CHEF IN RESIDENCE: CHRISTINA FIGUEIRA

What started as a winery is now a well-established restaurant serving guests authentic, Mediterranean cuisines. Chef Cristina will be gracing our beautiful island from the 10th to the 18th of October and you have the option to experience all of it! Chef Cristina who has now been leading the helm at El Xato (located near Valencia) is passionate about serving her guests not just a meal but a story, an experience, with love. The cuisines have been slowly gaining recognition worldwide over the past few years including the first Michelin Star for El Xato in 2018. Hailing from the Mediterranean, Chef Cristina’s choice of ingredients and creations are influenced by her deeply rooted origins. Exploring different cooking techniques, Cristina most notably worked with international Chef Joan Roca at the high cuisine restaurant Celler de Can Roca in 2006. Since then, she kept elevating and innovating the kitchen of El Xato and continues to do so even today. During her visit to Maamunagau Island, she will host several dinner experiences with the dishes reflecting her upbringing and philosophy on combining traditional flavours with modern cooking techniques as well as infusing local and Mediterranean flavours. She will also be bringing some of her most popular dishes from El Xato to be served as part of the delectable menu presented to guests. Guests’ favourites like scallops, cuttlefish, and prawns will be part of the dining experience, combined with Cristina’s creations from Valencia such as Gazpachuelo, Torrija, or Ceviches.

Impressively enough, the visit of Cristina Figueira is the first out of a series of women in the culinary industry partnering with the resort. Over this year’s festive season, guests can look forward to being catered to by French Mixologist Anne Lise Jouenne who will entertain guests with her unique flair in bartending sets. Guest can look forward to a week of culinary splendour, from 10th to 18th October 2022 at InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort. Kicking off her visit with a guest cocktail, where selected canapes will be served to guests, as a teaser of what they can expect during the dinner sessions. Altogether three dinners will be available for guests to choose from, the first one being a wine degustation dinner at The Lighthouse. Another dinner will be focussing on BBQ dishes right at the Maamunagau beach, with Cristina curating a prime meat and seafood menu for the evening, grilled to perfection at a live grill. The final and most intimate dining experience will be held in the resort's wine cellar, where Cristina will also share her philosophy and stories with the guests