Mark Vaessen
Dutch chef Mark Vaessen has been in charge of food at OKU Ibiza since 2020, bringing with him his innovative vision of fusion cooking and next-level Japanese techniques. Having trained in traditional French cooking and Japanese haute cuisine under the guidance of renowned chef Oshima, Vaessen has travelled the world, soaking up the culture and culinary techniques of each country he visits. Vaessen works in partnership with Aleksandar Todorov, head chef at OKU, and together their Japanese-Mediterranean food has revolutionised the food scene on the island.
How would you describe the experience of being in charge of food at OKU from the time you started to the present day?
At OKU we try to be better every day. We have a really strong team. Feedback about the food is really good. We’re always changing the menu but keep our signature dishes. But we like updating the menu so we can surprise customers and keep on improving year after year.
Your food has always been defined by innovation. Which new dishes do you feel proudest about?
Our hamachi tiradito is one of the dishes I like the most this year. We have a robata to make Japanese grilled dishes and that opens up lots of interesting possibilities. We’re also really proud of our desserts. One is the black moon. It’s a really mysterious dish with an incredible flavour: black sesame, milk chocolate, ginger and lime ice cream... It’s not too sweet, and very fresh. I also really like the rice with mango, which has an amazing flavour.
What other new developments will we find at OKU this year, apart from the new dishes?
We have a new restaurant manager this year: Débora Curiel. María, our former manager, is currently enjoying her well deserved maternity leave. Débora comes from Nobu and has extensive knowledge about our type of cooking. I’m really happy that she’s joined the team because she works at the same level as us, especially in terms of how she understands the service.
What’s your trick for bringing together all your experience and knowledge of Japanese food and combining it with Mediterranean influences?
Alex Todorov, my head chef, is a huge influence on me when it comes to designing the menu. I always work with him and Rafaella Ferraris (head pastry chef) to create new things. Lots of great restaurants are opening on the island that have a similar type of cuisine to ours. They’re incredible restaurants that we don’t compete against (and don’t want to compete against.) But what we’re trying to do is focus more on details. My approach to Nikkei food is a bit different. People think that Nikkei is a mixture of Japanese and Peruvian cooking. For me, Nikkei means “Japanese immigrant”, in any part of the world. So, a Japanese person who lives in Spain would use typical Spanish products, like oranges and other incredible Mediterranean flavours. Using this approach, we create dishes like our tuna tartar, which has a smashed eggs base and uses the Japanese tuna tartar technique.
Ibizan prawns are one of your obsessions when it comes to local products. Are there any other fresh ingredients from the island that have grabbed your attention lately?
I’m still obsessed with prawns. I’m crazy about them. I also really like all the molluscs and fish from the island. But I haven’t added many new ingredients to the menu. The base remains the same.
Do you work a lot with local products at OKU?
Yes. We work with local products as much as we can. We’re even trying to make our own kitchen garden at OKU so we can supply the restaurant with more flavours from our land. But we don’t exclusively limit ourselves to local products. Ibiza has lots of good products but there are also ingredients that you can’t get here.
What is most important when it comes to maintaining high quality standards at a restaurant like OKU?
The team is what matters most. I’m really proud of our team. I’ve worked with Alex Todorov since 2020 and he’s one of the cornerstones of my work at OKU. We understand each other perfectly and know where we’re both headed: we want to achieve the highest levels of quality in everything we do.
What has been your biggest challenge since you joined the OKU team?
The biggest challenge is motiving the team and making them share our vision. Sometimes that’s really hard.
What are your future plans for OKU?
We’re committed to turning OKU into a gourmet destination. I don’t just mean OKU Restaurant, because this year we’re going to have a new restaurant (Fabel Miami) at the hotel run by chef Dan Perretta. We also have some food events planned, such as the “fete du belges” with famous chefs like Peter Goossens, Wout Bru, Peppe Giacommazzi, Jean Phillipe and Tim Boury. We want to collaborate with other great chefs and bring the finest food possible to San Antonio and OKU.
