PALM BEACH – A veteran renowned for his talent for creating intriguing and successful menu concepts is now at the helm of the culinary team at The Westin Resort, Aruba. Matt Boland is the new executive chef, and has already dived into energizing and adding new flair to the menus of the resort’s flagship restaurant, Pago Pago, as well as the Italian- and Mediterranean-influenced Baci.
Pago Pago, which was originally focused on Pan-Asian cuisine, went through numerous reinventions, most recently with an American steakhouse theme, when the property was part of the Wyndham brand. Now under the Westin flag, the restaurants will undergo the same renewing and refreshing transformation that the guest rooms, lobby, and other public areas have undergone. Chef Matt, who was part of the original creative team behind Pago Pago is anxious to bring the restaurant back to the top of the island’s culinary ranks.
The new menu will be a mélange of contemporary Caribbean and Asian cuisine. Asian cooking is very hot right now, and it has proven to be more than just a trend—it is here to stay. I want to expand on that and meld it with all that is fresh, bold, and exciting in Caribbean cuisine…we have access to the freshest seafood caught right here, amazing tropical fruits, herbs, and spices that can be combined in symphony to yield a whole new level of cuisine in Pago Pago,” explains the chef.
Chef Matt is thrilled with the culinary staff at the resort. “We have an Italian chef in Baci, and it will be great to work with him on adding more classic and contemporary Italian dishes to the menu there,” says Matt. In fact, Matt is looking forward to exploring the cuisine of many of the other nationalities working in the kitchen, and bringing them to life in one form or another in the restaurants at Westin.
Matt is also working on a program for the resort’s Guest Enrichment program. “I want to offer cooking classes for our guests…I think it would be fun to learn how to make Dutch pancakes, or a Colombian arepa, or one of our local dishes like keshi yena.”
Stay tuned for the unveiling of the new menu at Pago Pago, as well as many other exciting culinary adventures to come at The Westin Resort, Aruba.
