Chef Biography
Ottmar Weber was born in the middle of World War II in Dortmund, West Germany. After graduating from school, he started his apprenticeship as a confectioner by attending the
Professional School for Bakers and Confectioners in Dortmund. He then became a chef apprentice for two years under the watchful eye of Maître de cuisine, Cornelius van Sprang. He then apprenticed under the director of the Dortmund Hotel, Dr. Helmut Genzow.
In 1961, after passing his chef’s exam, he attended management school, then cooked at the Hotel Petersberg in Bonn and the 5-star Hotel Breidenbader Hof in Düsseldorf, before leaving Germany to take a position as sous chef at the famous Grand Hotel Bad Ragaz in Switzerland. After a couple of years in Ismir, Turkey and the Italian Hotel Riviera Del Fiori, Chef Ottmar moved to Grand Cayman as chef de cuisine at the Caribbean Club, then the Grand Old House Restaurant on the Petra Plantation.
In 1985, Chef Ottmar, along with his lovely Cuban wife Sandra and daughter Helki, opened his own restaurant, Ottmar’s at the Grand Pavillion Hotel. In 1997, the Great Chefs television team flew into Georgetown, Grand Cayman to tape Chef Ottmar Weber for two of their series, Great Chefs of the Caribbean and Great Chefs of the World, which was to be aired on the Discovery Channel.
In September of 2004, Hurricane Ivan destroyed Ottmar’s in the hotel, and two years later he opened Fisherman’s Reef Bar & Grill. Later he reopened Ottmar’s Restaurant & Lounge on West Bay Road, Seven Mile Beach. In 2011 he was given a special Lifetime Achievement Award by the Culinary Society of Grand Cayman by Great Chef Keith Griffin.
Recipes
Fish Fillet Caprice
Serving: 4 Print Fish Fillet Caprice By Great Chefs October 6, 2015 A simple sauce of mango and banana flavors fish which has been coated and sauteed until golden. The lovely cucumber garnish takes a bit of fiddling, but is unusual and attractive. Once you’ve mastered it you can use it to garnish many other […]
Caribbean Stuffed Lobster
Serving: 2 Print Caribbean Stuffed Lobster By Great Chefs September 19, 2015 There’s a reason fine chefs tournee vegetables: they cook evenly and quickly. This elegant dish uses the lobster tail shells to hold seafood stuffing, topped with lobster medallions cooked in garlic butter. The mango and avocado in the stuffing add Caribbean flavor. Ingredients […]
Chicken Trinidad with Orange-Rum Sauce
Serving: 4 Print Chicken Trinidad with Orange-Rum Sauce By Great Chefs September 16, 2015 A stuffing of nuts, grapes, and apples, a coconut crust, and orange-rum sauce give an island taste to chicken rolls. The stuffed chicken breasts are browned on top of the stove, then finished in the oven so that they cook completely […]