text by Sara Prewitt
images by Jan Dekker & James Carys

One of the most beautiful parts of the island plays host to a burgeoning organic scene that welcomes the world to the rediscovery of traditional East Bali cuisine. Head East of Eden to the land where time, quite literally, is standing still.

Penny Williams, the Executive Chef of Seasalt at the Alila Manggis positively exudes an aura of health and vitality, and with her winning smile launches into her recent exploits chopping garlic in the company of over forty Balinese village men - and not an argument amongst them. Penny, it would seem, is something of an enigmatic presence in the sleepy hills of the island, a newcomer accepted and welcomed into the fold of traditional East Bali.

Having worked with Gordon Ramsey at The Savoy she was far more accustomed to aggression and anger from large groups of males. To be here in Bali, shelling cloves of garlic with the village chefs, without any chauvinistic attitude from her peers is as fresh a breath of life to her as the dewy mountain breeze cascading down the hills to her rugged outdoor organic kitchen.

Being the only female chef in a brigade of one hundred at the Savoy Hotel in London's fashionable Mayfair she has experienced the knocks and jibes of gender inequality and tells me smiling, that she learned to give as good as she got. While adversity can be stimulating, and Penny admits that Gordon Ramsey's arrogant attitude towards female chefs inspired her to become successful, she much prefers the attitude in Bali where people can gather together to prepare food without fighting. Anger and aggression is not tolerated and leading from within the team is the only way to get results. It's a sort of Zen lesson in life.

Being a chef for Penny goes beyond being defined by gender, she confesses to being addicted to the chef's way of life. "It is not a job, it's a lifestyle, and I am hooked on it." One of her passions is her Cooking for Life School, this is a day for guests to wander through the gardens of Pak Sugita, the Alila gardener. Here they learn how to make Balinese herbal drinks and even master the complicated art of how to open a coconut.

Penny describes how the guests enjoy cooking the 'vegetation' lunch from the ingredients they have picked in the garden. Afterwards they chill out in the pavilions (bale, in Balinese) and at sunset enjoy a yoga class on the lawn.

To Penny it is not simply the creation of a delicious meal that is important. "As I learn more and more about traditional Balinese cookery and the cultural importance of food, I understand that to be content in one's self it is essential to fuel the body with the correct substances." This holistic approach reflects much of the thinking that is currently producing amazing menus in top restaurants across the globe. "Through my efforts to create a menu that is truly honest to the produce used, I intend on serving simple, unadulterated dishes that will celebrate the ingredients' curative value and offer a healthy and internally satisfying experience."

Asked if she gets 'down South' often, she admits to being hesitant to leave the haven of East Bali. "Sometimes with friends I will go out to dinner in Seminyak but for the most part, if you live in a real paradise, why leave?