Four Seasons Resort Langkawi, Malaysia

Four Seasons Tenure

• Since 2023
• First Four Seasons Assignment: Four Seasons Resort Langkawi

Employment History

• GWS Deli & Catering, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; St Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, Abu Dhabi, UAE; Fullerton Hotel & Fullerton Bay Hotel, Singapore; Shangri-La, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Westin, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Sheraton Grand Sukhumvit, Bangkok, Thailand; Shangri-La Far Eastern Plaza, Taipei, Taiwan; Shangri-La, Jakarta, Indonesia; Shangri-La, Bangkok, Thailand; Renaissance New World Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Portman Shangri-La, Shanghai, China; Observation City Resort, Perth, Australia; Brown Palace Hotel Denver, Colorado, USA; Post Hotel, Bavaria, Germany; Alpspitz Hotel, Bavaria, Germany

Education

• Diploma in Culinary Science from Hotel & Management School, Garmisch - Partenkirchen, Germany

Birthplace

• Tettau, Germany

Languages Spoken

• German, English

Michael Gremer is Executive Chef at Four Seasons Resort Langkawi, in charge of all culinary operations and teams at the award-winning island resort.

A 25-year career with leading luxury hotels has taken Michael Gremer on a flavourful adventure around the world, from Bavaria, Colorado and Perth to Shanghai, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. Over the course of his illustrious journey, he has had the honour of cooking for iconic personalities such as President Nixon, President Obama and King Charles.

Yet, for this chef, each diner is a VIP in their own right. “No matter who they are, every guest should walk away from their meal feeling delighted. For me, that is the ultimate achievement,” he shares.

Prior to joining the Four Seasons family, Michael ran his own exclusive catering company in Kuala Lumpur, before which he held a series of leadership roles. As culinary director at a five-star resort in Abu Dhabi, he oversaw nine dining venues and a large banqueting operation, while as cluster executive chef of two leading Singapore properties, he helmed a team of nearly 200 employees.

With extensive experience in pre-openings and renovations, Chef Michael has honed his cooking and captaining skills at luxury hotels in Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Taiwan and Jakarta. His early cooking skills, meanwhile, were honed in the USA, Australia and Germany, after completing a degree in culinary science in Germany.

In his current role as Executive Chef, he oversees operations across all the food & beverage outlets at the Resort.

Menus feature an abundance of fresh hyper-local produce, reflecting Michael’s deep respect for the gifts of nature. During his childhood in the picturesque Franconia region of Germany, meals at the Gremer household were filled with forest berries, organic vegetables and free-range poultry, giving the aspiring chef his lifelong love of seasonal, homegrown ingredients.

Speaking of what being a chef means to him, Michael says, “Food is culture, connection and emotion. Our goal is to make those culinary moments and memories as special as possible for every guest.”

Indeed, under Michael’s leadership, dining experiences — especially celebrations — are personalized through customized menus, customized dishes and warm service. The team also caters to different dietary requirements with impressive creativity: “Instead of seeing it as a limitation, we view it as an opportunity to use our imagination and deliver ‘wow’ moments.”

Having led teams across diverse cultural settings, Michael is a strong advocate of open-mindedness and collaboration in the kitchen. As he explains, “Along with ingredients and technical mastery, cooking is also about authenticity and creativity — and that comes from the heart. I strive to create an environment in which my chefs can express their ideas, emotions and heritage through food.”

During his time off, Michael enjoys playing sports, exercising and hiking. Here in Langkawi, he can often be found working out by the waves and exploring the island’s natural wonders. He also loves to track down promising new chefs and restaurants, with a penchant for sampling their flavours before they become widely known.