More than 300 people at the Jakarta Convention Center listened attentively as Chef Yono shared his ups and downs in the restaurant business. Graduating from the then Akademi Perhotelan Negara in Bandung Indonesia, Yono started work at Holland America Cruise Lines to see the world and more than 40 years later is now a well known restaurateur in New York with a string of culinary awards.

Chef Yono, owner of dp, An American Brasserie  and a high end restaurant Yono's in Albany, New York was in Jakarta last month for the 2nd Congress of Indonesian Diaspora, an event aimed at inspiring Indonesian diaspora communities to connect and to unite themselves into one big community and create a tangible force in order to achieve a better Indonesia.

We were fortunate to be invited by the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy to attend the Culinary Task Force meeting where Chef Yono and a number of Indonesian diaspora spoke at the event on the 20th of August.

N.J. Sembiring, trained as a pharmacist owned Gerak Tani, purveyor of Indonesian spices and condiment products. The family run business has marketed its standardized and halal products to catering owners, restaurants, hotels, traditional markets, and super markets. Sembiring listed more than 20 mixed ingredients readily packaged such as bumbu rendang (West Sumatera), bumbu taliwang (Lombok), bumbu setu (Bengkulu), bumbu habang (South Kalimantan) and bumbu gudeg (Yogyakarta).

Another successful restaurateur is Hendri Syamsul the owner of Nuri, an Indonesian Restaurant chain in Malaysia with plans to open in the US. Hendri is also the master franchise of Killiney Indonesia , a local alternative to the Western coffee cuture. At present there are more than 30 Killiney outlets all over Indonesia.

A significant source of the Indonesian diaspora’s strength, according to the congress organizer, lies in its size and its diversity. That is why “Indonesian diaspora” is defined as broadly as possible for the congress. For example, every Indonesian national who lives overseas – regardless of their religion, ethnicity, occupation or visa status –is invited to join the congress.

Moreover, non-Indonesian nationals - those who are of Indonesian descent; those who have commercial interests in Indonesia; or Indonesianists who care deeply about Indonesia’s future – are an essential part of the Indonesian diaspora as well.

The Culinary Task Force of the Indonesian diaspora also invited representatives of Bank BNI and BKPM, the Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board, to talk about the investment and financing aspects of opening and operating restaurants in Indonesia and abroad.

Officials at the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy saw the opportunity to bring Indonesian culinary to the world by introducing the 30 Indonesian Traditional Culinary Icons that was launched last year to the diaspora .

William Wongso, Indonesia’s culinary connoisseur explained the objectives of launching the 30 traditional culinary icons are to standardize the nomenclature, the recipes and the culinary process of Indonesia’s traditional culinary icons, to introduce Indonesian culinary in the world market, and to preserve the wealth of Indonesian culinary. This initial 30 culinary icons according to Wongso, who showed the audience how to prepare one icon, asinan Jakarta, will be complemented with standardized recipes, accompanied by a video of the cooking process.

Omar Niode Foundation promoted the 30 culinary icons at Patali (Market) Day, the Foundation’s annual event last February and has written several blog posts on the topic.

The Culinary Task Force of the Indonesian diaspora agreed to form of a consortium of Indonesian cuisine involving the government and private sector to bring Indonesian culinary to the world including the 30 Indonesian traditional culinary icons.

Meanwhile, less than one month after the Diaspora Congress in Jakarta, on September 17th, Chef Yono will be cooking dinner at the prestigious James Beard House in Manhattan New York at an event called Flavors of Indonesia. See the menu here  that explains what the House said: Jakarta native Widjiono “Yono” Purnomo” creates his singular style of cuisine by seamlessly blending his homeland’s exotic flavors with American ingredients and masterful French technique.

---------------------------------

Images: Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Yono’s, Gerak Tani, Killiney Indonesia, Omar Niode Foundation