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Anantara Veli Resort welcomes Bobby Chinn for a San Pellegrino Fine Dining Lovers event to the Maldives

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Chef Bobby ChinnMaldives.net.mv – Anantara Veli Resort welcomes celebrity TV Chef Bobby Chinn for a special guest appearance at 73 Degrees restaurant for one night only, 11 May 2016. In association with Fine Dining Lovers, the event is a continuation of an exclusive series at Anantara resorts across the Maldives, featuring culinary collaborations with San Pellegrino’s Fine Dining Lovers and award-winning chefs from the 50 Best restaurant series and beyond.

Bobby Chinn from House of Ho restaurant in London will appear for one night at Anantara Veli as a Guest Chef, followed by two events combining fishing trips and dining around the table with Bobby. Likeminded food lovers will gather in the serene ambiance of the luxury adults-only resort for an evening of exotic flavours and shared conversation on May 11. The following two days, guests can join Bobby on fishing trips and celebrate the catch with Anantara’s signature Dine By Design experience on the beach front, hosted by Bobby at the table.

Internationally renowned television presenter, chef, restaurateur and cookbook author Bobby Chinn has lived in Vietnam since 1996. Half Egyptian and half Chinese, he established his restaurant Bobby Chinn in Hanoi and his profile quickly rose on the culinary scene. Over his career, he has cooked for a number of personalities, including Bill Clinton in 2011 and Bob Dylan on his Asian Tour. In 2013, Bobby moved to London to open his new restaurant, the House of Ho. In his book on Vietnamese Food, Chef Anthony Bourdain described him as “an international man of mystery” and “what Bobby doesn’t know about Southeast Asian food isn’t worth knowing”.

At Anantara Veli Resort, where part of the focus is on achieving a healthy balanced lifestyle, Chef Bobby will indulge guests with the wonders of his dishes that bring a mix of global ingredients and sustainable choices to a fine dining level. “The team at Anantara Veli is tremendously excited to welcome Bobby Chin to the resort and we are particularly excited that he will be working with our resident Ayurveda doctor from our Sundari Ayurvdic Spa. Together they will create a brand new addition to the Anantara Spice Spoons Cooking Class series, focusing purely on Ayurveda cuisine. This collaboration takes healthy eating to a whole different level and fits our luxury offering, with some items being incorporated to our daily culinary choices.” says Anantara Veli General Manager Coetzer Deysel.

Anantara Veli

Among the signature dishes showcasing just why Bobby Chinn is a master of combining flavours into new dishes, the six-course menu served on May 11 will include Oyster brûlée, sake sabayon, Foie Gras wrapped Fig Port Jus, Sake steamed lobster risotto, Seared Scallops braised with edamame truffle pea jus and a Rack of Lamb with Asian Ratatouille. Additionally, a menu of the finest spirits and wines will be selected by Anantara’s Wine Guru and Executive Chef Walter Butti to complement the exclusive Fine Dining Lovers event.

As part of our ongoing partnership with Anantara, collaborating with the skilled and entertaining chef Bobby Chinn on healthy cuisine, fine dining and bringing him to the luxury resort surroundings of Anantara is a perfect match for S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna. It will be a unique Fine Dining Lovers event in the Maldives that really highlights how healthy cuisine can be indulgent too”, says Filippo Cassabgi, Area Manager for San Pellegrino.

Available to guests at Anantara Veli Resort, Anantara Dhigu Resort and Nalahdu Maldives, as well as those staying at other resorts near South Male Atoll, this month’s one-of-a-kind offering priced at USD 165++ per person for the dinner on May 11, including wine pairing, can be booked by calling Anantara Reservations directly at +960 66 44 1111.

Drink

Dare to taste with W Maldives at Island Alchemy Ft. Beckaly Franks

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This July, W Maldives—The Original Wavemaker—dials up the flavor and the flair as award-winning mixologist, Beckaly Franks touches down in the Maldives for a one-of-a-kind takeover. As part of the resort’s Island Alchemy series—a bold celebration of global mixology talent— Franks brings her trailblazing energy, genre-defying cocktails, and unapologetically original spirit to heart of the Indian Ocean for an experience that’s equal parts spectacle and substance.

Known for turning heads and rewriting the rules, Beckaly Franks is no stranger to shaking things up. From co-founding the iconic The Pontiac in Hong Kong—featured on Asia’s 50 Best Bars list for seven straight years—to launching the Hungry Ghost group and buzzy venues like Call Me AL and ARTIFACT, Franks has long been a driving force behind Asia’s cocktail renaissance. In 2023, she became the second woman to win the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award, a recognition for her fearless creativity, inclusive ethos, and magnetic presence behind the bar.

“At the heart of every great cocktail is a story—and this one’s set on a postcard-perfect island,” said Franks. “W Maldives has this incredible energy that mirrors what I love about mixology: it’s immersive, unexpected, and made for people who want to feel something. I can’t wait to have my world collide with the destination.”

At W Maldives, she is bringing it all. The collaboration kicks off with two exclusive guest shifts at SIP on 24 and 25 July, where Franks will serve up a mix of her iconic signature and bespoke creations crafted just for the island. Think sun-drenched flavors, unexpected textures and bold spirits made to match the lagoon views. On 27 July, the experience moves to the resort’s noon-to-moon social hub, WET Deck, for an elevated daytime poolside revelry—an atmospheric day of sensory storytelling, boundary-pushing cocktails, and barefoot glamor under the vibrant Maldivian sky.

