Amari Watergate Bangkok has appointed a new Executive Chef—Fernando Roman—to oversee the kitchen operations for the hotel’s dining rooms, which include the newly launched Amaya Food Gallery. Originally from Cape Town, South Africa, Fernando Roman had always dreamt of being a chef since the age of 9 and has fulfilled his dreams with 18 years of experience in the culinary field.

Fernando has participated in the Dinner Divas reality show, where he catered to South Africa’s best foodie bloggers. He has also had the honour of cooking for numerous VIP guests, including internationally renowned celebrities and TV personalities, such as Oprah Winfrey, Bill Clinton, Nicholas Cage, Jamie Fox, Ryan Reynolds and Sepp Blatter, as well as many more notable names on different occasions.

Fernando first embarked on his career as an executive chef in local Italian restaurants, including Balducci’s Cape Town and Pepénero. He progressed in his career to hotel dining rooms, starting off with Alphen Boutique Hotel in Cape Town as Executive Head Chef. He overcame the challenges of managing a large team in kitchen operations and served ambassadors at the front of the house.

Advancing his expertise to internationally renowned brands, Fernando broadened his horizons by taking his career overseas to Dubai to join Le Meridien and The Westin Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina, where he was responsible for serving multiple menus and coordinating both the front and back of the house. He also hosted numerous innovative Chef Tables, which were attended by international elites. After Dubai, Fernando continued to broaden his culinary skills in Europe and the United States.

Fernando first made his move to South-east Asia to join the pre-opening team for Fusion Suites, Danang Beach, Vietnam, where he was Executive Chef. Now based in Thailand at Amari Watergate Bangkok, the flagship property of the ONYX Hospitality Group, Fernando intends to make the newly constructed Amaya Food Gallery flourish while developing other dining outlets in line with the changes to the newly renovated Amari Watergate Bangkok.