OUR PEOPLE
KOA is rooted in family and leads with heart. Founded by four siblings who have carefully curated a team of dedicated chefs, culinary artists, and mixologists who are gourmets by profession and passion.
THE CHEFS
KRAIV INVESTMENTS EXECUTIVE CHEF JOSE CAU
Throughout these vast 25-plus years of experience and as a well-travelled Chef with his worldrenowned portfolio, Michelin-starred Chef Jose, has always been motivated in curating quality dishes and service with an exemplary experience ranging from fine-dining restaurants to Michelin-star restaurants internationally. The craft of cooking for Chef Jose is like painting a canvas. The combination of flavours and colors through recipes to him, are endless which further inspires him to create dishes to deliver unrivalled pleasure to his guests. Chef Jose’s golden rule for any cuisine is to source fresh ingredients, well-executed cooking procedures, and the precisely perfect balance of flavours. His belief for being a good chef is the ability to work in a team, multitask and pay attention to details. Chef Jose draws inspiration from the beauty of the seasons which motivates him to remain proactive and creative with food. His aim is to satisfy and go above and beyond his guests’ expectations ensures that he is updated with the latest trends in the culinary industry. Join us at KOA where you will have the opportunity of meeting Chef Jose in person and sampling his gastronomic delights first-hand.
EXECUTIVE PASTRY CHEF JONAS PLANGGER
Jonas Plangger developed a keen interest in cooking and baking from a young age which led him to pursue a career in patisserie.
His career began as an apprentice for three years before his creativity and dedication saw him transition to a Commis Chef at a Five Star Michelin Hotel and Restaurant in his native Germany. He undertook a further two-year pastry apprenticeship whilst there, resulting in a promotion to Chef de Partie. His exceptional skills garnered in his previous roles saw him become Head Pastry Chef for Michelin-starred restaurant, Coworth Park, located in scenic Ascot, England which led him to become a member of the British Pastry National Team during The Pastry World Cup 2018 which he still credits as his proudest career moment to date.
During this time his dedication was to creating his favourite, St. Honoré Cake, named after the French Patron Saint of Bakers which featured exquisite pastry elements such as choux, craquelin, cameral, ganache, and puff pastry.
Jonas subsequently relocated to the Middle East to manage a multi-outlet pastry department, reinventing classic French baking with modern twists. Jonas has headed up the KOA culinary team since December 2021 where he oversees all patisserie and baking work. Jonas continues to showcase his impressive bakes and pastries exclusively available at KOA.
