Chef Sameer Farhad Sehgal in a chef coat, standing in a wood-panelled lounge

Head chef, Fenix Manchester

The work

I am Head Chef at Fenix in Manchester. This lookbook is the kitchen I run now, and the luxury hotel kitchens that came before it.

Methodology Collaborations Awards Masterclass Press Fenix Plates

Now

Head chef, Fenix

I am Head Chef at Fenix in Manchester. I bring operational experience, leadership and new ideas, and I want guests and colleagues to remember the evenings we cook.

Vision

Bespoke dining

I want exceptional, bespoke dining for every guest. A market position that stands on quality, invention and the same standard on a Tuesday as on a Saturday.

Core belief

Lead with sincerity

I lead with sincerity. I stay professional. I want the guest to leave with something they will talk about later.

Mission

Pride, passion, a smile

I want to empower, mentor and develop every culinary ambassador so they cook with pride, passion and a genuine smile.

Methodology

Resource management as people, product and procedure. The same three pillars I have used in luxury hotel kitchens.

A. People

The team

I nurture the brigade: development, coaching, training, upskilling and multitasking.
I let people run the section as if it were their own business.
Short one-to-ones and honest feedback.
More time with guests, and the habit of anticipating what they want.
A continuous loop of learning for F&B: new trends and techniques.

B. Product

F&B offerings

I buy the best quality, and buy local where it is better.
Work with suppliers for seasonal produce and know-how.
Market visits and regular tasting.
Use the product of the season, or start the trend yourself.
Use home-grown talent and the skill that makes a guest say wow.

C. Procedure

How the house runs

I give the team the right training and the right tools.
SOPs and F&B bibles in every unit.
A service excellence team to train local kitchens and keep the standard the same.
Plan ahead. Keep the house organised.
Feedback sessions, then change what needs changing.

Collaborations

The Leela Palace, New Delhi

Alain Ducasse

After training on the Grill at The Dorchester, and a look at Alain Ducasse operations in the same hotel in 2006, I cooked a four-hands dinner at The Leela Palace with Chef Julien Mercer, for the opening of École Ducasse. We wrote a six-course menu. Delhi’s social circle was in the room, including the French Ambassador to India. Chef Ducasse was complimentary about the Leela kitchen. I am the only chef in India to have done that collaboration with him.

19.86

Ruben Arnaz

A collaboration with Chef Ruben Arnaz of 19.86, one of the youngest Spanish chefs to hold a Michelin star. Tapas, then a Spanish brunch at ADD Qube. The Spanish Ambassador to India came too. The lesson I took from the night was cooking closer to the ingredient, and how tapas should be served.

Rémy Martin

Louis XIII at Jamavar

For the first time in its history, the house of Louis XIII asked an Indian chef to take the lead and pair the cognac with bold Indian flavours. I still call it a crowning jewel of my career. It was one of a kind in India, and one of the most successful collaborations for the Rémy Martin team.

PIP

Mary Ellen McTague

I cooked with Chef Mary Ellen McTague for PIP, a restaurant built on a sustainable kitchen. Produce is local. Meat comes from regenerative farms. The aim is low-waste cooking: trimmings and leftovers turned into another treat for the guest.