Chef Uphoff is not simply an executive chef; he is a culinary professional who has spent more than two decades building kitchens, teams, and hospitality concepts across the globe.

His mom he shares, cooked with her heart, and dad’s attempts at grilling were tolerated. But as a young man he already had an understanding of food, which after a few test runs, landed him in a kitchen working for old school mentors.

Thus, his career began in the Netherlands, apprenticing under respected Michelin-starred chefs, 85 hours a week for one thousand euros.

At the wake of monetary crisis that crippled fine dining, his path took him to Aruba. He was tired of the uncertain weather and the long hours, he dreamed about the tropics, when he saw an ad one day looking for a chef for Moomba Beach. Four days later, he was here, basking in the sun.

His short stint at Moomba led to another stop at the fondly remembered Chez Mathilda, and the transition to the next-door hotel complex was easy. Chef Uphoff joined the culinary team at the Renaissance Aruba Resort, and climbed up the kitchen ranks, to become executive chef, helping to open L.G. Smith Steak and Chop House and later the Aquarius Buffet Restaurant, two highly successful dining concepts, to this day.

In 2004 he participated in the international competition, Taste of the Caribbean, as a member of the Aruba culinary team.

Aruba has always been an important chapter in my journey, he says. At Renaissance, before it became Wind Creek Aruba Resort, Chef Uphoff worked across the complex, feeding vacationers in hundreds of rooms, at two resorts, dining at multiple restaurants. He oversaw major banqueting facilities and large-scale events, including all food & beverage served on the private island.

On his off day, while enjoying the beach, the sun, and the new friends he made, he often thought about more world travel ending up in Aruba where he wished to raise his children, sometimes in the future. As he watched children jumping in the waves, carefree and content, he vowed to return.

With the travelling bug still in his system, he continued to work at the Seychelles, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Ras Al Khaimah, before leading culinary operations at Hilton The Hague.

He always said to himself that if the opportunity arises, he will be going back to Aruba.

His wish came true, in 2024. Chef Uphoff was hired as the Executive Chef of Divi & Tamarijn All Inclusive, where his responsibilities extend beyond food, to people, standards, sustainability, and the overall guest experience.

With Divi’s excellent culinary team, he helped develop the latest Club Margot, which opened exactly one year ago, a new dining concept, serving a family-style curated, set menu, right on the beach, with spectacular sunset views. The food? A blend of Mediterranean flavors, interpreted with Caribbean flair. Club Margot also features a spectacular bar surrounding the live piano station, shaking craft cocktails to order, made with premium brands and exotic fruit. Club Margot is now the most successful of the Divi all Inclusive restaurants.

With his team Chef Uphoff helped inaugurate The Barista, a coffee bar at Tamarijn all Inclusive, presenting fresh Viennoiserie, including eclairs, croissants, pain au chocolat, Danish pastries and craft coffee.

I love the rush, the unspoken expectations, the vibe, and the excitement in restaurants, as diners prepare for memorable dining experiences, its what drives me to always upgrade and improve and raise the bar on our kitchen performance, the chef explains. With Divi’s high occupancies and repeat business we love to surprise our guests with new offerings all the time.

Cosmos, a rooftop bar & restaurant will be opening in December and the Italian Paparazzi restaurant is transforming into an authentic, artisanal pizzeria serving simple yet extraordinary pies, stretched, folded, and tossed by hand at an exhibition kitchen.

On his day off, Chef Uphoff goes to the beach with his two girls, 15 and 9, and watches them jumping in the waves, carefree and content.

His track record tells the story: Michelin-trained, internationally experienced, award-recognized—and firmly rooted in the belief that great hospitality starts with a dedicated culinary team and the drive for excellence.

After last week’s press release by Oranjestad Investment Group, OIG, stating that one year after presenting a revitalization plan, OIG urges the government to take urgent action for downtown Oranjestad, today, an open letter to the honorable Minister Gervais R. Herdé, Minister of Infrastructure, Energy and Telecommunications. Investor are voicing their dissatisfaction.

Dear Minister, a year ago you walked downtown with us. Today we ask you to walk with us once again.

Almost a year has passed since you and your team walked with us through Downtown Oranjestad.

It was an important moment. Together we walked the streets, we saw empty buildings, places that need attention, we talked about infrastructure, parking, boutique hotels, apartments, security and, more importantly, the enormous potential that Oranjestad has.

The atmosphere that day was very positive. Your team listened. Ideas were shared.

There was a sincere feeling that government and the private sector were finally moving in the same direction. This has given many investors confidence.

Since then, the private sector has not stopped. Property was purchased.

Architects and engineers prepared. Millions of dollars have been invested with a single goal the future of Oranjestad.

