Chef Rafael Lopez-Aliaga
The Ritz-Carlton Aruba’s new Executive Chef Rafael Lopez-Aliaga is new to Aruba but is no stranger to innovative cuisine. Born and raised in Lima, Peru, early on in his career he received mentorship from Juan Mari Arzak while working at Arzak Restaurant in San Sebastian, Spain, and thereafter has been working at JW Marriott Hotel Lima, first as Executive Sous Chef, then as Executive Chef, and most recently as Director of Food & Beverages. In his new role as Executive Chef at The Ritz-Carlton, he will be overseeing four distinct restaurant concepts at The Ritz-Carlton Aruba: an Italian trattoria, a sushi bar, a steakhouse and a beachside lunch spot.
Rafael and I met up at Divi Bar & Lounge and, with views of the ocean as our backdrop, jumped into discussing Rafael’s move to The Ritz-Carlton and the changes that are in store.
You were born and raised and Peru. How has your upbringing influenced your cooking?
Lima is a very gastronomic city and we Peruvians are very proud of our culture. So we try to spread our influence in other parts of the world. What I want to bring to Divi Bar & Lounge, for example, is Nikkei cuisine which is the second generation of Japanese cuisine in Latin America; it’s a fusion of Peruvian and Japanese cuisine. We are in front of the ocean so we need to work with a lot of seafood and fresh produce. This is the perfect setting for a Nikkei experience.
What other personal touches are you bringing to The Ritz-Carlton?
The menu at our Italian restaurant, Solanio, is changing to include more traditional Italian food, like importing cheeses from italy. We are also going to put more seafood and fish into the menu, and we've already added some beautiful dishes like baked scallops with lime juice and parmesan cheese, which is one of our best sellers right now. At our beach restaurant, Madero Latin Grill, which is the name for a port in Buenos Aires, we want to bring a Latin comfort influence. We already have fish tacos with local Mahi Mahi on the menu, which are a bestseller, but the menu will be expanded. At BLT Steak, it's a fantastic menu but we have the opportunity to play with the blackboard specials on a weekly basis.
Snacks at Divi Bar & Lounge
What is your process for coming up with new menu items?
We analyze all the produce that we receive on the island, and which are the best ones, and the chefs and I cook together and discuss. We focus a lot on the concept of the restaurant and make sure that our changes fit within the concept.
Being new at The Ritz-Carlton, what about it is unique in your opinion?
It's all about the island, the people. They receive a lot of influence from several countries but they have an Aruban identity as well which is amazing. They are very proud of their identity and they are very passionate and love to have fun. So when our chefs are cooking, they are having fun which is fantastic. It isn’t difficult to inspire the chefs because they are already inspired.
What makes Solanio different from other Italian restaurants?
We have an Italian chef at Solanio from Piedmont, Italy, and he's bringing some influence to the menu. I have my Italian side as well, on my mother's side as my grandma is from Bologna. So we have a lot of knowledge and respect for Italian cuisine. To make it unique, we put that respect into creating traditional recipes, using the best ingredients. We also get to play around with some menu items, like the pasta trio. We can switch the pasta daily and it gives us the ability to be more creative while still respecting the concept.
BLT Steak has an outpost at The Ritz-Carlton. What makes this location different and unique?
Sitting here, next to the ocean, and having the breeze of Aruba while you eat a steak makes it completely unique. Plus we are the only restaurant on the island to serve dry aged kansas city and porterhouse cuts. Our blackboard menu also brings a local touch as whatever we receive from our providers and fishermen is what we put on the blackboard menu.
The Club Level Lounge offers breakfast and snacks throughout the day. What is the goal with that space?
We hope to give to our clients a variety of food without repetition so that they can eat breakfast, lunch and snacks there. We want to keep it light so that they can have some appetizers, but still go to the restaurants later on. We are going to start serving appetizers from each of our restaurants in the Club Level Lounge and invite one of our chefs to talk with our clients and prepare, for instance, the ceviche in front of them.
Your hotel recently opened a new culinary offering, the Ritual Coffee Culture. Can you tell me a little about it?
It's a Ritz Carlton concept and the idea is to have a coffee shop experience, and we work with illy coffee which is very famous in Europe. In terms of food, we have some local favorites like peanut chocolate bars and coconut cookies, and then cakes and sandwiches and salads. If client wants to grab something and visit another part of the island, it makes it easy for them to do so.
Solanio offers gluten-free chocolate cake made with almond flour. What other allergy friendly accommodations do you make?
We have procedures for allergies, using special pans and utensils because of cross-contamination, and we have several special menu items, including gluten free pasta and pizza.
You have such a variety of cuisine at the Hotel. Where do you source your food from?
A lot comes from the United States, but we also have greenhouses in Aruba which is great so some of it is local, and we support the local fishermen in the community, and work with them and teach them our standards.
What's the best compliment you've received from a diner here?
That they had a great experience, more than just a great meal. Whatever is a compliment or feedback, we appreciate it because it makes us work even harder for the next visit. We receive a lot of compliments but the idea is to always improve, to raise the bar daily. And it's not only because of the competition, but also because of the way we want to inspire our guests. Life changes so dramatically so we need to improve all the time.
What's one word you would use to sum up the cuisine at this hotel?
Inspiring.
As an executive chef, you are managing people on a daily basis. What's the secret to that?
I try to inspire the best out of our chefs and staff and have the opportunity to talk to them. We have many generations in the kitchen. The younger generation, they are eager and very creative. And we have an older generation that is more conservative and they don't want to adapt that fast. When you create that combination, you will have a very nice recipe.
Sounds like a recipe for success!
For more info about the dining option, click here.