Inspiring a Lifetime of Rare Experiences

For more than 30 years, Claus has been a gastronomic entrepreneur. Through countless initiatives within the food and restaurant industries, he has inspired generations to expect the next meal to be delicious and healthy and to consider eating an agricultural act. Inspired by his learnings from building three-Michelin-starred noma with Rene Redzepi and initiating the Nordic cuisine movement, he went on to pursue his dream to help unfold culinary potentials outside of Scandinavia. In 2010 he established the Melting Pot Foundation, through which he founded food schools in Danish state prisons, Bolivia, Colombia, the USA and most recently in Morocco. In August 2015, Claus moved to New York City with his family to steer the 2016 opening of fine dining, Michelin-restaurant Agern and Great Northern Food Hall. Agern won a Michelin star after just six months of operation, and the Food Hall was called out in New York Times as “Nirvana, Nordic Style”. After returning to Denmark with his family in 2018,  he joined IKEA Foods Advisory Group to help propel a new, sustainable, and more delicious food offering. He also co-founded and is an active board member of Madens Folkemøde (the Peoples Public Food Assembly), an annual summit in Denmark. Besides his countless companies employing more than 800 staff, Claus is an affiliated professor and distinguished alum at Copenhagen Business School and Social Impact Fellow at the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley. Claus is a Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog under the Royal Danish House and a receiver of the French Order, Merit Agricole; he has been named on the EAT Foundation and The Culinary Institute of America’s Plant-Forward Global 50; is a member of the Advisory Board for the Stone Barns Center, USA; and a member of the Danish Gastronomic Academy.

Executive Chef at Restaurant Merlet in Schoorl, Netherlands, since 2015, Jonathan Zandbergen is considered one of the greatest Dutch culinary talents. With cooking methods that combine both tradition and innovation, he has won numerous prestigious awards, including the ‘Prix Culinary Le Taittinger’ in 2014, as well as being crowned Gault & Millau’s ‘Most Talented Chef’ in 2017. The Dutch public became better acquainted with Zandbergen through his TV appearances, most recently as a jury member in the RTL series, Topchef Academy and as a judge on Masterchef Holland in 2018. With over 20 years of experience in Michelin-starred restaurants and cooking competitions, Zandbergen has created his own unique style of Dutch cuisine, inspiring people from all over the world through his culinary streaming platform, CHEFFD. Chef Jonathan Zandbergen will be hosting a series of exclusive dining events at Soneva Kiri on February 18, 20 & 21, 2023.

Barbara Schett is one of the most successful athletes Austria has ever produced and Austria’s highest-ranked female tennis player ever. She reached the Top 10 in both singles and doubles. A native of Innsbruck, her career-high singles ranking at the WTA Tour was World No 7. Her Career High in doubles was World No. 8. Shortly after her retirement from professional tennis, Barbara started an international business career. Among other business activities, she is still a popular celebrity endorser and brand ambassador representing various brands and companies worldwide. Besides that, she works as an expert and presenter for Eurosport, the N°1 European TV sports channel, reporting live from Grand Slam Tournaments and is the host of the award-winning show “ Game Schett and Mats “ along with 7-time Grand Slam Champion Mats Wilander.

Jamie first discovered his passion for food at 17 while working in a local bakery. Waking up at the crack of dawn to make bread, he became fascinated with sourcing quality raw ingredients and discovering the processes that culminated in a perfect loaf of bread. He then went on to work at Gordon Ramsey’s Michelin-starred Maze in London, followed by its sister restaurant in Melbourne. The wild and local food movement in Copenhagen drew him to work for Paul Cunningham and later to become head chef at Kødbyens Fiskebar, where he currently serves fine dining in a relaxed atmosphere. At Kødbyens Fiskebar, it all starts with fresh and raw ingredients, which are locally sourced and depict the season of Scandinavia. Seasonal vegetables arrive in the morning from a biodynamic farm north of Copenhagen and the forager supplies forest herbs. The restaurant moves hand in hand with the fishmongers and guarantees only sustainable fish caught inshore on a small scale. The oysters are wild European from the oyster banks of Limfjord in Denmark, which are delivered every morning.