark from
the cinnamon trees. For other essentials he tries to
go not too far afield. The resort gets its eggs from a
farmer just beyond the rice paddies to the west of
the grounds. Its fresh tofu is homemade in Pejeng
village, with none of the artificial ingredients you’ll
find in store bought brands. In fact, he conducts
random spot checks of suppliers to make sure
they’re living up to their local claims. Dean’s very
parochial take is so inspiring that even the spa
is now sourcing botanicals from his gardens for
massage oils.
Chef Dean preps for a
cooking class with locally
sourced ingredients
26 ILHA