Sander van Kints
Chef de Cuisine

Hello,

My name is Sander van Kints and I’m an artist. I just love to create, whether it’s food, woodworking, building, crafting, basically just anything. It’s my passion, it’s what I do. My true calling.

With over forty years of learning and mastering the art of many different cuisines around the globe, I would love to share this with you at your vacation villa.

I can’t capture my journey of forty years in a couple of sentences.

So if you got a towel around your neck and snorkeling gear in your hands go for it. Or maybe you’re chilling by the pool of your beautiful vacation villa and you would like to read more about me and what I’ve been up to.

I was born in the Netherlands and moved to Aruba in 1988 right after completing my French culinary arts studies. Here on the beautiful island of Aruba I have been the head chef at many of the island’s famous restaurants, Papiamento, Chez Mathilde, Linda Vista, Que Pasa, Marandi to name a few.

During the nineties, I moved back to Europe to broaden my knowledge and skills in different cuisines I worked in one of Holland’s finest and most luxurious hotels The Kurhaus in Scheveningen.

There I had the opportunity to bring some Caribbean flavors to the exclusive fine dining restaurant Kadinsky.

After being back home for a while I felt the time had come for a new adventure so I moved to the island of Majorca, Spain. I was the head chef at Calle d’Or. A small fine dining Bistro where I could combine my French cooking techniques with the amazing flavors and ingredients from the Mediterranean.

Then came Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. There I fell in love with the amazing variety of flavors and exciting never-before-seen ingredients. The Brazilian kitchen is a mixture of Amerindian, African, and European cuisines. 

I ended up in Florianopolis, a large island in the south of Brazil. Here is where I opened up my first own small restaurant called Pedra Laranja or Orange Rock. A small bistro-style restaurant tucked away in the jungle on a hillside overlooking the sea. I mastered some cool building skills along the way and I just loved working with Brazilian tropical hardwood.

I never stopped loving Aruba and I wanted to bring back my experience from all my travels. I brought wood-fired grilling to Aruba and opened up Yemanja restaurant in the historic center of Oranjestad. I renovated the building and made the furniture and artwork myself.

Being a dad of four amazing children I wanted to be there for them and be home a night so I opened up The Kitchen. Everything in it is made by me by hand, brick churascaria grill, authentic pizza oven, largest table on the island, you name it. A buffet lunch restaurant where food from around the world is sold by weight.

In South America, it is accustomed to eat your main meal at lunchtime. The same goes for Aruba we’re only a stone's throw away from Venezuela. 

It became the place to be for lunch on the island, especially among the local workforce who are busy and have short lunch breaks. At The Kitchen you walk in grab a plate and eat, Real fresh food faster than fast food.

Just before the pandemic I became a single parent and the workload and responsibility of a large restaurant became overwhelming. so I passed it on to my friend and long-time head chef of The Kitchen, Pablo. Since The Kitchen only serves lunch I use the venue for events and large groups.

This is when I started with private dinners, it has given me the flexibility to provide and care for my kids who are everything to me.

If I’m not busy right now preparing your dinner you probably find me taking care of my food garden. Me and the kids live on an acre of land on the north shore surrounded by hills and nature. Here I also have an atelier where I let my imagination run wild and craft whatever comes to mind.