Vakkaru Maldives will be opening its shores to Alistair Birt, Head Pastry Chef of Harrods London this 22 – 25 October 2019 for an extraordinary experience with chocolate. Guests on island will be in for a treat as they embark on a journey to discover this ancient food of the gods with Alistair through a series of experiences curated exclusively for Vakkaru Maldives. From “Bean-To-Bar Chocolate Masterclasses” and “Cacao Cocktails” overlooking the Maldivian sunset, to a “Chocolate Degustation” and an afternoon in the sun with Alistair’s “Chocolate Ice Cream Pop-up Parlour”, Vakkaru Maldives will transform into an immersive chocolate playground for guests of all ages. As an Ambassador for Cacao Barry® — a gourmet brand of the Barry Callebaut group — world renowned chocolate producer for professionals since 1842, Alistair will be using Cacao Barry® chocolates and the recently discovered ruby chocolate by Barry Callebaut — the first new type of chocolate in 80 years, for this exclusive island experience.
Alistair’s rise in the culinary world began in 2010 when he won the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts’ Annual Awards of Excellence. During his time with renowned British chocolatier, “William Curley”, Alistair rose through the ranks to become Head Chocolatier and went on to represent the UK at the 2015 World Chocolate Masters Final. In 2015, Alistair was Awarded the coveted Acorn Award — a 30 under 30 award for individuals making waves in the hospitality industry.
Alistair joined Harrods – the world-famous department store in Knightsbridge, London in 2016 as Head Pastry Chef. He oversees a large talented pastry team and multiple award-winning outlets. He is heavily involved in the continued roll out of Harrods’ new food strategy and the historic food halls redevelopment programme where he completely redeveloped over 200 lines of bakery and patisserie items. Now successfully training and coaching his own team into competitions, Alistair is developing the next generation of young chocolatiers and Pastry Chefs. Very recently, one of his protégés at Harrods, Benjamin Dufour, won the 2019 UK & Ireland Junior Chocolate Masters competition under his coaching.
This 2019, Vakkaru kicked off its collection of curated, ultra-immersive and cherishable guest experiences in partnership with guest experiences specialist, The Magnolia Creative Collaborations. The debut experience in August features fitness guru to the stars and Pilates pioneer, Yasmin Karachiwala. Through these experiences, Vakkaru Maldives aims to inspire guests to create timeless memories, effortlessly.
