Leading Maldives luxury resort, Coco Bodu Hithi has partnered with MasterChef judge and highly acclaimed Michelin-starred chef, Monica Galetti, to bring her culinary skills to host two exclusive dinners at the 5-star property in October 2019.

As part of the collaboration, Monica Galetti will create a six-course tasting menu for the resort's award-winning restaurant, Aqua, including wine pairing recommendations from the sommelier team. Working alongside the restaurant's existing team of esteemed chefs, the menu will showcase the best of local ingredients and offer a twist on Maldivian cuisine, reflective of Monica's cooking style and inspired from dishes that are much-loved at Monica's restaurant, Mere in Fitzrovia, London which feature the influence of Monica's South Pacific heritage.

Monica will host dinners on the evening of the 22nd and 25th October, giving guests the chance to experience first-hand her passion for working with only the finest and fresh ingredients to create show stopping contemporary dishes. Monica's signature dish will also remain on the menu on a seasonal basis, which will enable future guests to sample part of her uniquely designed menu. In addition to this, Monica will host an intimate masterclass for guests on 23rd October, showcasing a breadth of techniques and tips for preparing and executing Michelin-star worthy plates of food.  

Coinciding with Monica's residency, Ryan Chetiyawardana aka. Mr Lyan will be creating and serving up a special drinks menu comprised of five unique cocktails at the property's cocktail bar, Latitude, again with a signature cocktail remaining on the menu for guests to enjoy in the months to follow.

Ryan will be serving up drinks between on the evening of 20th October and 24th October, as well as offering a glimpse into the world of mixology with a masterclass on the 21st October, enabling guests to sample and see how Ryan puts together unique flavour combinations to create delicious drinks.

Coco Bodu Hithi is eager to welcome back Monica Galetti and introduce Ryan Chetiyawardana to create fresh and flavourful creations for the islands' sophisticated and relaxed restaurants and bars. With six restaurants and bars on the island, Coco Bodu Hithi celebrates and offers a variety of exquisite cuisines and drinks, taking inspiration from the Maldives and further afield.

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Note to editors:

About Coco Collection:

Coco Collection's portfolio comprises of the luxury resort Coco Bodu Hithi and Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu, the environmentally conscious escape. Coco Bodu Hithi and Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu are both members of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, representing the finest and most diverse global portfolio of independent hotel and resort experiences.

www.cococollection.com

About Monica Galetti:

Monica Galetti is one of the best-known and highly renowned female chefs in London. Born in Samoa and raised in Wellington, New Zealand, Monica developed an early interest in food and trained as a chef in New Zealand.

In 1999 she upped-sticks and moved to London to work for Michel Roux Jr. at two Michelin-starred Le Gavroche. Monica's talent was soon recognised, and she progressed rapidly, becoming the first female sous chef at Le Gavroche and then Michel's head chef at Le Gavroche Tropiques in Mauritius, 2005.

Over the past ten years Monica has become a familiar television personality, as the inimitable presenter and judge on BBC2's highly popular MasterChef: The Professionals. More recently she has also gone on to co-present two series of BBC2's Amazing Hotels – Life Beyond the Lobby, alongside The Times restaurant critic, Giles Coren.

After a total of twelve years at Le Gavroche, Monica left in 2015 to spend some time with her husband and daughter and focus on finding the best site for her first restaurant in London, Mere which opened in 2017 in Fitzrovia. Mere, fittingly the name of Monica's own mother, is a melting pot of cultural influences; mixing the classical French of her husband David's childhood with the exotic South Pacific and New Zealand from her own upbringing, weaving in elements inspired by her travels and the British seasons.

Monica is the author of two books: Monica's Kitchen and The Skills.

About Ryan Chetiyawardana:

Ryan Chetiyawardana (A.K.A Mr Lyan) is an award-winning bartender.

He has been involved in several of the World's best bars for over fifteen years. He helped take the last six of these onto national and international titles and all featured in the 'World's Best Bars' list for 50 Best, and in 2018, Dandelyan was named “World's Best Bar”. He has been named UK bartender of the Year twice and in 2015 was named 'International Bartender of the Year'. 

He opened his first bar, White Lyan, in London in 2013 as the first cocktail bar in the world to use no perishables; no fruit and even no ice. It was an exploration in sustainability, with much lower waste and a use of pre-made cocktails and innovative ingredients. 

This focus on a ground-breaking approach remains in the evolution of all of his venues- chiefly the restaurant Cub, which showcases luxury in sustainability.

Mr Lyan has three new ventures for 2019, two of which are overseas. Dandelyan was closed to make way for a new approach to cocktails in the form of Lyaness in the Sea Containers Hotel. This was closely followed by the relaunch of Super Lyan- in the new location of Amsterdam. Silver Lyan is the last of the three for 2019, set to appear in Washington D.C towards of the end of year.