Iwan Hokahin is the latest culinary star to join Divi Resorts. On September 15, he began as executive chef for Divi Little Bay Beach Resort in St. Maarten, bringing a wealth of global experience to his role as leader of the resort’s three restaurants.
A native of the island, he has spent most of his career in Europe and the United States. He was most recently chef of Casa d’Angelo at the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island, Bahamas.
Celine Van Meer, general manager of Divi Little Bay Resort, states, “It’s a thrill to welcome Chef Iwan home and we are so proud to feature an island-grown chef in a key destination resort. Wonderful culinary adventures await the guests of our resort.” More than $1 million (US) was recently spent on the restaurants there and Divi will continue to invest in them in 2015. “Our focus with food and beverage is to excel in the guest experience and be a dining destination for the island. We now have a sensational combination of beautiful environments and a stellar chef,” she adds.
Hokahin has a passion for the local food of his youth and his plan is to present authentic Caribbean cuisine in a gourmet way. He enjoys using European and Asian techniques and plating methods to enhance the relatively “rustic” cooking of the Caribbean region.
Hokahin is the son of a Surinamese father and Dutch mother, and as a result, he embraced both Caribbean and European flavors at a young age. As a teenager, he studied culinary arts in The Netherlands. After several stints working in restaurants there, he followed his passion to Italy to study its regional cuisines.
In 2001, Hokahin relocated to Washington, D.C., to work under the city’s most illustrious chefs. His career then veered to corporate dining, first at Eurest Dining Services, followed by his hiring as executive chef at Exxon Mobil Corporation and subsequently at Fannie Mae. At the latter, he was in charge of four locations in the Washington area. These experiences refined his skills in fine dining venues,catering events and innovating dining services, which were all excellent preparation for Divi Little Bay Resort’s guest dining, busy events calendar and flourishing destination wedding business.
Hokahin is working under the direction of Matt Boland, an award-winning chef, recently hired as regional executive chef for the company. Another stellar addition to Divi’s culinary line-up arrives in November when 2014 Caribbean Chef of the Year Rashindra Donge takes her post as head chef of Divi Flamingo Beach Resort in Bonaire.
