Manipulator of Flavours Chef Herve Rodriguez at Niyama’s Edge

Nature’s Playground comes alive with bold flavours this festive season, as Michelin-starred chef Hervé Rodriguez jets in for ten days to take the Helm at overwater Edge. Contemporary, audacious, complex, his creations inspire savouring and deconstruction, all against a dramatic backdrop of billowing sails and blazing sunsets reflected in the Indian Ocean’s surface.

With nine restaurants and bars dotted across two islands – in a jungle setting by bonfire-light, high up in the trees, or 6m below the ocean’s surface surrounded by corals and shoals of angelfish – Niyama Private Islands Maldives serves up culinary experiences of dreams.

Edge is Niyama’s destination restaurant set 500m out to sea. Guests feast perched over the waves, as some of the world’s most celebrated chefs take up residence, their cuisine inspired to new heights by such an unrivalled setting. This year’s festive season dazzles with French prodigy Hervé Rodriguez featuring at Edge 19 – 29 December. Known as the ‘Manipulateur de saveurs’ or the ‘Manipulator of Flavours’, a name bestowed on him by no less than the director of the Michelin guide, Jean-François Mesplède, Chef Hervé is known for his celebrated restaurant MaSa, a must visit on the gastronomy scene situated in one of Paris’s most exclusive suburbs. For ten days only, Chef Hervé will be presenting tasting menus of seasonal creations, with the freshest ingredients sourced from the four corners of the globe and served up with his legendary panache.

Chef Hervé knew from age five that he was destined to be a chef, such is his love of fine cuisine. And yet his path was an unconventional one – after joining the navy fresh out of hotelier school, Chef Herve’s first gig was in fact in the private residence of a Vice Admiral, serving as his personal chef. And yet signs of his stellar career to come could perhaps have been predicted when he was presented the opportunity to cook for Francois Mitterand and Laurent Fabius.

Leaving the navy, he joined the two-starred Hostellerie de Levernois by Jean Crotet in Bourgogne, then the three-starred Maison Lameloise. At the age of 24 he took over his first restaurant. It was then that he started to experiment with flavours – he rediscovered his Spanish roots, fell in love with Japanese cuisine, and travelled through Vietnam, Morocco and Central America exploring their histories through gastronomy. Folding subtle flavours and techniques from his travels into his current repertoire, Chef Hervé’s creations are unique, playful and full of life.

What better way to celebrate the festive season than on a journey through world flavours? Join Chef Hervé at Edge 19 – 29 December – reservations are highly recommended. Call +960 676 2828 or email reservations@niyama.com or log on to www.niyama.com/festive

About Niyama Private Islands Maldives:

Cast away, together. Find a very private setting for intimate, one-of-a-kind experiences. With twin islands Play and Chill, Niyama offers the luxury of choice, catering to your holiday desires and letting you live large in a world unto yourselves.

At Play: Feast in the treetops. Hang ten on some of the world’s best surf breaks. Float into the infinite horizon or dive offshore through the kaleidoscope of the reef. Kick things up a notch in villas set on white sands and tailored to adventurous honeymooners, active couples and style-savvy families.

At Chill: Revel in a peaceful moment within the cocoon of Drift Spa by Niyama. Indulge in culinary heaven 500 metres out to sea or dine ashore in wild Africa. Soothe your soul to the slow rhythms in overwater studios. Lounge against the flowing oceanscape in an underwater playground.