Athula Sanjaya Mudaligama

Executive Chef, Gourmet Lanka
Chef Athula born in Aluthgama, but now lives close by in Ambalangoda, a town on the South Coast famous for the traditional “Yakka” or devil’s masks. Athula joined the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Colombo in September 2007 as Executive Chef, and ten years on is our second longest serving employee and the anchor of our central production kitchen and guardian of the respected Coffee Bean quality and our famous cheesecakes. Chef is responsible for developing the pastry and food menus, maintained quality and consistency, food hygiene in our HACCP standard kitchens, controlling cost efficiency and all kitchen staff training and management.

He started his career in 1996 as a Trainee Cook at the Colombo Holiday Inn (currently The Ramada), before moving to The Hilton Colombo as a Commis I Chef. He did ten years at the Hilton, where he was trained by the Hilton’s respected Executive Chef Michel Salen (A Belgian). Chef Athula rose through the Hilton ranks to Executive Sous Chef, responsible for over 150 kitchen staff, with the last two years heading a Hilton owned subsidiary ‘The Food Factory’

Chef won the Bronze Award at the M.L.A. Black Box Culinary Challenge in 2004. At the Coffee Bean, Chef Athula and his team were awarded Best Bakery in Colombo in 2009, and he was Award Employee of the Year in 2012. He attended Coffee Bean Chef Training in Malaysia and Singapore in 2007 and 2009.