Juna Rorimpandey goes for natural beauty

Courtesy of SekarA self-confessed perfectionist, chef Junior John “Juna” Rorimpandey stole the spotlight with his straightforward manner as a judge in the MasterChef Indonesia cooking competition.

The 36-year-old former executive chef at JackRabbit restaurant in South Jakarta hates to talk about his love life but is anxious to talk about cooking and his next venture – his own restaurant, either in Jakarta or Bali.

“I like spending my time in Bali. It’s my kampong because I grew up there. Life is more comfortable and nice in Bali and the people are more relaxed.

The restaurant will serve menu that I am familiar with – Japanese, French and American. It’s not fusion, just little bit of everything. I don’t plan to offer only one since there have been too many restaurants like that.

I want to offer tapas style food, which concept I believe is still rare in Indonesia.

I also believe that you cannot take shortcuts in cooking. So, I cannot give an answer when asked what kind of menu that has short preparation and is surely delicious. I am a perfectionist who strives to do everything from A to Z as a proper way of cooking.

During my leisure time, I like riding my Harley Davidson out of town. Sometimes, I go by myself or join a small group of six or seven people. Recently, I had a chance to join a national rally that involved some 300 motorcycles.

I have been in love with motorcycles since I was a kid. It is nice to feel the wind and enjoy the natural view, especially as we pass through villages. It seems that all burdens just fade away.

I also like mountain climbing, but I rarely do it these days since most of my friends do not have the strength to do it anymore because, you know, they have fat bellies or weak knees.

I have climbed nine mountains. The easiest mountain to climb is Mount Batur in Bali. We climbed for two hours to reach the peak and enjoy the sunrise.

I had never celebrated Valentine’s Day because I have always worked in the kitchen as it is one of the busiest days of the year for restaurants.

Now that I have time, I don’t have any ideas where to celebrate it. To be honest, I don’t have a favorite restaurant in Jakarta.”

 — As told to Indah Setiawati