Soneva Stars

Chef Kamilla Seidler will be hosting a series of exclusive dining events at Soneva Kiri on April 6, 7 & 8, 2023. In 2012, Danish chef Kamilla Seidler arrived in La Paz, Bolivia, after receiving an irresistible invitation from pioneering restaurateur Claus Meyer to join a dream project, GUSTU, part of his Melting Pot initiative to empower young Bolivian chefs and put Andean cuisine on the world map. Unofficially baptised as the “Dane of the Andes”, for her great culinary and social work on behalf of the nation, Seidler ended up taking all of Latin America by storm. Having developed an innovative, simple and elegant culinary style, Seidler was the first female chef invited to join the International Council of the Basque Culinary Center in 2014, and was named the Best Chef in South America that same year. She became a member of The Danish Gastronomy Academy in 2015, and was recognised as Latin America’s Best Female Chef for the two following consecutive years. In 2018, Seidler returned to Copenhagen to explore the social gastronomy movement, opening Restaurant Lola with partners Mette Strarup and Rune Toft in 2019. Having dedicated her life’s work to sharing a message of respect, equity, dignity and pride through food, inclusion and tolerance are fundamental building blocks of the restaurant’s DNA. Each person working at the restaurant brings their own personal experiences to the table, giving the menu an international focus combined with locally sourced Danish produce, connecting the many shared ingredients but different cooking traditions and methods from around the globe. She also runs Lola Impact, a Latin American-inspired food truck that employs young people facing difficulties entering employment.

German Twins Chefs Thomas & Mathias Sühring’s culinary journey began while spending their annual school summer breaks at their grandparent’s farm. At that time, they got introduced to old-school cooking techniques like fermentation, pickling, smoking, drying and curing which are rooted in the German tradition. Then they worked throughout Europe under iconic Three Michelin Star Chefs such as Sven Elverfeld at the Restaurant “Aqua”, Jonnie Boer at the Restaurant “De Librije” and Heinz Beck at “La Pergola” before moving to Thailand in 2008. Since March 2016, Sühring showcases the best of modern German fare inspired by childhood memories and family recipes. All elevated to the level of haute cuisine and combining the essence of traditional dishes with contemporary Central European influences. Sühring, located in the heart of Bangkok, has won numerous accolades including World’s 50 Best Restaurants, Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, La Liste and the Michelin Guide. Chefs Thomas & Mathias Sühring will host exclusive dinners at Soneva Kiri on April 12 and 13, 2023.

Karan grew up in Mumbai and moved to England in 2005 to study law at the University of Cambridge. Even as a practicing solicitor, Karan’s passion for food and hospitality never faded and he spent time in professional kitchens in his spare time. In 2012, he left his legal career at a city law firm to pursue a career in hospitality, traveling across India and Sri Lanka to immerse himself in the food and culture of the countries. His restaurant Hoppers was founded in October 2015. The first Hoppers in Soho was inspired by the toddy-shops, home cooking and roadside stalls of Sri Lanka and South India, and served its namesake Hoppers alongside Dosas, Kothu, Short Eats, Rice and Roasts. The acclaim soon followed with reviews from London Evening Standard’s Fay Maschler and the late Sunday Times critic A.A. Gill who applauded Hoppers for its ‘seductive, come-hither menu’ and ‘spectacular, impressive, authentic, confident and swaggering kitchen.’ Over the years Karan has written travel features and recipes on Sri Lanka and southern India for major national and international publications including The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, The Guardian, National Geographic, Conde Nast Traveller, The ES Magazine, Bloomberg, The Financial Times; and appeared on Sunday Brunch, Great British Chefs, Sorted Food’s YouTube channel and various food festivals across the UK. Chef Karan will be at Soneva Kiri for intimate dinners with our guests on April 13, 14 & 15, 2023

Former chef of Le Meurin, Mathieu Boutroy spent more than 12 years under two-Michelin-starred chef  Marc Meurin before opening Le Restaurant du Cerisier in Lille, France. Located in the heart of the old city, on the first floor of a contemporary building, the restaurant won its first Michelin star after only fifteen months of opening. Known for crafting perfectly executed dishes, including subtle sauces and jus, Mathieu defines his cuisine as coherent with frank tastes; readable and understandable by all from the first glance and the first bite; with only three different flavours per plate. each finished with a touch of acidity and power.

Born in the foothills of the Himalayas in north–western Pakistan, Chef Sylvestre Wahid is inspired by beautiful memories of his grandfather’s orchards, lined with mango, tamarind and guava trees, as well as his mother’s lentils cooked in yoghurt-based sauces, perfumed with cilantro and mint. Wahid’s culinary universe is the essence of French cuisine, using only the finest ingredients and centred on wellbeing, with no added fat, salt or sugar. At the start of his career, he was spotted by the celebrated chef Thierry Marx from the Mandarin Oriental, undertaking an apprenticeship alongside him, followed by another in the kitchens of the Cheval Blanc in Nîmes. He went on to work for Alain Solivérès, then crossed paths with Alain Ducasse, who took him under his wing at Le Plaza Athénée in Paris, before sending him to New York to support Didier Eléna. After becoming head chef at Oustau de Baumanière in Les Baux-de-Provence, he then led the kitchens at Strato in Courchevel – gaining two Michelin stars at both restaurants. In 2015, Wahid took over from Jean-François Piège at Brasserie Thoumieux in Paris, where he gained another two Michelin stars. After announcing his departure in December 2020, he flew to Courchevel to open an eponymous restaurant at the prestigious Hotel Les Grandes Alpes 1850. Sylvestre Wahid will be hosting a series of exclusive dinners at Soneva Kiri.

Chantelle Nicholson is a multi-award winning chef owner of Apricity, London. Formerly chef-owner of Tredwells (the recipient of a green Michelin star in 2021) and All’s Well, a ‘pandemic pop-up’. As one of the leading female voices in the UK’s hospitality industry, Chantelle is an advocate for seasonality and sustainability, championing veg-forward cooking and being committed to creating a more sustainable future across her operation and activities, whilst also being an independent board member for ReLondon and a Food Council member for City Harvest.

María is a Michelin-starred Spanish chef and restaurateur, renowned for her celebration of iconic Spanish ingredients, refreshingly authentic culinary style and exceptionally high standards. Her signature approach is founded on the low-key evolution of the natural flavours found in the best ingredients that Spain has to offer. Based in Alicante, she is the proprietor of Grupo Gourmet Alicante, a collection of six restaurants and an artisan bakery workshop that sets a new paradigm in Spanish gastronomy. With her Michelin-starred restaurant Monastrell, this high-energy, highly creative visionary has returned to her roots to explore natural foods and healthy approaches to world-class cuisine. Her menu pays homage to its Mediterranean location, showcasing a bounty of locally sourced ingredients from extra virgin olive oil, local rice varieties, seafood and saffron, to vegetables grown in her own “huerta”, and artisan breads created in her bakery workshop. She is a frequent speaker and instructor for various international events and forums around the world such as Madrid Fusión, the Culinary Institute of America in California, Food and Fun in Iceland, and the Congress of Gastronomy and Neuroscience at Valencia.