Citrus Leisure PLC ceremoniously declared open its iconic five-star property Citrus Waskaduwa two months ago in a gala ceremony under the auspice of His Excellency President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Since the opening the property has not only further enhanced its facilities, but has also expanded its service offering by bringing in dynamic individuals from the local and international hospitality industries to perfect its team. 

Executive Assistant Manager of the hotel “Chef Sudu” sees the world-class F&B team as the culmination of veterans and youth which adds to the dynamism of the property itself. Speaking on the team under him Chef Sudu notes, “We paid careful attention to selecting the very best for the F&B team for Waskaduwa. The mixture of old-hands and newcomers allows us to bring years of experience and new ideas together, thereby creating a totally unique offering to our customers”.

The food and beverage service brigade is headed by Banquet Manager Wasantha Meepawala. Before joining the Citrus team, Wasantha was the Banquet Operations Manager at Galle Face Hotel, a position he held since 2008. With over a decade of experience in several renowned hotels around the island, he is currently reading for a Masters in Tourism Economics and Hotel Management at the University of Colombo.

Heading the entire culinary production brigade is Executive Sous Chef Buddhika Dayananda. A proud member of the Citrus Waskaduwa opening team, Buddhika started his career at the age of 18 at the Earls Regency in Kandy. He then moved to Oman and later to Abu Dhabi and was also privileged to be responsible for the royal flight catering and business class kitchen of Oman Air. Buddhika has also served Queen Elizabeth’s private jet during the AGCC summit in 2008. Moving back to Sri Lanka, he was then appointed Executive Sous Chef of Bentota Beach Hotel, a position he held until moving to Citrus Waskaduwa.

Chef Nirosh Deepthi Namadagala heads the pastry bakery production team and carries with him over a decade of experience both in Sri Lanka and global hotel chains in the Middle East. The experience gained from working for the Shangri-La in Dubai under Chef Sudu and then later in Abu Dhabi and Doha, Nirosh returned to take up the position of head pastry chef at Kandy’s first five-star hotel, Earl’s Regency until he was asked to join the Citrus group.

The former resident manager of Serene Pavillions Wadduwa, Sarath Rathnayake now overlooks the entire F&B operations at Citrus Waskaduwa. With his decades of knowledge and experience working in hotels around the island, Sarath leads a young team with industry insight and innovation. In charge of guest services and MICE tourism at Citrus Waskaduwa, Banquet Coordinator Liya Jayasinghe also possesses extensive experience in both hospitality and customer service. Backed by Bachelors in Business from the Deakin University, Australia Liya has worked for some leading international brands like McDonalds Australia, Woolworth’s Australia, MYERS, David Jones, and Crown Melbourne Hotels. She was also the former Promotions and Events Manager at Cinnamon Grand.

Completing the truly international team is dynamic Indian-born sommelier, promotions and PR manager Saanjna Subiah who although a new entrant to the local hospitality industry, carries with her years of global exposure and training. Currently pursuing a diploma in wine, Saanjna boasts a plethora of experience as a marketing consultant, event strategist and operations manager in some of the most renowned entertainment establishments in India. She brings with her not only a dynamic personality but also new ideas in to the booming tourism industry in an attempt to attract new business to Sri Lanka from around the world.

Situated just 37km from Colombo, Citrus Waskaduwa features extensive banquet facilities, including one of Sri Lanka’s biggest banquet halls “Mandarin Shore”. The modern “pillar-less” banquet hall can cater to up to 500 guests while the smaller “Blue Orchard” ballroom is equipped for 200 pax. For smaller, more intimate gatherings the “Sky Lime” beach lounge is also a stunning setting. Equipped with one of the largest kitchens in the island, the banquet team at Waskaduwa has the capacity and capability to turn dream weddings into reality while also catering to the thriving MICE tourism market. The dynamic team enables Citrus Waskaduwa to deliver world-class offerings and is gearing up to host a multitude of weddings, conferences and special events during the coming months.