ON THE MENU Seafood Soup, Roasted Pork Tenderloin and Roasted Veg, LobsterON THE GLOBEKo Lanta, ThailandON THE TEAMExecutive Chef Asker Bay Skaarup, Pimalai 5-Star Resort 
Close to midnight, Chef Asker walked us down the stairwell from the Seven Seas Restaurant that led to our bright red motorbike. The sky was ominous, booming with lightning here and there, leaving me feeling a bit like Cinderella leaving the ball at the stroke at 12. Dressed in our evening gowns, we quickly made our descent to avoid the imminent storm after an enchanting evening.
Try as we might, we did not escape mother nature. The rain started as we started our engine, a few drops at first, then harder and faster until we could hardly see a thing. Laughing, we pulled over and took refuge under a bamboo hut. A lone street dog wandered amongst the flickering streetlights and an indecipherable low pitched horror-film moan filled the air from animals on the ranch across the street.
More beautiful than scary, it was an unforgettable end to an unforgettable evening.
Chef Asker wow-ed us to say the least. Thoughtful, interested, and incredibly talented, he made our experience at Pimalai Resort something special. He’s worked in the food industry for ages–from his hometown in Denmark, to bustling London, to Dubai, Bangkok, and now Ko Lanta, Asker knows what he’s doing, and he does it well.
Read on for his thoughts on staying creative, cultural differences, sacrificing for your career, and how he stays James-Bond-fit amongst so much delicious food.
Introducing Executive Chef Asker Skaarup Bay.
What brought you to work in Thailand?
I always always wanted to work in Asia. I found it is an interesting place compared to European culture – the food, the people, it’s a different way of working.
Did the company ask you to come and work here, or were you looking for work yourself?
I took a job here two years ago after looking for a job in Asia.
When did you move from being a chef cooking food to managing the kitchens as Executive Chef?
In the last 5-6 years. When we start up a new menu I go and tell them how to do it and how to dress the plate, after that sometimes I will be in the kitchen when we are busy but most of the time I am checking to make sure everything goes smoothly.
Is it a lot of paperwork?
Yes. Sometimes I put more in place than what we need, but it’s a good exercise as you know where different costs go.
What’s your signature dish?
Seafood soup, one of the most popular dishes here. Also roasted pork tenderloin with roasted veg, and a lobster dish. I’m not a big fan of prawns and lobster but it’s popular. It was a fusion restaurant when I came here but I simplified it.
Are you glad you picked Ko Lanta?
It’s a nice place – maybe a bit quiet, not much socializing goes on. It’s relaxing but a challenging place to work, it’s harder to find qualified staff and good products than I was used to. Most of our products come from Bangkok although the seafood is local. Almost all of the products on the menu are grown in Thailand.
How big is your team at the moment?
Sixty people, including students.
And you oversee them all?
Yes.
It must be a busy day…
Yes. It’s such a big area! I try to do as much as possible homemade too. Guests appreciate it, they see that it’s homemade and like it.
How was it settling in here?
When you come to a new place you take a few months and let them get used to you and accept you. You also need to understand the history and the background of Thai people and why they are the way they are. Once you understand those things you can work well together.
What’s a regular day in the life of Chef Asker?
7am breakfast, then I do morning checks of the kitchen before the staff briefing. I check more kitchens, then brief the team. Another check of restaurant for lunch. Lunch break. Check kitchens again.
Do you work everyday?
Six days a week. On my one day off I visit the beach and have a rest. Sometimes I take a few days off and go to Bangkok, Singapore or Laos.
Do you live at the resort?
Yes, not far from the restaurant. The place is nice. You come here and relax but the local people are hard to understand sometimes. Tourists keep coming and the local people haven’t adapted to that yet. I miss other environments sometimes. If you’re a motivated person it’s hard to fit in here in the south as everything is so laid back. It was hard to get used to. When I was working in Dubai I was pushed hard, always pumping and pumping, there was no relaxing. If you didn’t know what to do they would tell you to figure it out yourself. Coming to this place is totally contrasting. You have to keep in mind that you work at Pimalai – you have to wear nice clothes and keep up a reputation because everyone knows who you are. In Bangkok you can look however you want and no one knows who you are. It’s very challenging to be here, that’s why it’s difficult to get people from Bangkok here.
Why did you leave Dubai?
It was good in terms of food, but they import everything! They have the money so they can do that, nothing is local. I spent 2.5 years there and I had enough.
What is the food scene like on Ko Lanta? And in Thailand in general?
People here eat for survival, not for taste. They stick together they don’t travel far, they don’t have much but they’re happy with that. It’s local food, for local people. They are not much into quality. Tourists are coming – Ko Lanta is more of a backpacker destination so they don’t look for high quality food. You wont find many nice restaurants here in Ko Lanta, backpackers don’t come for gourmet!
One of the things we have noticed in Thailand is that you can order the same dish from several places but it will always taste totally different, do you know why this is?
Different chef, different taste. There is one dish here that comes out different every time. Even staff have recipe cards but it’s never the same.
Have you had to get used to any new ingredients in Thailand that you hadn’t used before?
