Coming home to create more culinary magic

Talented Michelin-starred Chef Lahiru ‘Larry’ Jayasekera will take centrestage in the third volume of Shangri-La Colombo’s ‘Culinary Collaborations’ this February. Culinary Collaborations launched last November, showcases personalities in the culinary arts, exchanging ideas and offering culinary delights to their patrons. Chef Larry will host three exclusive dining events where guests can experience his celebrated gastronomic flair first-hand.

The Hikkaduwa native who migrated to the UK at the age of 18 has since achieved respect and recognition amidst the upper echelons of London’s culinary scene due to both hard work and skill, winning the Young Chef of the Year competition in 2007 and the very prestigious National Chef of the Year Competition in 2016. To cap that achievement, he also had the experience of working at Marcus Wareing’s The Berkeley, Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir and Michel Bras and most recently as head chef in Gordon Ramsey’s Petrus in London, earning a highly sought after Michelin star.

“My time with Petrus was fantastic. Working with the team there was truly inspirational and a positive experience with lots to learn,” says Larry.

On the topic of his influences, he says he was always inspired by his surroundings. “I was influenced by the people around me. I was always inspired by seeing different kinds of produce, and this propelled me to experiment in the culinary arts. Sourcing fresh and locally grown ingredients is something that brings me joy. The sheer variety of produce is endless and I would dream up different ways to incorporate them in my cooking.”

To create his gastronomical masterpieces, he trusts his gut – or in this case, palate – as he states “being able to experiment with produce and flavour profiles is what inspires me when it comes to creating new dishes.”

He is also excited to experiment with the local ingredients of Sri Lanka for his upcoming collaboration with Shangri-La Colombo, and is especially “stoked to pair these ingredients with unique techniques learned from my training for the past 18 years and create some interesting dishes for everyone to enjoy!”

When not experiencing the heat of the kitchen, Larry prefers to hit the gym and decompress at home and while you can take the chef out of the kitchen, you can’t take away his passion for food. “I am also a foodie by nature so I love to explore the dining scene in the UK.”

Larry is one of the lucky few who get the opportunity to do what they love as a career, and even after close to 20 years of life in the high-pressure kitchen, creating edible works of art, he loves everything about it. “What I love the most about my job is the people, the culinary culture and of course the amazing ingredients I get to work with in the kitchen!”

Larry’s life at the moment revolves around working on developing a new restaurant in Mayfair which will be his first solo venture, details of which will soon be revealed.

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