Archipelago held its leading 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 top regional champions from across Indonesia to compete on one stage for the first time.
In the final round, six chefs and six F&B service professionals were tested on creativity, technical skill, and their ability to produce excellent results under pressure using secret ingredients. All finalists were regional winners who had passed a strict selection process through earlier Black Box Battle events held in Kalimantan, Yogyakarta, Bogor, Sidoarjo, Cirebon, and Bali.
In the Food Battle category, chefs were challenged to prepare one appetiser and one main course within 90 minutes using secret ingredients made from rib eye and salmon. In the Beverage Battle, F&B service professionals had 45 minutes to create two drinks using secret ingredients in the form of sweetened strawberry purée and 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.
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 were:
Food Battle Winners
Juara 1 – Reno Gani from Harper Cikarang
Receive Charles Brookfield trophy, medals, and cash prizes.
Juara 2 – I Kadek Pande Widyadinata dari Aston Denpasar Hotel & Convention Center
Receive John Flood trophy, medals, and cash prizes.
Juara 3 Aris Triyono dari fave hotel Padjajaran Bogor
Receive Favorite Winner trophy, medals, and cash prizes.
Beverage Battle Winners
Juara 1 – Hanif Anshori dari The Alana Hotel & Convention Center – Solo
Receive Charles Brookfield trophy, medals, and cash prizes.
Juara 2 – Micki Rizart dari Harper Premier Nagoya Batam
Receive John Flood trophy, medals, and cash prizes.
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 appreciation for their participation.
The competition highlights how collaboration, creativity, and passion among Archipelago’s F&B talents continue to grow, helping to raise service standards across the hospitality industry. Archipelago congratulates all national winners. For more information, visit www.archipelagohotels.com and follow @archipelagointernational on Instagram.