Everything! All of them! It was more the smell and taste of different things. When people come to another country to work, that’s what makes it interesting. You just get used to it.
So, if you were to go out for a meal where would you go?
There’s not much here really. I have a few nice places I visit in Bangkok. One is Face, a very old fashioned, traditional restaurant where you can have Indian and Thai or a mix of both for dinner if you want. They have a Japanese restaurant in the basement too. Sukhothai at Hotel Celadon has very authentic Thai food. But these change, you can come back after years and the chef has left so you never know.
Has your position of Executive Chef taken you away from being creative?
It’s up to me how much I put in. I like to do it in a way where I involve my staff as much as possible. Some of them find it boring to do the same dish all the time, so I let them have an input so they feel like they’ve contributed.
How often do you create a new menu?
Once a year. It runs October to November. On the beach we have a seafood BBQ buffet and a we have Surf and Turf. In the Thai restaurant we have a Thai buffet which changes all the time. Here at Pimalai, the seafood and Thai buffet are the most popular.
Are most of the customers here from Europe?
Yes. Some come from Singapore or Hong Kong, and sometimes parts of Thailand. Most are from the UK, Germany, France, Italy, or even Australia and New Zealand.
What do you eat when you’re not working?
I go on the street and have a noodle soup, or something very basic. Sometimes I go out to a restaurant but I like to go out with my friends and have a bottle of wine or whatever, but after working you need something simple.
What food is your guilty pleasure?
I try to eat healthy when I have main meals. I taste everything cooked at Pimalai to ensure quality. From raw to finished product, I taste everything – even fatty things, but if you only do a little bit it will not take over.
How do you stay in shape when you are surrounded by such delicious food?
I don’t eat much. I taste a lot, but don’t eat a lot. I mainly eat fruit and do exercise on my breaks.
What kind of exercise?
In the gym here. I do weights, running, …anything.
Has that been a habit for a long time?
Yes. The last 12 years. Even though I’m tired, I still go to the gym and after a little bit of time I get refreshed and get more energy. If I don’t go I feel bad, so I go.
How was the experience of publishing your dessert book?
I have always had a lot of interest in desserts. I am a qualified baker so I always wanted to work in desserts.
What did you learn in the process of creating the book?
It was quite a while ago, so looking back I saw how I developed as a chef.
What was your dream job as a child?
I always liked to cook and bake at home for my family and that’s why I grew up doing what I’m doing. I don’t know if I was dreaming of this but I liked it, and at school it was my biggest interest. I left school when I was 16 and started training, first in baking. Then I started to travel; meeting people, eating food, seeing new places.
Who are your food heroes, or who has inspired you along the way?
I’m always looking or seeing what other chefs are doing. I benchmark a lot when I go out, in terms of quality, price, presentation, etc. If I have anyone I’m looking up to it’s Marco Pierre White. I worked with him for a while, around the time that he was opening a new restaurant. I usually use magazines and books, and try to do new things. Looking through the magazines makes you realise that the same trends come back around, so you’re never doing something completely new. You see how you develop and you look through magazines and see that old things are coming back again. I still believe the older ways are the best.
Have you ever owned a restaurant or would you like to?
I have been thinking about it! In Denmark there’s a lot of taxes and fees. If I do I will either go back and do something small that I can manage myself, or do something big that I could get other people to manage for me. You need a lot money to start up so at the moment I’m not sure I’d like to do it yet.
What’s your proudest moment in your career to date?
When things are going smoothly, when the guest is happy, when I get compliments. It’s nice, I enjoy it. I feel proud.
What’s the most embarrassing thing that has happened in your career so far?
I’ve had it two times here – when I’ve been walking around and I stop to talk to guests and they start saying, “This is not on the menu, and this is not on the menu…” and I know I have the ingredients but there was a miscommunication with my staff.
Have you got any advice for people wanting to enter into a similar career?
You must understand that you have to work when other people don’t. It’s a hot environment and can be very stressful. You have to like what you’re doing.
Do you still like it?
YES. It’s not a job you go into just to have something to do or to make money, because you will not be successful and you will not enjoy it. You have to sacrifice relationships and family and say, “OK, I’m a chef now.” You can’t have both. It’s not normal hours, you have to work when other people are off and when you’re off, that’s when other people are working.
Have you sacrificed part of your family life for your career?
I don’t know. I’m happy with what I’m doing.
Do you still have family in Denmark?
Yes. I go back once a year.
Do you miss Danish food? Do you still cook it here and if so, how do people react to it?
No, I don’t miss it. I’m not a fussy person. Thai food two weeks in a row can get boring but I like to eat anything.
What’s your secret for not wanting to be home when you’re away and not wanting to be away when you’re at home?
Sometimes, when it’s too hot here, I miss Denmark, but otherwise I like it in Thailand. I like the beach and the city life. I would say Bangkok is my second home.
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Special thanks to Mirko Langui, Food & Beverage Manager, Chef Asker, and the fabulous Pimalai staff for assistance in making this interview a reality.
If you’d like to visit Chef Asker and enjoy his sensational food, visit Pimalai 5-Star Resort on Ko Lanta, Thailand.
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