Chef Alena Solod transforms Maldivian flavours at Anantara Veli

Vibrant beetroot hues, the delicate richness of scallops, a whisper of passion fruit and the gentle sweetness of pumpkin: Chef Alena Solod brought her distinctive palette to Anantara Veli, turning the islands into her canvas. The Michelin starred chef orchestrated both the craft and the conversation, inviting guests from across the Anantara properties, Veli, Dhigu and Naladhu Private Island, into her creative process.

Rather than simply presenting plated refinement, Solod opened her kitchen to reveal the thinking behind each dish. In cooking classes, she shared the technical secrets and conceptual decisions that shape her work, moving guests from observation into understanding. Then, across an elegant tasting dinner, each course became another brushstroke: the interplay of colour and texture, the marriage of island ingredients with continental technique, the precision that transforms seasonal produce into something that speaks.

This collaboration forms part of the Anantara Around the World Michelin Star Guest Chef Series, a programme that recognises how creativity moves beyond borders and how a chef’s singular vision can reshape a dining room, however briefly. Solod’s time in the Maldives was not a performance but an immersion, a moment where the island’s abundance of fresh ingredients met the rigour of her culinary training. Guests witnessed not merely meals, but the architecture of imagination expressed through food.

The series continues to draw acclaimed chefs to the Anantara islands, each bringing their own sensibility to the natural luxury of the Maldives. For those who visit during these residencies, the experience transcends tourism: it becomes an education in excellence, taught by masters of their craft in settings of profound beauty.

Imagery courtesy of Anantara Veli (@anantaraveli).