La Digue Island Lodge upgraded, welcomes two key F&B staff |18 January 2018

La Digue Island Lodge has embarked on a major facelift / upgrading programme since 2017 in its quest to attain a 4-star status and position itself as the preferred choice of locally homegrown accommodation on the iconic island of La Digue.

The management has already invested significantly in the hotel’s infrastructure with the complete renovation of its Beach House rooms, refurbishment of its chalets, newly renovated swimming pool and works are also being completed on other infrastructure.

A substantial part of this enhancement programme is a thorough overhaul of the hotel’s food and beverage operation. The famous beachfront “Marmit Restaurant’ had a major facelift with additional seating capacity, newly built buffet areas and live-cooking stations.

The hotel has also welcomed two key F&B (Food & Beverage) personnel with a mission to enhance the dining experience of its guests. They both hail from Sri Lanka with extensive experience in their respective fields.

Tilak Kandemullage has been appointed Food and Beverage manager and is already implementing significant improvements in the service delivery at all the hotel’s dining outlets. A comprehensive staff-training programme is underway to elevate and improve the overall knowledge and skills of the frontline restaurant and bar staff.

Tilak worked for several reputable hotels in Colombo including the iconic Taj Samudra and Galadari and further honed his skills and acquired valuable international experience in Bermuda with the Fairmount group.

Also joining the team is executive Chef Sumeda Yapa who started his career in 1992 and worked in more than six countries including Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and UAE, gaining experience in various culinary fields and making the grade of becoming a member of the Emirates Culinary Guild. He worked for reputed hotel chains such as Taj Palace Hotel in Dubai and other chains in the GCC countries such as Radisson, Crowne Plaza and Penny’s. He also worked extensively in his native Sri Lanka at prestigious hotels such as Cinnamon Grand and Jetwing Hotels group.

He is looking forward to the challenge of taking La Digue Island Lodge to the next level and is keen to put a new twist on the local products available to give the guests an authentic culinary experience. A newly revamped buffet cycle focusing on Italian, Japanese, Indian, International, Sri Lankan and Creole nights have already been implemented to the great satisfaction of the hotel guests.

Contributed