On its fifth anniversary, Infini’s culinary team led by award-winning chef Urvin Croes decided to pick their top eight crowd-pleasers and serve them as a tribute to the restaurant’s anniversary, defining fine dining in Aruba.

The menu is enhanced with an expertly selected wine pairing.

Chef Croes just came back from Barbados from the Taste of the Caribbean culinary competition where he served as the Aruba team mentor. The chef reports his team of four culinary professionals and a bartender, represented Aruba well after being absent from the competition for 20 years. He is hoping to repeat that performance in next year’s Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, CHTA, meeting, eyeing for gold. This time the Aruba team came away with three medals, overall bronze for the team, and two silver individual medals.

Chef Croes recalls that 20 years ago, he won the student culinary competition at the local hospitality school he was attending and as a last-minute save, he was drafted to join the culinary team to represent Aruba at that same competition, in Miami.

He was a budding professional then, he is Aruba’s celebrity chef today.

A lot has happened since that first Taste of Caribbean competition, including years of working at renowned European kitchens under Michelin-starred chefs, plus extensive travel.

Upon his return to his home island, Chef Croes gave us White, an unforgettable restaurant he ran with his wife Maryann. Over the years his entrepreneurial instincts kicked in, and he now runs four restaurants under his Deja Vue company name.

Chef Croes has his fingers in many pots, at Infini, a studio with an exhibition kitchen, and at Poke Ono, serving Poke, Sushi and Baos, at the Renaissance Marketplace and at Blue Condominium. His latest involvement, Caya House, serving a Latin-Caribbean fusion, which has become a major draw on Palm Beach. Along with a number of business partners he also operates a vacation rental management company by the name of CasaGo Aruba with over 180 contracted properties.

The chef is a busy man yet guided by his passion creativity and a deep appreciation of local tradition, he stands in the Infini kitchen himself, bent over the stove, transforming dining into a celebration of flavors, culture, and innovation.

Menu #14 at Infini, is true to the restaurant’s name – standing for endless possibilities. It masterfully combines Aruban ingredients, with modern techniques turning every dish into a visual feast, and a story. Under the imaginative leadership of Chef Urvin Croes, Infini restaurant has introduced nearly 156 original recipes, welcomed over 40.000 guests, and continuously pushed the boundaries of fine dining here.

The restaurant’s current kitchen brigade includes Brian, Ivan J. Nicole, Jaime and restaurant manager Mark. Infini has over the years ‘graduated’ dozens of aspiring chefs, who are now working at fine dining establishments in Aruba and Europe. Chef’s influence on the level of job preparedness and culinary ability cannot be unacknowledged, as he runs one of the best cooking schools in the region, right at his kitchen.

The team puts down their precision tongs, and visits diners with each course to elaborate on the preparation and the ingredients. The sommelier does the same with every pairing. He is very knowledgeable and interacts easily with guests.

The Anniversary Menu #14

LIMPIA MAN

Cayena Cleansing Oil – Every guest gets a few drops of a golden elixir into the palm of his/her hand for a refreshing cleanse. A warm towel finishes the job.

You are now officially ready to start your culinary journey back in time, savoring recreated favorite dishes from thirteen earlier menus. The Cayena oil is custom made for Infini, and you may buy a bottle to go!

CELERY

The common denominator of three delicious Amuses is celery, the undervalued and underestimated root, inspiring three tiny bites.

Celery root appears in the form of the local croquet and a bitter ball, enhanced with Apple, Hazelnut, Yuzu, and Purple Wine Mustard, then the third bite, on a spoon, a tiny edible Cappuccino cup, topped with Beari Caviar.

The Amuses are paired with Broadbent Vinho Verde, Barcelos, from Portugal, a light and refreshing start to a terrific meal.

THE GARDEN

The salad dish is a fondly remembered appetizer from an earlier menu: A kadaifi egg nest, with a perfectly cooked bright yellow yoke and a garland of flowers, herbs and vegetables, dotted with incredibly tasty sauces. It’s almost a sin to put a fork into this creation, with Broccoli, Champagne, Buttermilk, Huatacay – an aromatic herb, Kidney Beans, and Rhubarb — we were supposed to break the yolk and swirl our spoons around. Delicious.

Champagne Ayala, Brut Majeur, Champagne, France, complemented this perfection.

CORAL

This delicate dish is a favorite among favorites, an elegant seafood presentation, just three bites of Langostinos and Strawberries, Beets, Cucumber, in a light orange sauce, this time with Lovage, another aromatic herb, .

Chateau Musar White, Bekka Valley, Lebanon, was selected by the sommelier for the pairing, an interesting choice since it came from Lebanon, where Bekka Valley is known for its wine industry and outstanding antique Roman temples.

JAMBO

A very locally inspired preparation, a la Jambo soup, made with Okra, Sea Bass, Scallops, Shrimp and Mussels, Cilantro and Nonna’s Pica Jelly.

The tasty soup was paired with Château de Fesles La Chapelle Chenin Blanc, from the Loire Valley, France.