“This is more than a bar takeover—it’s a meeting of minds, a celebration of mastery, and a moment to connect with the spirit of W Maldives,” said Amila Handunwala, General Manager of W Maldives. “We are proud to welcome Beckaly as part of our Island Alchemy series and continue offering our guests experiences that are anything but ordinary.”

Part island escape, part liquid installation, this collaboration is more than a moment—it is a statement. Island Alchemy is W Maldives signature mixology program designed to spotlight innovators, connectors, and tastemakers who bring something original to the table. With Beckaly Franks at the helm, this edition serves as both a toast to women redefining the global bar scene and a bold glimpse into the future of mixology—where craft and character collide in all the right ways.

Guests looking to stir things up in paradise can book the Stay, Dine, and Fly package, which includes daily breakfast spread and three-course dinner as well as return seaplane transfer from Male, and get exclusive benefits. Book your stay now and raise the bar on your next escape via this link or contact reservations.wmaldives@whotels.com.

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Cooking

Jumeirah Olhahali Island welcomes Shimmers’ Chef Emanuele for exclusive culinary residency this July

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Jumeirah Olhahali Island has announced a culinary residency in collaboration with Chef Emanuele De Leo, Head Chef of the award-winning Shimmers at Jumeirah Mina Al Salam in Dubai. Taking place from 7 to 10 July 2025, this exclusive experience will bring the vibrant flavours of the Mediterranean to the Maldives through a specially curated tasting-style menu.

Following a stint as Sous Chef at L’Olivo at Al Mahara, the two Michelin-starred restaurant at Jumeirah Burj Al Arab, Chef Emanuele took up his position as Head Chef at Shimmers in 2023. There, he leads the kitchen, where his menu pays homage to his Sicilian heritage, while embracing bold, contemporary interpretations of classic Mediterranean cuisine. Under his direction, Shimmers has earned recognition from Gault&Millau UAE in 2025, a testament of the restaurant’s elevated dining experience and Chef Emanuele’s distinctive culinary vision. With a strong focus on seasonality, he draws inspiration from the freshest market produce, transforming each ingredient into flavour-driven, elegantly presented creations.

For his residency at Jumeirah Olhahali Island, Chef Emanuele has crafted a bespoke menu that fuses Greek influences with his Sicilian roots, showcasing refined coastal flavours and thoughtfully sourced seasonal ingredients. In true Shimmers fashion, the evening will be presented as a series of small, shareable plates, designed to bring guests together around the table. Highlights include a fresh cauliflower salad, zingy tuna tartare, and grilled octopus with Santorini fava. These are followed by indulgent mains such as slow-braised beef cheek paired with celery purée and red wine jus, alongside orzo with red prawns, lemon, and caviar. The experience concludes, with a duo of desserts: Greek yoghurt ice cream and orange crème brûlée, offering a refreshing and indulgent finale.

The exclusive dinner experience with Chef Emanuele is priced at USD 195 plus taxes per person. For more information or to reserve, visit the Jumeirah Olhahali Island website here.

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Drink

Cellar of quiet distinction: Vakkaru Reserve wins fifth Wine Spectator Award

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At Vakkaru Maldives, wine isn’t merely served — it is curated, conversed with, and quietly revered. This has led to the resort’s European wine cellar, Vakkaru Reserve, being awarded Wine Spectator’s Best of Award of Excellence for the fifth year — the only resort in the Maldives to have done so.

Vakkaru Reserve, an intimate, striking space at the heart of the island, houses 620 labels selected with care by Head Sommelier Retheesh Kakkareth Mohanan and Assistant Sommelier Vasantha Kumar Nadarajah. Some stars in the collection favour narrative as much as provenance: a Château Cheval Blanc Premier Grand Cru Classé A trio from 1983, 1985 and 1990; Château Mouton Rothschild Pauillac 2009; Krug Clos du Mesnil Blanc de Blanc Brut 2002 and Château Pavie 1982, each one a vignette of a time and place, waiting to be uncorked.

“Our intention with Vakkaru Reserve has never been to impress with excess,” says Teddy Susanto Wiryawan, General Manager of Vakkaru Maldives. “Instead, it’s about assembling a collection that invites reflection, wines that linger in the mind as much as on the palate. This fifth award is not a milestone, but a reminder to keep listening to winemakers, regions, and the guests who come here seeking something they can’t find elsewhere.”

In a setting where time is allowed to stretch and the pace remains unhurried, the wine experience is naturally immersive. Vakkaru’s cellar hosts guided tastings, bespoke pairings, and a distinctive offering — a Wine & Chocolate Pairing Experience, where artisanal chocolates crafted in-house are paired with wine labels in unexpected harmony. Think Yuzu and Matcha Bonbon with Sauvignon Blanc, or an Espresso Bonbon set against a Tawny Port, delicious, deliberate acts of indulgence.

Vakkaru Reserve remains a quiet benchmark for those who appreciate depth over display. In this place of timelessness, let your wine journey stand less on ceremony, and more on memory and discovery.

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