Celebrating Women in Food

A few days ago we marked the International Women’s Day by celebrating the achievements of women in various fields and walks of life.

We at Lonumedhu began our journey of food exploration last September, and since then we’ve had the opportunity to meet and talk with many remarkable women who are bringing their own distinctive touches to the young yet effervescent Maldivian food scene.

Although we are a bit late to the party, below, we celebrate the inspiring women we’ve talked with so far.

Alaya Manik

Alaya Manik is the owner of the online bakery Munch Me. She’s been running the business since 2014 and you can order an assortment of baked goods such as cookies, truffles, cakes and cupcakes from the bakery. While they all taste decadent we can assure you that they all look amazing as well; just take a look at the pictures!

Read the interview: Alaya Manik's Munch Me

Christine Kotzur

Christine Kotzur first came to the Maldives as a tourist some twenty five years ago. Being a diver, she kept coming back repeatedly and eventually started a safari boat business here. Coming from a family of cooks, Christine has always loved food and prior to moving to the Maldives, she was running a restaurant back in Germany. Now she is continuing her culinary journey by running the takeout shop TAKE IT AWAY in Male’. While the shop is mostly known for its grilled chicken, it’s also a great place to grab a salad or a wrap for a quick lunch.

Read the interview: Christine Kotzur on TAKE IT AWAY

Adlyn Saleem

Adlyn Saleem is the owner of Adlyn’s Bakery. With items such as mini cinnamon rolls, chocolate chunk cookies, almond & praline cake and black forest cupcakes, the bakery offers so many flavours for you to choose from. If you haven’t tried Adlyn’s Bakery before, we suggest you start off by ordering some macarons; they are just divine!

Read the interview: Adlyn's Bakery: Sweet Yummy Bakes!

Aminath Shazley Mohamed Didi

Aminath Shazley Mohamed Didi found her love for baking in her mid-teens. Now she runs the online bakery The Little Teashop. She makes cakes and treats for special occasions. We love her beautiful naked cakes as well as her fun fondant decorations. If you are looking for a melt-in-your-mouth butter cake, we can assure you that this is it.

Read the interview: Shazley's Little Teashop

Zeeba Saeed

Zeeba Saeed is the owner of the popular and cosy Zeeba’s Deli & Café. Zeeba wanted her café to be a place where customers can have a homely meal in a homely atmosphere and she has created just that. If you haven’t already been there we urge you to try out her banana bread or cinnamon rolls; both of them are just too yummy.

Read the interview: Zeeba's: A Spoonful of Home

Aishath Firasha

Aishath Firasha is the owner of Bakes by Fira. Although other baked goods are available from the online bakery, Bakes by Fira is all about her kanamadhu cake. If you haven’t had a taste of the kanamadhu cake yet, they are available from Akoya, Barcelos, Thyme and Café Lavaala, and we can assure you that it really is superb.

Read the interview: Fira's Famous Kanamadhu Cake