atoll & sundry from africa to the maldives, mandela to alicia keys

“I LIKE EXTREMES; I LIKE ADVENTURE,” SAYS Mark Leslie, the new executive chef of Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa (www.. fullmoonmaldives.com, tel +960 (0)6 642010)

It’s no idle claim: Leslie has driven the full length of Africa overland, from Cape Town to Cairo – twice. Even more impressively, in the minutes leading up to Nelson Mandela’s inauguration, he stepped in to become head chef for the event. Leslie’s efforts bore immediate fruit and he was asked to become Mandela’s personal cook.

Leslie, who is UK-born and South African-bred, relishes taking on mega events. He has Miss World and the Rugby World Cup under his belt and has reinvented kitchens in offb eat locations like The Westin Dhaka in Bangladesh. His current challenge is to completely remodel the restaurant and cuisine concepts at the Sheraton Full Moon on Furanafushi Island. Its restaurant, Atoll Grill, will not only undergo a name change; it’s set to become what Leslie calls an “open-air palms and stars arena” where chefs cook in full view and will readily interact with guests to prepare and grill to any style. Initial sketches show a kind of churrasco meets chop house on the beach (inset).

Leslie has a passion for extraordinary gourmet dining experiences. “I want to provide everything people expect from the Sheraton, and then be able to go above and beyond that,” he explains. The chef has already created private-island dining at the resort for stars including Alicia Keys. Th e performer subsequently extended her stay – twice.

Despite Leslie’s reputation for overseeing the big picture, he has an eye for the smaller details. Concerned the local fishermen were trying to sell the Sheraton undersized fish, or passing off bonito as yellow fin tuna, he made sure to check in with them regularly. Th e result? “The fishermen are now bringing in exactly what I need on a daily basis with no wastage,” he says. “They have my cell phone number to call me while out at sea.”

So how does Leslie like his new home? “Th ere are quite a few people who grew up in Southern Africa now living here in the Maldives. Many people find the idea of living on an island all the time a little extreme, but we seem to be attracted to it. The Maldives is very similar to Africa in that you have natural untouched beauty with unlimited space surrounding you. As we say, it’s the Serengeti of the sea.” – Chris Mitchell

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