Asia’s top chefs gather for ‘No guests, just Chefs’ in Maldives hosted by Chef Dharshan Munidasa

Participating Chefs at No Guests, Just Chefs 2023 

Carne Diem Grill by Dharshan Table Setting at No Guests, Just Chefs

Chefs enjoying interactive cooking at No Guests, Just Chefs

The first ever ‘No Guests, Just Chefs’ event hosted by renowned Sri Lankan chef and restaurateur Dharshan Munidasa concluded successfully with the participation of some of Asia’s best chefs. 

The three-night chefs’ gathering at The Marina at Crossroads Maldives was held at Chef Munidasa’s three iconic restaurants, Ministry of Crab, Carne Diem Grill by Dharshan and Nihonbashi Blue. This unique event was organised by Chef Munidasa to serve as a springboard for like-minded counterparts to relax and connect, away from the hustle and bustle of restaurant life, while having an opportunity to experience the Maldives as a holiday destination. 

Among those present were Executive Chef and Owner of one Michelin starred Le Du, ranked No.1 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants’ list 2023 and No. 15 on the World’s Best Restaurants’ list 2023, and Executive Chef and owner of Nusara  ranked No.3 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants’ list 2023 ThiTid ‘Ton’ Tassanakajohn, owner and chef of the one Michelin starred Potong, No. 35 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants’ list 2023 Pichaya ‘Pam’ Soontornyanakij, Executive Chef of the two Michelin starred Da Vittorio, Shanghai positioned at No. 34 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants’ list 2023 Stefano Bacchelli, Head Chef at Masque, positioned at No.16 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants’ list 2023 Varun Totlani, and winner of the ‘Grand Prix de la Baguette de Traditional Française de la Ville De Paris’ 2023 Tharshan Selvarajah.

The attending chefs were accommodated at Hard Rock Hotel and Saii Lagoon Maldives located at Crossroads Maldives, the largest multi-island integrated lifestyle destination in the country. They were welcomed on the first day for a champagne sundowner followed by dinner at Ministry of Crab, where they feasted on majestic mud crabs and giant freshwater prawns flown in from Sri Lanka, paired with champagne and rosés sponsored by Maritime and Mercantile International Maldives Pvt Ltd. On day two, the chefs sat down to a steak dinner complete with Westholme Wagyu Steak and Maimoa Lamb Racks at Carne Diem Grill by Dharshan with Clarendelle wine sponsored by Grape Expectations Pvt Ltd. In addition,  Navean Pvt Ltd also created a custom range of wines for the three restaurants which were provided to the attendees. The event concluded with an exclusively curated Japanese ‘Omakase’ menu at Nihonbashi Blue preceded by a Dassai Sake tasting session sponsored by Vintners Ltd. 

In addition to the series of curated dinners hosted by Chef Dharshan Munidasa, the chefs took advantage of the island’s offerings enjoying the amenities of the resorts as well as various water sports offered by The Marina at Crossroads. 

Speaking about the event, Munidasa said: “The Maldives is an amazing destination, where we as chefs often get invited for pop-ups, which is why it was important for me to create ‘No Guests, Just Chefs’ so that we would have an opportunity to relax and unwind. I am grateful to all the chefs who attended the first edition, where we enjoyed great conversations, camaraderie, and cuisine away from our busy schedules, and I am happy that everyone had a great time. I look forward to doing this again next year in Sri Lanka and in the Maldives, with many more chefs joining us!”

Chef Dharshan Munidasa with Mud Crabs at Ministry of Crab for No Guests, Just Chefs