Aitken Spence Hotels wins big at Culinary Art Food Expo 2025

Tuesday, 1 July 2025 02:53 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Aitken Spence Hotels culinary team with the management

Aitken Spence Hotels’ culinary team returned from the Culinary Art Food Expo 2025 with an impressive haul of 116 medals, an achievement that solidifies the group’s stature as a benchmark of gastronomic excellence in South Asia’s largest professional cookery competition.

Fielding teams drawn from every corner of its Sri Lankan hotels, Aitken Spence Hotels saw its properties — Heritance Ahungalla, Sentido Heritance Negombo, Heritance Tea Factory, Heritance Kandalama, and Turyaa Kalutara — emerge as stars of the three-day event, which attracted more than 2,000 chefs from 181 hotels and restaurants.

Heritance Kandalama’s delegation topped the medal table in the Regional Category by being crowned ‘Most Outstanding Cultural Triangle Team’, underlined by a cascade of individual honours that included the coveted title of ‘Most Outstanding Artist’, awarded to pastry maestro Bandula Harischandra for his intricately sculpted showpiece.

Equally dominant on the southern coastline, Heritance Ahungalla secured two pinnacle awards: ‘Most Outstanding Down South Team’ and ‘Most Outstanding Hot Cooking Chef’, the latter bestowed on Nuwan Chandimal for his creations that captivated the judges.

Adding a vibrant note of creativity, Sentido Heritance Negombo earned the ‘Most Outstanding Artistic Showpiece – Salt Dough’ accolade through Chalana Akalanka, whose piece impressed both judges and spectators alike.

Not to be outdone, Heritance Tea Factory was named ‘Most Outstanding Uva/Nuwara Eliya Team’, a fitting recognition of the team’s distinctive interpretation of highland culinary traditions and refined hospitality.

Joint Managing Director Susith Jayawickrama praised the chefs for exemplifying the company’s culinary ethos of innovation rooted in heritage. “Each medal reflects countless hours of practice, experimentation, and teamwork. From the sustainably sourced produce of Heritance Kandalama to the coastal flavours championed at Ahungalla and Negombo, and the refined elegance of the tea country showcased by Heritance Tea Factory, our chefs demonstrated not only technical mastery but also the diverse flavours of Sri Lanka,” he said, adding that the results underscore Aitken Spence Hotels’ commitment to nurturing culinary talent through continuous training and cross-property mentorship.

Aitken Spence Hotel Holdings PLC Chairperson Stasshani Jayawardena said: “This isn’t just a win for our chefs — it’s a celebration for all of us at Aitken Spence Hotels. I’ve witnessed our chefs grow through dedication and creativity with each passing year and seeing them shine at the Culinary Art Food Expo 2025 fills me with immense pride. Their artistry and teamwork are constant reminders of why we do what we do: to share the soul of Sri Lanka and the harmonisation of cultures through every dish.”

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