Meet Bangkok-Based Chef Hans Peter Kaserer

[Amari]

Hailing from the small village of picturesque Krimml, Austria, where he learned to appreciate culinary arts at his family’s hotel, Executive Chef at the Amari Watergate Bangkok, Hans Peter Kaserer has come a long way since his childhood.

A veritable globe trotter in his own right, Chef Kaserer has worked in kitchens all around the world – including the United States, Canada, Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia. With Bangkok as his base of operations for the last 15 years, Chef Kaserer has developed a fondness for Thai cuisine. “There are so many great Thai dishes, so it’s hard to name just one which is my favourite.”

Chef Kaserer bears a close resemblance to what one envisions a master chef to be, with an imposing frame and carefully groomed handlebar mustache. He is especially proud of the Amari Watergate’s banquet hosting capabilities – with its 11 kitchens of which he is responsible.

As he took me on a tour of the hotel’s expansive facilities, I got a sense of his responsibilities. Tasked with sourcing the best ingredients and making sure everything runs smoothly at all of the five restaurants in the Amari Watergate, Chef Kaserer’s presence commands respect.

When prodded to share instances of kitchen disasters during his illustrious career, the colourful chef’s face lit up with bemusement.

“When I was an apprentice, I remember vividly an instance at a hotel I working at. The executive chef at that time was taken ill and the sous chef was in charge of the kitchen – he was a large man of some 150 kilos.”

“Suddenly, the large sous chef ordered a mixed salad from one of the other apprentices, but the young man did not hear him.”

“As the sous chef walked over to the young apprentice to repeat the order, he slipped and kicked out the leg of the salad table, which bore giant bowls of mixed vegetables.”

“Laughter erupted as the imposing sous chef stood up and lettuce covered his head like a crown.”

“I, along with the other apprentices desperately tried to conceal our laughter, as it was not proper to laugh at a superior, but to this day I remember clearly the look on his face as salad dropped from his head.”

Chef Kaserer is quite fond of seafood – and his answer to my final question seemed to support that notion.

“If you were trapped on a desert island with only five ingredients what would they be and what would you make?” I asked.

A look if bewilderment overtook the chef at my off kilter inquiry. “What? Well, I guess some herbs, that’s all I would need because I could just catch fish and live happily.’

Indeed, Chef Kaserer appears to be living happily in the not so deserted metropolis of Bangkok, so if you’re visiting the Amari Watergate, be sure to stop by one of the restaurants and say hi to this animated fellow.