Unfortunately, today we face a situation where many projects are stuck. Many of the obstacles that prevent projects from moving forward fall under departments that belong to your ministry. Procedures take a long time, coordination between different agencies is difficult, and despite different attempts, it has become increasingly complicated to achieve a meeting with you to talk about the specific problems we face.

Minister, this letter is not written for criticism. We are writing about it because we believe that the opportunity that Oranjestad has is too great to just let it pass.

You have seen with your own eyes what Oranjestad can become. You shared that vision with us. Today we ask you once again.

The investor continues with their commitment. So do the property owners.

Important organizations in Aruba, such as ATA, AHATA, CUA and many others, have expressed their support for a vision where Oranjestad Center can be reborn with a balanced mix of apartments, boutique hotels, restaurants, shops, culture and public space.

The support is there. The investment is there. The vision too. What is missing now is action to make the vision a reality. Every month that passes, costs go up. Each delay creates more uncertainty. And each delay puts at risk investors who have chosen to put their trust in Oranjestad. None of us want to see this happen.

Therefore, with great respect, we ask you to meet with us once again. Not to start anew with discussion, but to identify how to work together on practical solutions.

We ask to continue the collaboration that began a year ago.

Downtown Oranjestad belongs to everyone. And its future is in the hands of all of us.

We are ready to continue working together.

Sincerely,

Oranjestad Investment Group (OIG)

The new book by Dufi Kock contains 136 stories, all historical anecdotes he compiled over the years, brought to print with the help of META CORP. And thank you for that, otherwise past events are forgotten.

The Seccion Historico di Aruba is a new 2026 historical compilation, and it is particularly interesting because it is a collection of anecdotes, rather than a book about one specific period.

Written in Papiamento, the book counts 310 pages, and the stories it tells are of various degrees of importance, all recounting a place or event, from a fresh and authentic point of view.

The book was officially presented to the Biblioteca Nacional Aruba on July 3, 2026, and it is available for sale at Plaza bookstore for Awg 75. I bought my copy at the Saturday mercado at Centro di Bario Noord. And Dufi wrote me a dedication.

The subtitle on the book “Dedica na nos hobennan – Nos futuro generacion,” means Dufi was motivated by a mission, contribuyendo na nos dushi idioma Papiamento, so double mission – a book as a teaching tool for the younger generation and as boost of the Papiamento bookshelf.

Dufi accompanied his stories by many historical photographs, for the purpose of preservation: documenting things that might otherwise disappear from collective memory.

The foreword was written by Mauritsz de Kort, Governor of Curaçao, and he praises the effort to safeguard cultural heritage for future generations.

Dufi Kock is not a newcomer to writing. He worked 35 years at the Lago refinery, later worked five years in the hotel sector, and since retiring in 1997 has devoted himself to researching Aruba’s history, particularly Lago, Aruba during World War II, and local historical events. He was promoted to Knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau in 2022 for his historical and cultural work.

One thing I find especially interesting is the second book, also new, released at the same time. Titled, Mision di Marineronan Noruega, a 27-page history of the Norwegian Seamen’s Mission in San Nicolas and its relationship to the thousands of Norwegian ships visiting Lago’s harbor. Who knew?!

It is noteworthy that Kock is not concentrating only on the “big” Aruba history — oil, tourism, politics, independence. He is documenting small pieces of everyday life that could easily disappear: the first telephone, old businesses, traditions, buildings, accidents, people, churches, sports facilities, transportation, and local customs. And because it is written in Papiamento, it also becomes a record preserved and transmitted to a wide island audience.

From the table of content:

Actividadnan Arkeologico na Seroe Colorado y Manzanilla, Air ambulance a baha riba pista di Palo Marga, Air Aruba – Aterisahe di emergencia, Anker na Gate 6, entrada di Lago Colony, Aruba antes yama Venezuela of Little Venice, Aruba antes y awo, Aruba den di Dos Guera Mundial, Aruba grandi den nos historia, Aruba tambe ta celebra Dia di Veterano, Avensa accidenta na aeropuerto Reina Beatrix, Avia Air cu a cay entre Aruba y Punto Fijo, Aviacion na Aruba, Avion Cessna ta cay na Bubali, Avion KLM y incidente, Avion cu a baha na Paardenbaai, Avion militar cu a cay na Simeon Antonio, Avion militar Spitfire yama Aruba, Avion Venezolano secuestra, Avionnan Concorde.

And that is just the first 40 pages of the letter A.

I read in Aruba.nu that GOA is borrowing 50 million florins from SVB, our social security bank, at 3%, payable in three years. This is the second time GOA borrows, in 2026. Earlier this year, the island raised 160 million in the U.S. capital markets, at 6.29% interest, payable over ten years.

One of my friends wondered where the money goes in a year of TOP collection as the island’s tourism brings in millions. The answer? That money would be used to pay matured loans, probably just the interest portion, the principal will be rolled over.

