A little bit of Bali — and a whole lot of flavor — arrived on Amagansett’s main drag last month. For the first time, the bepoke boutique hotel has installed an on-premise chef.
Owner Sylvia Wong had been on the hunt for the right person to helm and curate the right menu direction for guests of The Roundtree (273 Main St., Amagansett, 631-518-2515), and she finally found it in chef Dewa Wijaya, who’s fresh-forward direction fits nicely into the hotel’s East End ethos.
“Chef Wijaya’s arrival heralds a new chapter for The Roundtree,” said Wong in a press release. “His philosophy aligns perfectly with our vision of understated luxury and personalized wellness. We’re excited to offer our guests something truly original—a nourishing, immersive culinary experience that reflects the spirit of this place.”
Born and raised in Bali, Wijaya trained in the French culinary tradition but has long been guided and inspired by what the soil and waters give.
Which, at his new culinary helm, is inspired indeed. The Roundtree’s ag-centric neighbors are Amber Waves Farm and the Balsam Farms Amagansett farm stand.
“The Roundtree is an incredibly special place—peaceful, intentional, and deeply personal,” says Wijaya. “I was drawn to the idea of creating transformative culinary experiences somewhere without the structure of a traditional restaurant. It allows for a deeper connection to our guests and Long Island’s rich and diverse bounty of produce and ingredients..”
The menu for guests will be season-driven with a healthy focus on nutrition-dense options with twists from Wijaya’s expertise in Balinese and Japanese cuisines and flavors, like a jicama maki roll with fresh local tuna, local sweet corn soup, chicken satay with fragrant lemongrass, as well as morning options like smoothies, avocado toast topped with lettuces, paper-thin radish slices and tomato, and Wijaya’s outstanding housemade kombucha, a far more delicate and nuanced take on the popular fermented drink, in which he uses butterfly pea to infuse a deep lavender hue.
The Roundtree, part of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World, opened in 2020, offers a year-round, low-key kind of chic for guests of the 2-acre property. Before Wijaya, they worked with nearby local restaurants, like Il Buco al Mare and Rosie’s, to provide on-premise eating options for their guests. While Wijaya’s magic in the kitchen isn’t open to the general public, they do host parties and gatherings on their ample grounds with Wijaya crafting specially catered menus to fit myriad occasions.
Prior to his recent arrival in Amagansett, Wijaya served as executive chef of Kudos House at Como Shambhala Estate in Ubud, Bali, as well as the Como property on Parrot Cay, an award-winning resort in Turks and Caicos, where he imbued menus with both his heritage and forward-thinking, flavorful nutrition-minded dining, grounded in Balinese healing traditions.
