Archipelago black box battle final

ARCHIPELAGO BLACK BOX BATTLE THE FINAL

SHOWCASES THE NATION’S FINEST FOOD & BEVERAGE TALENT

Archipelago hosted its prestigious culinary competition, Archipelago Black Box Battle The Final, on 27 January 2026 at Aston Priority Simatupang Hotel & Conference Center. The event marked the national final, bringing together for the first time the best champions from regions across Indonesia to compete on one stage.

In this final round, six chefs and six F&B services are tested on creativity, technical precision, and their ability to deliver outstanding creations under pressure through the use of secret ingredients. All finalists are regional winners who have passed a rigorous selection process and conquered the highest level of the Black Box Battle challenges held in Kalimantan, Yogyakarta, Bogor, Sidoarjo, Cirebon, dan Bali.

In the Food Battle category, chefs are challenged to prepare one appetizer and one main course within 90 minutes using secret ingredients made from rib eye and salmon. Meanwhile, in the Beverage Battle, F&B service professionals are given 45 minutes to create two beverages using secret ingredients in the form of sweetened strawberry purée dan espresso (Arabica 50% & Robusta 50%).

“Archipelago Black Box Battle reflects Archipelago’s commitment to developing internal talent while maintaining consistent quality standards across our hotel network. This competition serves as a stage for culinary professionals within Archipelago to showcase their best capabilities and represents the professionalism and quality standards we continuously build,” said John Flood, CEO of Archipelago.

A total of 12 finalists were selected from across Indonesia, as follows:

Food Battle Finalists:

• Ahmad Faisal Amin – Hotel Neo+ Balikpapan

• Domas Muhammad Pilar – fave hotel Malioboro Yogyakarta

• Aris Triyono – fave hotel Padjajaran Bogor

• M. Zainuri – Aston Inn Jemursari

• Reno Gani – Harper Cikarang

• I Kadek Pande Widyadinata – Aston Denpasar Hotel & Convention Center

Beverage Battle Finalists:

• Rendi Komara – Hotel Neo+ Balikpapan

• Hanif Anshori –  The Alana Hotel & Convention Center - Solo

• Micki Rizart – Harper Premier Nagoya Batam

• Irawan Wisnu – Hotel Neo Malioboro

• Zainnuri – Aston Purwokerto Hotel & Convention Center

• Made Putra Yasa – Aston Kuta Hotel & Residence

The competition was judged by Archipelago’s panel of judges, including Winston Hanes as Senior Vice President of Operations, Sari Kusumaningrum as Senior Director of Corporate Communications & PR, Denny Wasana as Corporate F&B Manager, A. S Windoe and Denny Frederick as Corporate Executive Chefs, as well as Risman Sukmawan as Corporate Pastry Chef.

The winners of Archipelago Black Box Battle The Final are as follows:

Food Battle Winners

1. Juara 1 - Reno Gani from Harper Cikarang
   Receive Charles Brookfield trophy, medals, and cash prizes.

2. Juara 2 – I Kadek Pande Widyadinata dari Aston Denpasar Hotel & Convention Center
   Receive John Flood trophy, medals, and cash prizes.

3. Juara 3 Aris Triyono dari fave hotel Padjajaran Bogor
   Receive Favorite Winner trophy, medals, and cash prizes.

Beverage Battle Winners

1. Juara 1 – Hanif Anshori dari The Alana Hotel & Convention Center - Solo
   Receive Charles Brookfield trophy, medals, and cash prizes.

2. Juara 2 – Micki Rizart dari Harper Premier Nagoya Batam
   Receive John Flood trophy, medals, and cash prizes.

3. Juara 3  – Made Putra Yasa dari Aston Kuta Hotel & Residence
   Receive Favorite Winner trophy, medals, and cash prizes.

All other finalists also received an allowance as a token of appreciation for their participation in the competition.

This competition stands as clear evidence of how collaboration, creativity, and the passion of Archipelago’s F&B talents continue to grow, driving higher service standards within the hospitality industry. Archipelago congratulates all national winners. For more information, visit www.archipelagohotels.com and follow @archipelagointernational on Instagram.