Montara Hospitality Group Retain Star Power at MICHELIN Thailand Revelation Sustainability-focused PRU and JAMPA hold on to existing accolades at 2024 star unveiling

PHUKET – Montara Hospitality Group’s constellation of culinary stars is shining as brightly as ever following the MICHELIN Guide Thailand Revelation held in Bangkok today.

At the grand unveiling, which took place this year at the Capella Bangkok, PRU, the signature community-to-fork dining venue at Trisara, the exclusive Phuket resort which is owned by Montara Hospitality, retained its MICHELIN red star. The restaurant, steered by Dutch chef Jimmy Ophorst, also held on to its MICHELIN Green Star, awarded for its strong commitment to sustainability.

PRU, which just premiered its new purpose-built venue, is the only MICHELIN red star restaurant in Phuket, a status it has held for six consecutive years.

There was good news too for JAMPA, which follows a philosophy of “locally-grown ingredients, live fire, and zero waste cuisine” at Tri Vananda, a US$182 million wellness community taking shape in the verdant forests of northern Phuket. The venue overseen by Rick Dingen retained its MICHELIN Green Star.

“It’s an absolute honour for PRU to achieve such recognition from MICHELIN,” said Ophorst. “It’s a tribute to everything that we have achieved as a team and also to our culinary philosophy. What we do at PRU is to create a unique dining experience by drawing inspiration from around Thailand. By discovering local ingredients and herbs that are not overly familiar, we can fuel our creativity.”

“The standards required to earn a MICHELIN green star are extremely stringent so it’s a massive achievement for us to retain the accolade,” said Dingen. “JAMPA innovates by using only live fire to transform local ingredients into amazing culinary creations with an emphasis on healthy and balanced food that is good for one’s body and soul.”

The accolades bestowed on the two venues are indicative of the standards PRU and JAMPA are setting for sustainable fine dining in Phuket.

PRU has blazed a trail for sustainable fine dining in Thailand. And its latest “Inside-Out” experience, housed in a new purpose-built restaurant, dissolves the traditional wall between the kitchen and the dining room.

With a theatre kitchen encouraging connections with guests, diners can see how each morsel is prepared, thereby providing complete transparency to the culinary process.

“We’ve come a long way to be where we are now,” added Ophorst. “But we want to look forward to attracting customers from around the world to Phuket with the objective of dining at PRU. Every chef wants to improve and push to the highest level possible and I’m no different. The creative scope that the new venue affords us means that the sky’s the limit.”

JAMPA, meanwhile, is a beacon for zero-waste, farm-to-table, live-fire cooking, manifesting what is sustainable culinary artistry.

“I aim to showcase locally sourced, seasonal ingredients in the best way possible,” says Dingen, whose hyper-local, plant-focused, cuisine is marking him out as a rising star in Thailand.

Jimmy Ophorst oversees proceedings at PRU, Thailand’s only single MICHELIN-starred restaurant outside Bangkok.

Montara’s Dutch Chef Duo Shoot Phuket into Eco-Dining Elite
MICHELIN-starred PRU and Jampa elevate sustainable cuisine on Thai island

PHUKET – Dutch chefs Jimmy Ophorst and Rick Dingen are setting new standards for sustainable fine dining on Phuket via MICHELIN-starred culinary skills.

The two combine flair and finesse when it comes to taking eco-conscious dining to the next level on the Thai paradise island.

At Jampa, chef Rick Dingen uses live fire cooking to elevate his farm to fork cuisine.

Ophorst runs the show at PRU, the signature dining venue at Trisara, one of Phuket’s most exclusive resorts. Dingen, meanwhile, oversees the kitchen at Jampa, which follows a philosophy of “local ingredients, live fire, and zero waste cuisine” at Tri Vananda, a US$182 million wellness community taking shape in the verdant forests of northern Phuket.

The pair share nationality and a desire to promote a seasonal, sustainable food ecosystem. Both were recognized at the MICHELIN Guide Thailand Star Revelation 2023 at the end of last year, with PRU retaining its 1 MICHELIN Star and MICHELIN Green Star; and Jampa earning a MICHELIN Green Star for its zero-waste, plant-based food.

“Sustainability is the heart of our business,” says Ophorst who, at PRU, steers the only venue in Phuket with a MICHELIN star. “It’s integral to our restaurants and our lives.”

Both Trisara and Tri Vananda are owned by Montara Hospitality Group, a firm that has earned a reputation for prioritising sustainability at Trisara and through its 16,000 sqm Pru Jampa organic farm, located within the Tri Vananda boundaries.

And the two chefs are united by a shared eco-friendly philosophy that promotes a balanced food ecosystem without compromising creativity.

At PRU, Thai ingredients are shaped into bewitching gourmet creations that draw inspiration from both the east and west. The venue’s name — an acronym for Plant. Raise. Understand. — provides a solid clue as to its overriding philosophy. Ingredients are 100% sourced from within Thailand, with much of the organic produce grown at the Pru Jampa farm.

PRU retained its 1 star at the MICHELIN Guide Thailand Star Revelation and remains the only restaurant outside Bangkok in Thailand to attain the prestigious status. PRU was also the first restaurant in Thailand to receive the MICHELIN Green Star.

“There’s a huge interest among the public in dining experiences that support local communities and showcase amazing Thai produce,” he said. “I look forward to furthering our commitment to sustainable cooking and sourcing and delighting guests through innovation.”

Over at Tri Vananda, Jampa innovates by using live fire to transform local ingredients — many of which, just like at PRU, are sourced from the Pru Jampa organic farm — into healthy and balanced, yet resolutely elevated, culinary creations.

“I aim to showcase locally sourced, seasonal ingredients in the best way possible,” says Dingen, whose hyper-local, plant-focused, zero-waste cuisine is marking him out as a rising star in Thailand.

Dingen is known for his commitment to zero waste and he aims to make Jampa the first venue in Phuket to achieve a zero-waste-to-landfill ratio.

“We want to exert the absolute minimal impact upon the earth and our aim is to break down our kitchen waste to ensure nothing goes to landfill,” he said.

The success of the two restaurants is in line with the aims of Montara Hospitality’s “Dine Good, Do Good” concept, which it has rolled out across all its F&B outlets.