- Seven women, seven stories
International Women’s Day is often marked by speeches, panel discussions, and celebratory posts across social media. But this year, Colombo witnessed a far more unusual tribute. At Luna Mews, a one-night dining experience titled ‘The Table of Seven’ brought together gastronomy and storytelling in a way that felt refreshingly original.
Created in collaboration with Singaporean Chef Derrick Kwa, the event honoured seven Sri Lankan women whose cultural influence spans fields as varied as fashion, human rights, mountaineering, film, art, entertainment, and community building.
Rather than recounting these women’s accomplishments in speeches or presentations, the evening attempted something far more creative: translating their impact into food. Each course in the seven-course menu was designed to reflect the essence of one of the women being celebrated. The concept itself felt both novel and intimate, an opportunity to experience stories not through words alone, but through ingredients, flavours, and thoughtful culinary interpretation.
Chef Derrick, whose culinary career has taken him through Michelin-starred kitchens and restaurants featured on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, approached the project with careful research. Having previously served as Group Executive Chef for boutique luxury hotels in Sri Lanka, he spent time familiarising himself with the country’s ingredients and culinary traditions. For this particular menu, he immersed himself in the personal narratives of the women being honoured.
“I try to make sure everything is grounded in strong research,” Chef Derrick explained. “I spent time diving into interviews these individuals have given to understand their beliefs and what they stand for in their own words. From there, I look for ingredients that can symbolise those ideas.”
The result was a menu built not simply around taste, but around symbolism. Each ingredient on the plate had been chosen deliberately, connecting the dish to the woman who inspired it.
The curated experience presented the guests with beautifully designed cards explaining the inspiration behind each dish. The cards detailed how particular ingredients and culinary elements were selected to reflect the achievements, personalities, or philosophies of the women being honoured. It set the tone for the night, one that invited diners to pause and consider the meaning behind each plate.
In many ways, this simple gesture transformed the meal into something more reflective. Diners were not simply tasting a dish; they were engaging with a story.
The setting itself played an important role in shaping the atmosphere. Known for hosting intimate cultural gatherings that merge art, conversation, and cuisine, Luna Mews provided a fitting backdrop for the event. The evening unfolded gradually, allowing guests to explore the space, take in the art around them, and settle into the rhythm of the meal.
But perhaps the most special aspect of the evening was that the women who inspired the dishes were present at the table itself. Sharing the meal with the very individuals whose lives and work had informed the menu added a sense of immediacy to the experience. The storytelling moved beyond abstraction; it became personal and conversational.
As the courses arrived, the menu moved through a sequence of distinct flavours and textures. Each dish felt intentionally composed, with ingredients layered carefully rather than dramatically. The courses differed noticeably from one another, maintaining a sense of progression across the evening.
Among the mains, the duck dish stood out as one of the highlights of the meal. It carried a depth of flavour that felt balanced and considered without being overly elaborate. More broadly, the seven courses maintained a clear sense of identity, with each plate offering something slightly different from the last.
Yet what made the meal memorable was less about any single dish and more about the thought behind the concept itself. Chef Derrick’s approach to cooking treats food as a medium for communication. Originally trained as a digital marketer before entering the culinary world, he views ingredients as a way of telling stories – a language that does not rely on words but on memory, symbolism, and shared experience.
The idea of celebrating influential women through food could easily have become overly sentimental or performative. Instead, the evening maintained a thoughtful balance. The dishes remained grounded in flavour while quietly reflecting the themes and personalities they represented.
In that sense, The Table of Seven felt less like a conventional tasting menu and more like an artistic collaboration between chef, space, and subject.
Events like this are still relatively rare in Colombo’s dining scene. While themed dinners and pop-up menus have become increasingly common, this particular concept, celebrating cultural icons through ingredient-driven storytelling, felt both fresh and imaginative.
As International Women’s Day celebrations continue to evolve, perhaps that is what made this experience stand out. It demonstrated that honouring influence and achievement does not always require a stage or a speech. Sometimes, a thoughtfully set table and a carefully composed meal can tell the story just as well.