Founder and CEO, Chef, AMKC Private Dining Service, AMKC Atelier, The Union Brasserie, dan Izakaya Kai
Adhika Maxi rose to fame on the gastronomic scene, earning the respect of his peers for his playful juxtaposition of local and foreign ingredients and techniques. His approach to food is eclectically modern while also rooting back to the soul food of his youth.
In 2009, he decided to deep dive into Japanese cuisine by immersing himself in various izakayas and ramen houses around Tokyo and Osaka. That same year, Maxi and his wife, Karen Carlotta, an award-winning pastry chef, established UNION restaurant, which became a sought-after dining venue in Jakarta. Many others soon followed: the AMKC Private Dining service (2010), Union Brasserie, Bakery and Bar (2011), AMKC Atelier (2016) and Izakaya Kai in North Jakarta (2016)—a result of Maxi’s culinary excursion to Japan.
Maxi graduated from Curtin University in Australia before enrolling in the French Culinary Institute, New York City. Like many chefs, Maxi worked his way up in the professional kitchen, starting as a dishwasher and a food runner at 15. When he finished training, he gained experience working at the Asiate Restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental, New York, under chef Nori Sugie, and became a chef de partie at Gordon Ramsay's two-star Michelin restaurant at the London Hotel, under the guidance of chef Josh Emmett.
Union Brasserie, Bakery and Bar was listed in Asia's 50 Best Bars, and in 2017, Maxi competed on the cooking show Iron Chef Indonesia.
Did You Know?
Maxi and his wife served at a private-dining experience where Barack Obama was one of the guests.