Mount Lavinia Hotel Group’s Vakarufalhi Island Resort, Maldives excels in culinary challenges

Vakarufalhi Island Resort, a subsidiary of Mount Lavinia Hotel Group, achieved excellence in two main culinary challenges; the Food and Hospitality Asia Maldives 2016 and Hotel Asia Culinary Challenge. The resort has excelled at this event for the last two consecutive years.

The former held in August, saw Vakarufalhi’s talented chefs win awards. Demi Chef De Partie, Danajaya Senanayaka won the Bronze medal for Docello Creative Dessert Nestle along with Top Silver Best 1st position for Dress the cake. 2nd Commis Manjula Jayasiri won the Silver medal for Artistic Pastry show piece, Bronze medal for Lamb cooking and Merit certificate for Appetiser. 

1st Commis Sujeewa Madhushanka won the Silver medal under the Poultry category for Duck and Bronze medal for Lamb. Junior sous chef Chaminda Prabath Kumara won the Bronze medal for Lamb cooking, Silver medal for Biryani and Bronze under the Poultry category for Duck. Demi Chef De Partie Sandeep Rangana won the Silver medal under the Bread and pastry category, Merit certificate for Beef cooking and Merit certificate for Lamb cooking. 

1st Commis Ajantha Kumara won the 2nd position Top Silver for Bread and pastry display and Bronze medal for Dress the cake. Senior Chef De Partie Ishan Anuradha won the Bronze medal for Seafood cooking and Bronze medal for Appetiser. 2nd Commis Buddhika Prasad obtained a Merit certificate for Beef cooking and Bronze medal for Seafood. Staff cook Ahmed Ali won the Bronze medal under the category of Maldivian finger food. 

The dynamic group of chefs continued to portray their prowess at the Hotel Asia Culinary Challenge where bronze medal for the bread and pastry display was won by Demi chef de partie Samith Dushantha, two silver medals for pasta cooking was won by Demi chef de partie Sandeep Rangana and Ishan Anuradha Senior chef de partie. Certificate for pasta obtained by 1st commis Athula Premasiri and Three certificates for beef obtained by Demi chef de partie Sandeep Rangana, Senior chef de partieIshan Anuradha and 1st commis Charit Megoda. Charit Megoda also won a certificate for lamb and certificate for nestle competition was won by Samith Dushantha.

The team was coordinated by the able guidance of Executive chef Rizzoli Riccardo, Executive Sous chef Pushpakumara Kuruvitanage and Executive pastry chef Thusita Samaraweera.

The Food and Hospitality Asia Maldives International Culinary Challenge and Exhibition is the largest of its nature in the Hospitality Industry in Maldives. Hotel Asia Culinary Challenge, held in September featured over 500 local and international chefs, F&B Service staff, Pastry Chefs and Bartenders. 

Located in the South Ari Atoll, a 25 minutes sea plane ride from the capital Male, Vakarufalhi is home to manta rays, dolphins, turtles and whale sharks and also has a unique house reef and offers 75 contemporary villas of typical Maldivian flair amidst tropical greenery and stunning views of the sunset.