Celebrity chef Luke Mangan takes Salt to Maldives resorts

The Small Maldives Island Company has appointed Luke Mangan as the chef of their new resorts, responsible for food and beverages at Amilla, which opens in November, and Finolhu, due to launch in mid-2015.

There will be eight restaurants across the two islands with Lonu, the main restaurant on Amilla. Lonu is Maldivian for salt.

The new venture adds to his existing glass brasserie at the Hilton Sydney; plus Salt grills and/or bars in Surfers Paradise, Jakarta, Singapore, Bali and Tokyo.

The Maldives group is headed by hotelier, Tom McLoughlin, who created the world’s first underwater spa at Huvafen Fushi and the first underwater nightclub at Niyama. The group has also hired Australian hospitality executive Michael Flynn.

Amilla Fushi is an island resort located in Baa Atoll located in the pristine UNESCO biosphere reserve. 

Trained by renowned chefs Michel and Albert Roux, Luke Mangan opened his first Salt restaurant in Darlinghurst, Sydney, in 1999. glass brasserie, situated in the Hilton Hotel in Sydney, opened in 2005.