That trick of borrowing endlessly and rolling debt over was introduced by the IMF at the end of WWII to provide limited, short-term financing to countries facing post-war rebuilding. But in the 1970s, that trend ballooned, with petrodollars sitting in international banks, eager to go to work.  So-called low interest rates encouraged developing countries to borrow heavily, and despite some serious financial crushes, those who have are always eager to lend to those who have not, at a fee. During the pandemic, when the U.S. Federal Reserve kept interest rates at zero, those who had lent the fracking industry their cash, and made billions from extracting oil and natural gas from deep underground rock formations

I asked a few people in the know, what they think about the two loans, secured by GOA:

EXPERT #1: This time the SVB/AZV are in a unique position. They both have surpluses and needed to place this overflow of money, somewhere, short term. Five hundred million was a lot to place short term late last year, early this year, so 100 million for 3 years at 3% in my opinion is a great deal for GOA. SVB/AZV would not get a better deal from the banks, and by the way banks were able to bid for this as well, but none were interested. For SVB/AZV this was best they could get locally, for what I heard through the grapevine was total ONE HUNDREA AND FORTY million.  Borrowing abroad is much more expensive and logically it would be beneficial to do more locally at a lower cost. You should know that some borrowing must be done abroad, but more can be borrowed locally. Borrowing abroad only benefits Central Bank of Aruba.

EXPERT #2:  Aruba’s fiscal problem is not the debt on the books. It’s the debt that isn’t on the books. Both SVB and AZV are running surpluses. GOA is running at a surplus too. The 2025 revised budget targets a central government surplus of 1.7% of GDP but a collective sector surplus, with other entities, reaches 3.1%. Premiums are earmarked contributions, NOT GENERAL REVENUE. Where a structural surplus exists beyond a justified actuarial buffer, it belongs back with those who paid it, through LOWER premiums. The burden of proof sits with SVB: Publish the projection that justifies the reserve level. SVB’s own 2024 assessment puts reserve depletion at 2050 rather than 2040 if the retirement age rises, so make the case in the open, or return the money!

The Central Bank of Aruba posted a net result of 110.9 million florin in 2025, up from 70.4 million, the highest since its founding in 1986 against a ten-year average of 21.2 million.  The Bank is fully state-owned, so that windfall already flows to GOA. The question is not whether it is paid back, but what happens to it when it does. Part must stay as buffer — the earnings come from interest on reserves backing the peg of the florin to the dollar, and rate cycles reverse. The rest should be visibly ringfenced for capital formation, NOT absorbed into current spending. Because that is the actual failure. Investment declined 2.9% in 2025 while private consumption rose 9% and public consumption 9.8%.  CAft states plainly that more is needed than the announced investment fund to lift the low investment level.  A state that borrows and consumes can only ever repay its debts by borrowing again. The liquidity strain is real: The gross position fell from 512 million in January to 392 million in March, recovering only to 413 million in April, still nearly 100 million below the start of the year   — this in a year of record collections. We are spending more than we are making.

EXPERT#3: SVB has a temporary big surplus and savings. This will dry up because of the vergrijzing, the graying of Aruba’s population. More and more people are retiring and collection pensions over the next few years. I remember in the past SVB wanted to invest that money, BUT… GOA decided it needed the funds to balance its budget. So this case, where the money is handed over as a loan, would indeed be better. As long as GOA pay it back

EXPERT #4:  Overall, borrowing from SVB makes sense as GOA is responsible for any deficits at SVB and AZV. That is why CAft recommended using the liquidity at both, to lower borrowing costs and thereby reducing the national debt. When looking at it from the perspective of SVB, it cannot invest on a longer term as surpluses are expected to dwindle and become deficits, due to the aging population and the resulting increase in AOV payments if no changes are made to the retirement age. Their only other alternative would be deposits at the commercial banks where they probably get less. On the borrowing from the U.S., it is my understanding that GOA keeps a certain balance between foreign and local borrowing. If and once HOFA is agreed to and in place that would give us nice savings on the foreign borrowing bringing the percentage down to about 3.5% for the current loans with the Netherlands and future foreign borrowing.

Street Food & Beats in San Nicolas

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/street-food-beats-in-san-nicolas/

Aruba at a Tipping Point – by Tony van Veen: Short-Term Rental registration is coming. Let’s get it right.

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/short-term-rental-registration-is-coming-lets-get-it-right/

Jenna Silver an agent of change

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/jenna-silver-an-agent-of-change/

Surprising Update Regarding the Planned CUA Member Poll on HOFA

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/surprising-update-regarding-the-planned-cua-member-poll-on-hofa/

The bureaucracy stands in the way

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/the-bureaucracy-stands-in-the-way/