‘Great British Menu’ Finalist Set to Pop-up on the Shores at Amilla Maldives!
Wednesday 22nd of June 2022
From October 13th to 23rd, the British restaurant JORO will open on the shores of Amilla Maldives Resort and Residences. It will run concurrently with Amilla's upcoming one-day Food Festival on October 16th, which is part of the resort's 50th anniversary celebrations of tourism in the Maldives, which has transformed the archipelago from a little-known developing country to a bucket-list destination.
Luke French, the owner of JORO, won his region of Northeast & Yorkshire on BBC's 'Great British Menu' in March 2022, making it to the final of the legendary cooking competition. Luke will be exploring locally grown and foraged produce during his 10-day residency as Guest Chef at Amilla. He is inspired by local and sustainable ingredients. Greens from the Maldives, breadfruit, coconuts, and sustainable pole and line-caught fish are among them.
Two gala dinners will be held at Amilla, with a focus on farm-to-table and 'eating lifestyle' dishes. There will also be two cooking masterclasses with Luke, where guests will be able to learn new culinary skills.
Luke won acclaim for his award-winning Modern British, New Nordic, and Asian dishes at JORO Restaurant in Sheffield, England, by combining the highest quality ingredients with cooking techniques from around the world. The Michelin Guide 2022 included a listing for it.
His culinary career began at the age of 14, when, like many chefs, he began as a Kitchen Porter. He was quickly promoted through the ranks after his talent was recognized, and he worked at some of Cambridge's best restaurants, including the Michelin-starred Alimentum (now closed). Luke then turned his attention to Asia, where he discovered the flavors and techniques that he would later use in his own restaurant.
Luke moved to Sheffield after arriving back in the UK, where he soon met Stacey Sherwood, his future wife and business director. JORO opened in December 2016, followed by Konjö, a street food concept restaurant, and NAMA, an omakase counter restaurant, in 2019. In 2021, they opened House of JORO, a boutique hotel.
Find out more information at stay@amilla.com
[Photos: Amilla Maldives]