Chef Surjan Singh — better known as Chef Jolly from MasterChef India — is heading back to The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort for a Diwali residency running October 28-30, 2026. His home base will be Cargo, the resort's jungle-themed restaurant that takes its cues from the old spice routes linking India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, and he'll be cooking alongside Christian Pedersen, the resort's executive assistant manager for culinary and F&B.
The centrepiece is the Festival of Lights set menu at Cargo: three- and five-course menus reinterpreting Diwali traditions from across India, available from October 30 to November 8, 2026. There's also a one-night, six-course wine dinner at Decanter, the resort's underground wine cellar, on October 29 (19:30-22:30), and a hands-on masterclass at ALBA on October 30 from 13:00-14:30 — that one is free but capped at just eight guests, so early sign-up matters. With more than three decades of cooking behind him, Chef Jolly has built a reputation for modern takes on regional Indian food, and the menus here lean aromatic and contemporary rather than strictly traditional.
He's not the only big name landing in the Maldives this season, either. The St. Regis follows up with German chef Alexander Herrmann — of two-Michelin-starred AURA — from November 19-23, 2026, part of the resort's Tastemaker Series marking its 10th anniversary. His residency includes six-course dinners at Decanter and The Whale Bar plus a masterclass, and Marriott Bonvoy members can bid on a four-night overwater villa package tied to it until October 22, 2026.
Elsewhere, Milaidhoo Maldives hosts Laurence Tan, head chef of Michelin-starred JAG in Singapore, for a cooking class on October 16 and a 16-seat five-course dinner the next night, featuring everything from Hiramasa crudo to MB8 wagyu with black truffle. And over at V Villas Maldives at Mirihi, a team from the brand's Phuket property runs a two-night Thai pop-up, 'From the Andaman to the Indian Ocean', on October 10-11, with dishes like Royal Massaman Croquette and cocktails built around a sweet-sour-bitter framework.
Why should a traveller care? Because the Maldives has quietly become a serious food destination, and these residencies offer restaurant-calibre dining in settings you simply can't replicate on land — a wine cellar under a private island, a beach table under the stars. The trade-off is timing and capacity: most events run for a single evening or seat a handful of guests, so if one of these chefs appeals to you, plan the trip around the dates rather than hoping to book on arrival. Guests already staying at a participating resort during a residency window should reserve as soon as they check in.
