The Hoteliers and Chefs in The Luxury of Attention

then General Manager of COMO Uma Paro and COMO Uma Punakha (Bhutan); Low retired in December 2024 after a decade leading the COMO properties in Bhutan

Amit Majumder

then General Manager of Jumeirah Vittaveli (Maldives)

Alexander Pichel

then General Manager of Hotel Indonesia Kempinski Jakarta (Indonesia)

Ralph Radtke

then General Manager of Çırağan Palace Kempinski Istanbul (Turkey)

Tom Roelens

then General Manager of Four Seasons Resort Lanaʻi (Hawaii, United States)

Mariano Silvestri

then General Manager of Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa (Maldives)

Taljinder Singh

then General Manager of The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai (India)

Mahmoud Skaf

then General Manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

Kai Speth

then General Manager of The Reverie Saigon (Vietnam)

Krister Svensson

then General Manager of The St. Regis Bangkok (Thailand)

Pinar Kartal Timer

then General Manager of Pera Palace Hotel, Jumeirah (Istanbul, Turkey)

Nicholas Yarnell

then General Manager of Six Senses Douro Valley (Portugal)

Michael Ziemer

then General Manager of Mandarin Oriental, Taipei (Taiwan)

The chefs

Michelin-starred chefs and restaurateurs, by surname.

Albert Adrià

then chef of Tickets and the elBarri group, Barcelona

Andoni Luis Aduriz

Mugaritz (San Sebastián, Spain)

José Andrés

founder of World Central Kitchen and the José Andrés Group (Washington, DC, United States)

Alex Atala

D.O.M. (São Paulo, Brazil)

Eneko Atxa

Azurmendi (Larrabetzu, Spain)

José Avillez

Belcanto (Lisbon, Portugal)

Emma Bengtsson

Aquavit (New York, United States)

Martin Berasategui

chef and owner of Restaurant Martín Berasategui (Lasarte-Oria, Spain)

Jonnie Boer

De Librije (Zwolle, The Netherlands)

Jacob Jan Boerma

then chef and owner of De Leest (Vaassen, The Netherlands); De Leest closed in 2019, and Boerma is now Signature Chef at The White Room, Amsterdam

Anthony Bourdain

author, television host, and culinary explorer (1956 to 2018); interviewed January 2016

Cristina Bowerman

Glass Hostaria (Rome, Italy)

Ricardo Costa

The Yeatman (Porto, Portugal)

Enrico Crippa

Piazza Duomo (Alba, Italy)

Richard Ekkebus

Amber at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental (Hong Kong)

Sven Elverfeld

Aqua at The Ritz-Carlton, Wolfsburg (Germany); final service March 2026; Elverfeld continues with S.E.A. by Sven Elverfeld aboard The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection

Kevin Fehling

The Table (Hamburg, Germany)

Éric Frechon

then Executive Chef of Epicure at Le Bristol (Paris, France); Frechon left Le Bristol in April 2024 after twenty-five years, and Epicure continues under Arnaud Faye

Guillaume Galliot

Executive Chef of Caprice at Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong (Hong Kong SAR, China)

Peter Goossens

then chef and owner of Hof van Cleve (Kruishoutem, Belgium); Goossens stepped back at the end of 2023, and Hof van Cleve continues under Floris Van Der Veken

Sean Gray

then Chef de Cuisine of Momofuku Ko (New York, United States); Ko closed in November 2023, and Gray now cooks at the Sergeantsville Inn in New Jersey

Rodolfo Guzmán

Boragó (Santiago, Chile)

Ryuki Kawasaki

Mezzaluna at Lebua (Bangkok, Thailand)

Kwong Wai Keung

T’ang Court at The Langham, Hong Kong (Hong Kong SAR, China)

David Kinch

then chef and owner of Manresa (Los Gatos, California, United States); Manresa closed in December 2022, and Kinch has since launched a new restaurant group in Los Gatos

Virgilio Martínez

chef and owner of Central (Lima, Peru)

Niki Nakayama

n/naka (Los Angeles, California, United States)

Hans Neuner

Ocean restaurant at Vila Vita Parc (Algarve, Portugal)

Nicolai Nørregaard

Kadeau Copenhagen and Kadeau Bornholm (Denmark)

Matthew Orlando

then chef and owner of Amass (Copenhagen, Denmark); Amass closed in 2022, and Orlando opened ESSE Copenhagen in October 2025

Martha Ortiz

Dulce Patria (Mexico City, Mexico); Dulce Patria has since closed, and Ortiz now runs Filigrana (Mexico City)

Patrick O’Connell

The Inn at Little Washington (Washington, Virginia, United States)

Eric Ripert

Le Bernardin (New York, United States)

Joan Roca

El Celler de Can Roca (Girona, Spain)

Georgianna Hiliadaki and Nikos Roussos

Funky Gourmet (Athens, Greece); Funky Gourmet closed in 2019, and the pair’s group now runs ventures including OPSO in London

Ana Roš

chef and owner of Hiša Franko (Kobarid, Slovenia)

Guy Savoy

Restaurant Guy Savoy (Paris, France)

Aaron Silverman

Pineapple and Pearls and Rose’s Luxury (Washington, DC, United States)

Emmanuel Stroobant

Saint Pierre and Shoukouwa (Singapore)

Pedro Subijana

Akelarre (San Sebastián, Spain)

Chan Yan Tak

Lung King Heen at Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong (Hong Kong SAR, China)

Tetsuya Wakuda

Waku Ghin at Marina Bay Sands (Singapore)

Joachim Wissler

then chef of Vendôme at Schloss Bensberg (Bergisch Gladbach, Germany)