The Nautilus Maldives Brings Pastry Chef Elena Nabiullina to Baa Atoll for November Culinary Residency

The CREAMO founder will lead a hands-on cookie masterclass and introduce a signature dessert during the resort’s Masters for Masters programme.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Pastry chef and CREAMO founder Elena Nabiullina is due to visit The Nautilus Maldives in November 2026.
• A guest masterclass on 8 November will focus on Nabiullina’s signature CREAMO cookies.
• Guests staying during the residency are set to receive her ring-shaped Bublik dessert.
• Visit Maldives gives 7–12 November for the residency; the resort’s website lists 6–12 November.

The Nautilus Maldives is adding a new culinary experience to its November calendar, with award-winning pastry chef Elena Nabiullina set to join its Masters for Masters series for a short island residency in Baa Atoll. Guests will have the opportunity to learn directly from the founder of artisanal gelato brand CREAMO and taste a dessert created for the occasion.

According to an announcement published by Visit Maldives on 21 October, the residency is scheduled for 7–12 November 2026. The resort’s own event announcement, however, lists 6–12 November. Travellers arranging a stay around the programme should confirm the starting date directly with the property.

A cookie masterclass and a dessert for every guest

The principal participatory event is planned for 8 November, when Nabiullina will demonstrate the ideas and techniques behind her signature CREAMO cookies. The session is intended to give participating guests approachable skills they can carry into their own kitchens, rather than simply presenting a formal tasting.

During the residency, guests staying at the resort will also be offered her signature Bublik, a ring-shaped dessert accompanied by a card explaining the story behind its creation. The chef’s appearance is part of the resort’s Masters for Masters programme, which invites specialists from different creative disciplines to share their work with residents in smaller, more personal encounters.

From Paris kitchens to an island residency

Nabiullina came to pastry after initially pursuing a career in industrial and civil construction. She has traced her early interest in baking to homemade sweets prepared in her mother’s kitchen; meeting French chef David Emmerle later prompted her move into professional confectionery.

Her training has included the Ragout School, an internship at Akrame in Paris and specialist study associated with chefs including Cédric Grolet, Ramon Morato, Jordi Bordas and Karim Bourgi. She has also pursued training at Valrhona’s school in Dubai, Carpigiani Gelato University and the Institut National de la Boulangerie-Pâtisserie in Rouen.

Named Pastry Chef of the Year in 2024 by WHERETOEAT, she has contributed to more than 14 restaurant openings, worked as pastry chef at Café Garage at the Garage Museum and developed CREAMO as her own artisanal gelato venture. Her approach emphasises contrasts in texture, imaginative flavour combinations and careful presentation.

For The Nautilus, the engagement adds an educational element to its flexible dining philosophy, placing the making of a dessert alongside the experience of eating it. The resort is presenting the limited-time programme as an opportunity for guests to interact with a working pastry specialist during their stay, with more information available on its residency page.