While many world-renowned chefs step into professional kitchens at a very early age, Ekkebus initially charted a different course. However, his deep-rooted connection to food eventually guided him away from engineering and straight into the heart of Europe’s most demanding culinary institutions.
To fund his student lifestyle, Ekkebus took weekend jobs in local restaurants. His natural work ethic and talent quickly caught the attention of professional kitchens. Soon, head chefs were asking him to cover weekday shifts. Realizing his true passion lay behind the pass rather than in textbooks, he abandoned engineering. His early talent blossomed under the mentorship of pioneering Dutch masters Hans Snijders and Robert Kranenborg, paving the way for monumental achievements.
“The chefs I worked with used to tell me he was doing a good job and they would ask him to help out during weekdays… What I liked most was not the money but actually working in the kitchen, working in a team.” — Chef Richard Ekkebus
At just 18 years old, Ekkebus won the prestigious Golden Chef’s Hat for ‘Young Chef of the Year’ in the Netherlands. Recognizing that his home country’s culinary scene had limited room for further growth at the time, Robert Kranenborg urged him to look toward France.
His formative years included working alongside Alain Passard in Paris, where he mastered pastry arts and complex flavor balancing. Later, he honed his skills under Guy Savoy and spent three transformative years working closely with Pierre Gagnaire, widely regarded as one of the most unconventional and brilliant chefs of our time. These rigorous experiences forged his signature cooking style: a refined, contemporary approach rooted in classical French technique yet constantly open to innovation.
As a result of this elite training, Ekkebus developed an uncompromising standard for ingredient quality and flavor purity that would define his entire career.
He spent two transformative years as executive chef at the Royal Palm Hotel in Mauritius, breathing fresh life into traditional menus by incorporating local Creole and Indian influences. Following this, he managed culinary operations at The Sandy Lane in Barbados, catering to high-profile international guests and refining his mastery of large-scale luxury hospitality management.
These international postings broadened his global outlook, teaching him how to respect local ingredients while maintaining uncompromising European standards.
| Career Phase | Location | Key Role / Milestone |
|---|---|---|
| Early Beginnings | Netherlands | Won Golden Chef’s Hat; trained under Hans Snijders & Robert Kranenborg |
| French Training | Paris, France | Apprenticed under Alain Passard, Guy Savoy, and Pierre Gagnaire |
| Island Resorts | Mauritius & Barbados | Executive Chef at Royal Palm and The Sandy Lane |
| Flagship Leadership | Hong Kong, China | Culinary Director at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental & Amber |
Therefore, each chapter of his career served as a vital stepping stone toward his ultimate masterpiece in Hong Kong.
His flagship restaurant, Amber, rapidly climbed the ranks of international fine dining, earning multiple Michelin stars and cementing its place among The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. However, Ekkebus refused to rest on his laurels. In 2018, he spearheaded a radical physical and culinary reinvention of Amber, stripping away dairy, refined sugars, and heavy lards to focus purely on the unadulterated essence of ingredients.
“I am not a complacent person and I feel complacency is the most dangerous thing in our industry.” — Chef Richard Ekkebus
This bold transformation proved that high-end fine dining could successfully evolve to meet modern health-conscious and ethical demands without sacrificing complexity or luxury.
Under his guidance, Amber partnered with the WWF to adhere strictly to sustainable seafood calendars, systematically eliminated single-use plastics, introduced in-house water bottling systems, and revolutionized waste management protocols. By proving that luxury and sustainability can coexist harmoniously, Ekkebus has redefined what it means to be a modern culinary leader.
Consequently, his influence extends far beyond recipe creation; he actively inspires the next generation of chefs to cook with a conscience.
Where was Chef Richard Ekkebus born and raised?
Chef Richard Ekkebus was born and raised in the Netherlands, where he began his initial culinary training and won early national awards.
What are some of Chef Richard Ekkebus’s early career accolades?
Early in his career in the Netherlands, he won the prestigious Golden Chef’s Hat for ‘Young Chef of the Year’ before moving to France to train under culinary masters.
Which famous French chefs did Ekkebus train under?
He honed his craft in France under legendary culinary icons including Alain Passard, Guy Savoy, and Pierre Gagnaire.
What restaurant is Richard Ekkebus most famous for managing?
He is internationally renowned as the Culinary Director at Amber inside The Landmark Mandarin Oriental hotel in Hong Kong.
Ready to discover more inspiring culinary journeys and industry insights? Subscribe to our newsletter today and stay updated with exclusive profiles of the world’s most visionary chefs!
