Belmond celebrates female talents in conjunction with International Women’s Day
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© Belmond
Committed to diversity and inclusion at the workplace, the Belmond group put the spotlight on a group of inspiring women talents from a variety of backgrounds. They include five artists whose works are featured at the Belmond Cadogan Hotel in Chelsea in London, the Executive Chef of the Belmond Charleston Place Hotel in the United States, and three women sommeliers at Belmond hotels in Italy.
Tucked away on Sloane Street in London’s picturesque Chelsea district, the Belmond Cadogan Hotel has always been a favorite among art lovers. Paintings and art works are displayed throughout the historic establishment and each room features an original commissioned piece.
A group of five British female artists with distinctive styles was carefully chosen to paint the canvases. Asked to interpret the atmosphere of the place in their own terms, the painters were invited to explore Cadogan Place Gardens, a serenely green haven reserved to the hotel’s guests. The women – Helen Ballardie, Beatriz Elorza, Jane Kell, Ele Pack and Kathleen Mullaniff – came together to share and help each other while giving free rein to their individual voice and style. The great diversity of their interpretations of the same space comes together with a sense of collective harmony.
Belmond also pays tribute to talented women on the other side of the Atlantic in Charleston, South Carolina in the United States. Michelle Weaver is Executive Chef of the Charleston Grill in the Belmond Charleston Place Hotel, serving cuisine with a perfect balance between refined elegance and home comfort.
After formal training at the New England Culinary Institute, Michelle Weaver honed her skills under French chef Daniel Bonnot in New Orleans and then at the Wild Board Restaurant in Nashville. She has been at the Charleston Grill for over 20 years and was named Executive Chef in 2009.
Renowned the world over, her cuisine has earned the restaurant a multitude of awards. Her signature dishes include Thai fish and foie gras paired with her mother’s recipe for Southern-fried apple pie. Michelle Weaver’s talent has made the Belmond Charleston Place Hotel a renowned destination thanks to creativity inspired by the seasons and exquisitely prepared dishes.
Back in Europe, Belmond hotels in Italy are home to three remarkable sommeliers. Marianna Cappotto, Simona Di Goro and Maina Macri have all made a name in a world traditionally dominated by men. Marianna Cappotto is the sommelier at the Cips’ Club in Venice, where she has built up a fabulous cellar of 650 meticulously curated wines.
Simona Di Goro, sommelier at the Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo in Sicily, invites her clientele to discover the mineral wines of Etna. And Maina Macri presides over a cellar of 500 wines at La Terrazza restaurant in the Belmond Hotel Splendido in Portofino. She is especially fond of dessert wines, especially the nectar-like Sciacchetra, produced in the Cinque Terre region, which she offers to guests with dessert, her way of helping preserve the wine-making tradition of the region.
Please enjoy responsibly.