British chef Tom Aikens is amongst the culinary heavy hitters snapped up by luxury Malaysian resort The Datai Langkawi for the 2023 edition of The Chef Series, its signature dining experience celebrating the very best in gastronomic talent from around the world. 

Aikens, the youngest British chef ever to be awarded two Michelin stars at the age of 26, is the owner and head chef of Muse, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Belgravia, London, and his international portfolio includes The Jade Room + Garden Terrace at The Tokyo EDITION, Toranomon, as well as eateries in Abu Dhabi and Jakarta. He will kick off The Datai Langkawi’s Chef Series this month with a degustation menu displaying his characteristic creative flair and verve.

His tenure will be followed by French chef Arnaud Faye, who will take over the kitchen at the hotel’s fine dining venue The Dining Room in February 2023. Faye, the Executive Chef and Meilleur Ouvrier de France of La Chèvre d’Or, a deluxe hotel in Èze, on the French Riviera, is known for a cuisine inspired by the spectacular azure seas of the Mediterranean. Malaysian-born Darren Teoh – Head Chef of the Michelin-starred Dewakan in Kuala Lumpur, which was voted  ‘The Best Restaurant in Malaysia 2022’ by Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants – will take up his place in April, and fellow Malaysian Mano Thevar, the Chef-Owner of the two-Michelin-starred modern Indian restaurant Thevar in Singapore, will take part in June. August will see Lars van Galen – the owner and Head Chef of the Michelin-starred ‘t Lansink  in The Netherlands – take to the pass, while father-son duo Michel and Sébastien Bras – who run a multi-Michelin-starred portfolio of restaurants across France and Japan – will round out the series in December 2023. 

“The last few years have seen a sea change in the industry, with a move towards a more natural or conscious approach to dining through emphasising seasonality, provenance, and local produce,” says Arnaud Girodon, General Manager of The Datai Langkawi. “Our award-winning guest chefs all advocate the primacy of these aspects – which privilege the quality of the ingredients, imbuing flavours with nuance and subtlety and elevating the richness of the overall experience. Their philosophies resonate very much with The Datai Langkawi’s dedication to sustainability, working in harmony with nature and supporting local and ethical producers and artisans who share our vision.”

Each chef will offer specially crafted menus at the resort’s alfresco venue, The Dining Room, featuring organic produce cultivated in The Datai Langkawi’s zero-waste Permaculture Garden. Selected chefs will also offer cooking demonstrations and masterclasses for guests. 

Chef series Malaysia Michel and Sébastien Bras pop-up residency The Datai Langkawi Tom Aikens