By Chris Betros

Lifestyle Mar. 14, 2009 - 02:18PM JST ( 8 )

TOKYO —

Many companies require job applicants to do some sort of test before they are offered a job. Ever wondered what a hotel chef has to do to get the job? Nadine Waechter Moreno, currently chef de cuisine at the New York Grill & Bar at the Park Hyatt Tokyo in Shinjuku was certainly up to the task.

“I went to Hong Kong for the interview last year and had to prepare a five-course meal,” she says, sitting down in the 52nd-floor restaurant after the end of the lunch service. “I made a vichyssoise with truffles, ravioli with rabbit and parmesan sauce, some beef with braised potatoes and vegetable garnishes and a few other dishes. That was the first time I had to do that. I tried to cook my style of food but didn’t want to go crazy because I knew the Hyatt philosophy. That’s how I got the job.”

Born in Switzerland, Moreno, 30, says she always wanted to do something creative. “At first, I thought I might be a graphic designer but that involved computers too much. I started to get interested in cooking whenever I went to spend the holidays with my grandmother. I think my main inspiration came from her.”

Moreno spent three years from 1996-1998 doing her professional chef apprenticeship at the Hotel Schweizerhof in Lucerne. After spending another two years at Swiss hotels, she worked at the Ritz-Carlton in Naples, Florida, for two years. Then she went back to Switzerland and France for a few years, followed by three years at two resorts in Australia. She landed the Park Hyatt job last July.

“To be honest, I didn’t know much about the New York Grill & Bar, but I did know the Park Hyatt from the movie Lost in Translation,” she says. “I was definitely impressed when I walked in. I wouldn’t say there was much of a culture shock; maybe a little language shock.”

Describing her food philosophy, Moreno says, “I concentrate on using simple ingredients, flavors and presentation. I am very open-minded and want my chefs to use their own creativity and give me ideas. For me, learning Asian cooking—which is not my roots—is very exciting. I like to be creative, take a simple dish and do something special to it. For example, I introduced lobster quesadillas with avocado and tomato salsa to the menu here and it is doing very well.”

Other Moreno touches to the menu include Japanese beef tatar with crispy free range egg, mizuna and truffle coulis; lemongrass cured sakura masu (salmon) with sesame seed mayonnaise and vegetable salad; coconut prawns with verveine shellfish sauce, vanilla risotto and broad beans; foie gras with coffee jus, carrot hazelnut sauce and green pea puree. She tries to use local ingredients as much as possible. “Fortunately, I have a great team of motivated sous-chefs who have a lot of passion for what they are doing and they know all the best local ingredients and where to get them.”

The lunch and dinner course menus are changed once a month, while the a la carte menus are changed every three months. The challenge for Moreno has been learning what will and won’t work on the menu. “There are a lot of things I do differently here. For example, in Europe, chicken breasts are always used. I wanted to put that on the lunch menu but my sous-chefs told me that Japanese prefer chicken legs.”

Moreno’s favorite cooking utensil, which has been with her for many years, is a mini-spatula. “I still have my knives from my apprenticeship. They are nearly 12 years old, but don’t cut very well anymore.”

Like most chefs, Moreno is happiest in the kitchen but she is happy to interact with diners. “If guests are excited about food and want to talk, of course, I’ll come out. I’ve noticed that Japanese customers like to talk to chefs. When you see a full restaurant … that is very satisfying to a chef.”

Moreno usually starts her day around 10 a.m. (she and her Mexican husband live a 10-minute walk away from the hotel). “I check emails and the lunch menu and we start lunch at 11:30. Around 3, we have our meeting and discuss new recipes before the dinner service starts at 5:30 p.m. I’m usually her until about 11.”

On her days off, she likes to take it easy. “When you are standing up all day, you don’t want to run around playing sports. I haven’t had time to get out of Tokyo yet.” She says she doesn’t do a lot of cooking at home. “I cook for myself here everyday, so my husband and I prefer to eat out. It’s fun to just walk around exploring the neighborhood for those small Japanese restaurants that are often run by an elderly couple. I find the way everything is presented in Japanese restaurants so amazing. I have never seen anything like it.”

And would she be ever seen in a fast-food restaurant? “Well, my husband might have a McDonald’s. I just sit and watch him eat,” she says with a smile. “But don’t think that chefs just like fancy foods. There are times when I enjoy a sandwich or simple pasta. As long as it is done with love and with good flavor, I enjoy simple foods, even something as humble as fish and chips.”

New York Grill & Bar is located on the 52 Fl, Park Hyatt Tokyo, 3-7-1-2 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku. Tel: 03-5322-1234. Open daily 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m. www.tokyo.park.hyatt.com.