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Head chef, Fenix Manchester

Chef Sameer Sehgal

I am Head Chef at Fenix in Manchester. Before that I spent 25 years in luxury hotel kitchens, eight of them in London and eight in Dubai. I design evenings people remember.

Get in touch See my portfolio
Years
25+
Cities
London, Dubai, Manchester
Teams
100+ chefs
Chef Sameer Farhad Sehgal, Head Chef at Fenix Manchester, in a white chef coat beside a bronze horse sculpture
Portrait Chef Sameer Farhad Sehgal

01

About me

Chef Sameer Sehgal at a brasserie entrance, luxury hotel chef in chef whites

Husband, father, chef

Food is how families sit together.

I started as a chef trainee at The Oberoi Centre of Learning and Development. That school taught me the basics I still use: clean work, detail, and not cutting corners. I went on to cook as a luxury hotel chef at The Oberoi, Blakes, The Dorchester, IHG, Armani, St. Regis, The Leela Palace and Starwood. I am now Head Chef at Fenix in Manchester.

Some of my best memories are of my mother’s cooking. These days the roles have flipped, and I cook for my own children. That is the simple reason I run kitchens the way I do. 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

My culinary career has been in the five-star luxury segment: The Oberoi, The Dorchester, InterContinental, Armani Dubai, St. Regis and The Leela Palace.

  1. Oberoi Centre of Learning

    Chef trainee. Postgraduate diploma in hospitality. This is where my craft started.

  2. The Oberoi, Calcutta and Bangalore

    I was a 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.

  3. Blakes and The Dorchester, London

    Eight years in London. I was premier sous chef on The Promenade. Employee of the Year at The Dorchester in 2011. My first look at how Alain Ducasse kitchens work.

  4. IHG, Armani and St. Regis, Dubai

    Eight years in Dubai. I ran events at InterContinental Festival City, was head chef of Amal, then HOD at J&G in the St. Regis. Culinary teams of more than 100.

  5. Address, Edwardian and The Leela Palace

    I was executive chef at Mazina, Address Dubai Marina, then at Peter Street Kitchen in Manchester. Director of F&B and Culinary at The Leela Palace New Delhi, looking after Megu and Le Cirque.

  6. Treehouse Hotel Manchester

    I was pre-opening executive chef for Starwood. 224 rooms, two restaurants, a brigade of 54, and banqueting for 400.

  7. Fenix, Manchester

    I am Head Chef. The signature dishes on this page are from that kitchen.

03

Kitchen leadership

Happy chefs cook amazing food, which in turn makes guests happy. I put people first, then the product, then the systems that keep both honest.

  • People

    Look after the brigade

    I 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.

  • Product

    Buy well, cook in season

    I work with local suppliers, visit the market, and taste what is actually good that week. If something new is worth doing, I start it rather than wait.

  • Procedure

    Write it down

    I keep 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.

  • Now

    Teach and source closer

    I work with local growers. I spend time with young chefs. I keep kitchens proud, organised and a little hungry.

04

Awards and collaborations

Northern Chefs' Dinner flyer featuring Chef Sameer Sehgal of Fenix Restaurant, Manchester, National Restaurant Awards Best New Opening 2024 nominee

National Restaurant Awards

Best New Opening 2024 nominee

Fenix Restaurant, Manchester. I was featured at the Northern Chefs' Dinner at Fairmont Cheshire, The Mere.

Collaboration

Four hands with Alain Ducasse

I cooked 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.

Pairing

Louis XIII at Jamavar

The first time Louis XIII asked an Indian chef to pair the cognac with Indian food. I still call it one of the high points of my career.

Collaboration

Ruben Arnaz, 19.86

I cooked 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.

05

Signature dishes

Plates I cook now at Fenix in Manchester. Click a photograph to open it.

Robata grilled fish, smoked pancetta butter
Crispy baby calamari, rocotto mayo
Seabass carpaccio, anticucho dressing
Salt-baked whole fish
Paccheri, slow braised soy short ribs
Wagyu meatballs, spicy tomato salsa

07

Common questions

A bit about me

I trained at The Oberoi Centre of Learning and Development, then cooked in luxury hotels in London, Dubai, Delhi and Manchester. I am now Head Chef at Fenix.

Where I have cooked

The Oberoi, Blakes London, The Dorchester, IHG, Armani Hotel Dubai, St. Regis, Address Dubai Marina, The Leela Palace New Delhi, Treehouse Hotel Manchester, and Fenix, where I am Head Chef.

What else I take on

Consulting, hotel pre-openings, private dining and brand collaborations.

Private dining in the UK

Yes. I take on private dining as well as speaking, teaching and brand work. You can enquire on this page or email samchef123@gmail.com.

08

Enquire

For consulting, hotel pre-openings, private dining or brand work, write to me here.

Email samchef123@gmail.com Mobile +44 7867 020522 Profile LinkedIn