Petty Pandean Elliott is an award-winning Indonesian chef, writer, entrepreneur, philanthropist and author of several best-selling Indonesian cookbooks.
My culinary journey began in my grandmother’s kitchen in Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia, at just nine years old. I learned everything from gutting fish to cleaning chickens, and discovered the rich tapestry of spices and herbs that flavour our regional dishes.
However, I didn’t enter the professional culinary world until I was 37. Before that, I’d had a successful career in advertising and worked as a food. Although I didn’t win, the experience was invaluable. Then, two years after returning to Jakarta, I was offered a food column in a local magazine. At the same time, I began hosting home-cooking classes for the expatriate community, and then self-published my first cookbook in English, , which led to collaborations with foreign chefs interested in Indonesian cuisine.
