A Touch Of International Flair
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More than a touch of international flair
Recently appointed executive chef at Millennium Manuels Ameya Deshmukh is bringing more than a touch of international flair to the dining experience at the Taupō lakeside hotel.
Ameya took charge of the kitchen at Millennium Manuels earlier this year. His passion for fine ingredients and international cuisine is reflected in the new breakfast, lunch and dinner menus at Beach 243 and Edgewater restaurant.
Executive Chef - Ameya DeshmukhThe chef describes his cooking style as contemporary European with Middle Eastern and Asian influences. He is committed to bringing diners top quality dishes featuring seasonal fare which he sources from artisan producers around New Zealand.
He says the quality of fresh produce, lamb, beef, pork and seafood to vegetables and fruits, is exceptional and being able to get products directly from suppliers to the kitchen is an “absolute treat”.
Nothing on the menu can be bought “off the shelf” and all stocks and sauces – are made from scratch in the Manuel’s kitchen.“They are complex in flavour and it’s worth every bit of the time,” says Ameya.
The latest dinner menu, which was launched in December, showcases fresh summer produce along with some favourites from the previous menu.
New offerings include smoked tomato gazpacho and blue swimmer crab cake as starters, along with mains, miso marinated Ora King salmon and manuka honey and bourbon glazed Duroc pork loin. Attention to detail is a priority. Kilkenny fish and chips feature fresh New Zealand snapper, Kilkenny beer from Ireland with home-made tartare sauce and malt vinegar. A lemon roundel is wrapped in cheese cloth to capture the pips when it’s squeezed.
A quail egg tops Ameya’s Ceasar salad with fresh romaine lettuce, homemade dressing, confit lemon and crispy pancetta. New Middle Eastern inspired dishes include halloumi and mushroom kebabs and smoked eggplant with farro.
Ameya brings an impressive resume to the table after a career spanning 16 years in the industry. After winning a scholarship, Ameya spent his formative years as an apprentice with luxury hotel company, The Oberoi in Jaipur, India.
He went on to work in Abu Dhabi and Dubai for Michelin chef Marco Pierre White restaurants in various positions.
This was followed by a stint in the Maldives at the Park Hyatt where he oversaw the resort’s signature restaurant. He then moved on to work for luxury German hotel company Kempinski in Saudi Arabia and Dubai in senior leadership roles.
During covid, Ameya joined a food and beverage retail company overseeing 12 restaurants in the United Arab Emirates as culinary head. He says the decision to relocate to New Zealand with his wife and 15-month-old-daughter, Idaya offers more balance between work and family lifestyle.
“It may sound a bit cliched, but living in such a beautiful country with so much fresh produce on offer is an absolute treat for any chef, and I am no different.”