LIMPIA PALADAR

A yummy white chocolate Mojito Bonbon followed as a palate cleanser. It was served on our knuckles, yes, like the salt escorting a tequila.

CON VIT

A three-way preparation of Duck followed, folded into a charcoal bao, rolled into a spring roll, and sliced, sprinkles with Peanuts, Papaya, Mango, Ginger and Hoisin, with some Char Sui and Parsnip puree.

This elaborate presentation of Duck three ways was paired with Marc Brédif, Chinon, Loire, France, a classic Cabernet Franc.

BARBACOA

This was a slow cooked rack of lamb, wrapped in agave leaves and baked, crusted in salt, to keep the juiciness of the meat. The generous Lamb Chop was served with Pineapple, King Oyster, Sweet Potato, Black Beans, flavored with Raz El Hanout spice mix and Guava.

El Enemigo Cabernet Franc, from Mendoza, Argentina, paired greatly with the earthy, aromatic meat.

Two desserts followed, both incredibly delicious, a cheese dish, chased by sweets.

PINK PANTHER

This Pink Peppercorn, White Chocolate swirl escorted truffled Pecorino cheese, Pear, Muscato and Verjus, juice from tart green grapes.

MANGO Y COCO

This refreshing composition delivered a slice of Mango, in a Champagne, Coconut, Lime, Cheesecake sauce.

Both desserts complemented the sweet and slightly bubbly Luca Bosio, Moscato d ‘Asti, Piemonte, Italy.

And that was not the end. We were served COS NAN DUSHI, Macaroon di Pruim, a miniature French almond and meringue cookie with prune filling, and a CUPCAKE to go.

It was a Pornstar Martini Cupcake, a passionfruit, vanilla vodka cocktail, in dessert form.

The menu was put together with local products from local producers and growers, Farm A Cure Fungi, Petite Greens, Ceramics by Rani, Happyponics Aruba, T2Pan, Lovemade, William Jansen, Mr. Webo and Nonna’s Gourmet.

This is a column written by economist Rendell de Kort, who asked his best friend Claude to make it sound like me, to convert the original Rendell version into a Bati Bleki version.

I have to say it sound authentic.

When Your Greatest Strength Becomes Your Biggest Weakness

So I’ve been chatting with Rendell de Kort, you know, the economist who works with the World Bank and runs Cornerstone Economics together with his wife. He’s writing a book. And not just any book—one that’s making me think about everything differently, including my own habits…

Rendell and I got talking about his upcoming book, The Conch Paradox: Rethinking Resilience. The title alone got my attention. I mean, we all know the queen conch, right? That beautiful shell with the pink interior. It’s everywhere—on our souvenirs, our postcards, it used to feature on our 10-florin bill, practically synonymous with the Caribbean.

But here’s the thing that stopped me cold: the queen conch is going extinct. Despite having one of nature’s most sophisticated protective shells. Because of it, actually.

 The Shell That Protects Also Traps

Rendell explained it to me: that magnificent three-layered shell protected the conch against sharks for millions of years. Perfect defense. But when the threats changed—warming oceans, industrial fishing—that same shell became useless. Worse than useless. When threatened, the conch seals itself inside its shell. Great against a shark. Fatal against a fisherman who just carries the whole thing to shore and punches a hole through it later.

The very thing that made it resilient to old threats left it completely vulnerable to new ones.

I sat there thinking, wait… that sounds familiar.

 My David and Goliath Moment

That’s when it hit me—Malcolm Gladwell’s David and Goliath story! You remember that book? Goliath in his fantastic armor, completely protected, but so weighed down he could barely move. David, light on his feet, refused to fight on Goliath’s terms. The armor that was supposed to be Goliath’s greatest strength became his fatal weakness.

I mentioned this to Rendell and his face lit up. Turns out, Gladwell’s writing style is exactly what he’s trying to emulate with this book. (I love it when these connections happen…)

 Why This Matters for Aruba

Here’s where it gets really interesting for us. Rendell shared his own story—his unborn son was diagnosed with a life-threatening condition two years ago. They flew to Rotterdam for experimental surgery. The sophisticated Dutch medical system saved the baby’s life. Feeding tubes, oxygen monitors, complex care protocols—brilliant.

But then they faced a problem: those same interventions created dependencies they couldn’t maintain back home in Aruba. The very expertise that enabled his son’s survival made coming home feel impossible. They’d built a perfect protective shell around the baby, and that shell was becoming a cage.

Sound familiar?

Think about tourism. For decades, it’s been our prosperity, our protection against economic shocks. We built infrastructure, expertise, entire systems optimized for tourism. Then COVID-19 shut down international travel, and suddenly we were completely exposed. The economic strategy that built our wealth had simultaneously created our fragility.

Or remember when American tourists started coming and we immediately introduced all the American fast-food chains? I mentioned this to Rendell and he said yes, exactly—convenient, profitable, familiar to tourists. But that same adaptation slowly eroded our own food culture, our agricultural capacity. What happens if tourism stops, and we can’t even feed ourselves?

We’re the conch, perfecting our shell while the ocean changes around us.

