For the complete coconut experience Veligandu welcomed chef Cristian Marino to craft a completely coconut experience to celebrate World Coconut Day this past year.
“To honor this day, Chef Cristian Marino created a special culinary journey for guests at the resort. The menu was simple in concept yet rich in flavor:
- Fresh island salad, where the bite of vegetables met the delicate crunch of grated coconut
- Coconut rice, creamy, fragrant, almost velvety — a dish that carried the perfume of the tropics
- Local fish with coconut sauce, blending sea and tradition in one dish.
- coconut brownies, a nod to comfort food with a Maldivian twist.
The dining room itself joined the celebration. Palms and coconuts were used as decoration, with tropical flowers set between the buffet stations. It was not just a menu but an atmosphere, an experience shaped around one ingredient.”
He talked about his experience in the Maldives on his own blog as well – Experience Sabato Italiano: An Italian Dinner in the Maldives – Cristian Marino.
