Collaboration
Four hands with Alain Ducasse
A six-course dinner at The Leela Palace New Delhi with Chef Julien Mercer, for the opening of École Ducasse. The French Ambassador to India was at the table.
Executive chef and F&B leader, United Kingdom
Chef Sameer Sehgal
Chef Sameer Farhad Sehgal has spent 25 years in luxury hotel kitchens, as an executive chef and F&B leader. Eight of those years were in London, eight in Dubai. He still thinks of himself as someone who designs evenings people remember, not only plates they eat.
- Years
- 25+
- Cities
- London, Dubai, Delhi
- Teams
- 100+ chefs
01
About Chef Sameer
Husband, father, chef
Food is how families sit together.
Chef Sameer started as a chef trainee at The Oberoi Centre of Learning and Development. That school taught him the basics he still uses: clean work, detail, and not cutting corners. He went on to cook as a luxury hotel chef at The Oberoi, Blakes, The Dorchester, IHG, Armani, St. Regis, The Leela Palace and Starwood.
Some of his best memories are of his mother’s cooking. These days the roles have flipped, and he cooks for his own children. That is the simple reason he runs kitchens the way he does. Happy chefs cook better food. Guests notice.
“Lead with sincerity. Be professional. Make sure the guest leaves with something they will talk about later.”
02
Culinary career
A culinary career in five-star hotels: The Oberoi, The Dorchester, Armani Dubai, The Leela Palace and Treehouse Manchester.
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Oberoi Centre of Learning
Chef trainee. Postgraduate diploma in hospitality. This is where the craft started.
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The Oberoi, Calcutta and Bangalore
Junior to senior sous chef. Banquets for 2,000, fine dining at La Rotisserie, and a spell in the Thai kitchen. The Times of India wrote about the work.
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Blakes and The Dorchester, London
Eight years in London. Premier sous chef on The Promenade. Employee of the Year at The Dorchester in 2011. First look at how Alain Ducasse kitchens work.
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IHG, Armani and St. Regis, Dubai
Eight years in Dubai. Events at InterContinental Festival City, head chef of Amal, then HOD at J&G in the St. Regis. Culinary teams of more than 100.
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Address, Edwardian and The Leela Palace
Executive chef at Mazina, Address Dubai Marina. Peter Street Kitchen in Manchester. Director of F&B and Culinary at The Leela Palace New Delhi, looking after Megu and Le Cirque.
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Treehouse Hotel Manchester
Pre-opening executive chef for Starwood. 224 rooms, two restaurants, a brigade of 54, and banqueting for 400.
03
Kitchen leadership
Happy chefs cook amazing food, which in turn makes guests happy. People first, then the product, then the systems that keep both honest.
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People
Look after the brigade
Train people properly, then let them run the section as if it were theirs. Short one-to-ones. Plenty of time on the floor with guests.
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Product
Buy well, cook in season
Local suppliers, market visits, and tasting what is actually good that week. If something new is worth doing, start it rather than wait.
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Procedure
Write it down
SOPs and kitchen bibles so the food is the same on a Tuesday as it is on a Saturday. Plan ahead. Use feedback, do not file it.
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Now
Teach and source closer
Work with local growers. Spend time with young chefs. Keep kitchens proud, organised and a little hungry.
04
Awards and collaborations
Pairing
Louis XIII at Jamavar
The first time Louis XIII asked an Indian chef to pair the cognac with Indian food. Sameer still calls it one of the high points of his career.
Collaboration
Ruben Arnaz, 19.86
Tapas and a Spanish brunch with one of the youngest chefs to hold a Michelin star. The Spanish Ambassador to India came too.
Time Out Dubai
Amal, J&G and Mazina
Best Indian Fine Dining in 2013 and 2014. Best Steakhouse at J&G, St. Regis, in 2017. Best Family Brunch at Mazina, Address Marina, in 2018.
- 2011 Employee of the Year, The Dorchester
- 2013 to 18 TripAdvisor top restaurant, several years
- 2014 Leader of the Year, Armani Culinary
- 2015 Interview, OK! Middle East
- 2016 Classic Lifestyle magazine
- Press Ahlan Middle East Top 100 dining destinations
05
Kitchen gallery
Louis XIII dinners, Indian fine dining, plates from the kitchen, and evenings with Alain Ducasse at The Leela Palace.
06
Signature dishes
Signature dishes across European, Mediterranean, Asian and Indian fine dining, cooked in luxury hotel kitchens in London, Dubai, Delhi and Manchester.
European
- Royal Balik salmon, Hass avocado, shrimp
- Grade 7 wagyu carpaccio, Parmesan, Taggiasca olives
- Butternut velouté, coconut foam, tomato caviar
- Charcoal veal, king oyster, Banyuls jus
Indian and Asian
- Sous-vide duck, confit jhalfrezi, cumin potatoes
- Seabass moilee, vegetables poriyal
- Coconut-poached lobster, pickled beetroot
- Wagyu teriyaki, wasabi foam
Manchester and the Gulf
- Steak tartare, champagne-poached egg
- Lemon and wild garlic risotto, burrata
- Miso chicken on the binchotan grill
- Lamb shank tagine, orzo
Guest sessions have included Dom Pérignon pairing, white Alba truffle, tandoor with The Macallan, modern Indian food, spice, spherification and amuse-bouche.
07
Common questions
Who is Chef Sameer Farhad Sehgal?
Chef Sameer Farhad Sehgal is a luxury hotel chef and F&B leader with 25 years in kitchens in London, Dubai, Delhi and Manchester. He trained at The Oberoi Centre of Learning and Development.
Which luxury hotels has Sameer Sehgal cooked in?
The Oberoi, Blakes London, The Dorchester, IHG, Armani Hotel Dubai, St. Regis, Address Dubai Marina, The Leela Palace New Delhi and Treehouse Hotel Manchester.
What culinary and F&B work is Chef Sameer looking for?
Culinary and F&B leadership with luxury hotels, plus consulting, hotel pre-openings, private dining and brand collaborations.
Does Chef Sameer offer private dining in the UK?
Yes. He takes on private dining as well as speaking, teaching and brand work. Enquire on samchef.co.uk or email samchef123@gmail.com.
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Enquire
Chef Sameer is looking at culinary director and F&B leadership roles with luxury hotels in the UK and abroad. He also takes on consulting, hotel pre-openings, private dining and brand work.