The Uncomfortable Truth About Fast Decision-Making

I confessed to Rendell that I’m a fast decision-maker. It’s one of my strengths—I don’t dither, I don’t overthink, I move quickly. It’s served me well in my career, in crisis situations, when quick action is needed.

But (and this is what Rendell’s book made me realize), that same trait gets me in trouble sometimes. When the situation requires patience, when I need to sit with uncertainty, when careful deliberation would serve better than quick action… my greatest strength becomes my weakness.

The shell protects and constrains, as he put it.

 What’s Your Shell?

Rendell’s book weaves together his family’s medical crisis, his research on Small Island Developing States (that’s us), and the natural history of the queen conch. It’s about recognizing when our protective adaptations are hardening into constraints.

His son is thriving now, by the way. But getting him home required gradually stepping back from those sophisticated medical interventions, accepting uncertainty, trusting the baby’s body to adapt. They needed both the specialized protection and the wisdom to know when to let go of it.

That’s the paradox, isn’t it? We need our shells to survive. But we also need to recognize when they’re becoming cages.

True resilience, Rendell argues, isn’t about building stronger defenses. It’s about holding our protections more lightly than feels comfortable. Building options alongside optimization. Asking “what comes next?” instead of just “how do we preserve what we have?”

The future won’t look like the past, no matter how perfectly we adapt to present conditions.

So here’s my question for you: What’s your conch shell? What strength have you optimized so completely that it might trap you when everything changes?

Think about it. I certainly am.

Rendell de Kort is a development economist, World Bank consultant, and PhD candidate at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam studying economic resilience in Small Island Developing States. His book “The Conch Paradox: Rethinking Resilience” is expected in Q1 2026. You can read preview chapters and subscribe for launch updates at www.theconchparadox.com

Miguel Mansur at the Academia di Bon Gobernacion.

Miguel Mansur at the Academia di Bon Gobernacion.

Bar25 now open at the Racquet Club

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/bar25-now-open-at-the-racquet-club/

Salary Cap Forgiveness

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/salary-cap-forgiveness/

From the ATA report on October SHORT-TERM VACATION RENTALS (STVR)

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/from-the-ata-report-on-october-short-term-vacation-rentals-stvr/

About Blackface & Expensive CEOs

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/about-blackface-expensive-ceos/

Buyers Beware

https://batibleki.wheninaruba.com/buyers-beware/

A recent ruling by the Court of First Instance of Aruba has had a major impact on the real estate sector. The court held a realty office, liable for providing a buyer with incorrect information about a property’s zoning restrictions.

When the buyer went to the bank, he found out his home performance calculations were wrong. The property was located in a residential area outside the permitted pink zone, and as such, short term rentals were disallowed, and the property could not be exploited as such.

He went back to the agent to demand his money back and when he was refused, went to the seller, to try and get his 10% downpayment back, that’s Awg 134.924.

The seller turned him down too, it was not his problem, he was legally allowed to pocket the downpayment.

If I were the agent, I would have paid it, and buried the story, but that one did not budge, so the dispute went to court.

The ruling, issued on August 27, 2025, awarded damages to the buyer, and raised new questions about professional standards and ethical responsibility within the Aruban real estate industry.

My sources tell me that several similar cases are also on the docket for the next few weeks. Case where buyers purchased real estate with dollar signs in their eyes, just to find out their neighborhood is strictly residential.

With the verdict, the court established that agents must exercise the care and caution, not overpromise nor underdeliver.

The ROPV, Aruba’s zoning map is in the public domain, yet we suspect properties are still regularly offered for sale with claims about their STVR potential, in areas excluded in our Spatial Development Ordinance.

We wonder what’s going to happen now when buyers find out that the property they bought and are renting is located in an area outside the STVR designated ones.

You may Google Aruba’s ROPV and see for yourself, following the color-coded legend to understand what’s what.

Lack of oversight and enforcement is also responsible for the real estate market sometimes making promises it cannot keep.

The agency involved to this day, did not send out a statement.

Buyers beware.

One of my friends in real estate also raises the alarm, when it comes to appraisal reports. In theory it should be prepared by a licensed professional who determines the fair market price – unbiased, well-researched and supported, after inspecting the property, researching comparable sales in the area, evaluating market conditions and preparing a report with his evaluation, which would eventually go to the bank and determine mortgage conditions and financing.

My source writes:

Just ask three different appraisers to value the same property on the same day, I can promise you that you will get 3 completely different numbers. And not just slightly different, sometimes one valuation is far higher or far lower than the others. There is no control or rule.

Some appraisers even charge a fee based on the value they put on paper. And when that fee increases with the price they set, tell me, what do you think happens to that “market value”?

If an owner doesn’t like the first appraisal, he/she just goes to another, until they get a report with the price they wanted. That’s how prices get inflated, and I also think why no one really knows what the real price tag is. The appraisal reports never fail to surprise. It becomes a guessing game, not because of vacation rentals, but because the system has no watertight rules nor standard, and zero overall control. The blame for our housing challenges, is shared with the appraisers who inflate prices, as they see fit. Some legislation is needed in that area to protect fairness, and transparency.