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

Profile 2026

The work

Methodology, collaborations and plates from the 2026 profile. Sameer is looking to join a leading luxury hospitality brand as a culinary or F&B head, and to build a kitchen that guests and colleagues remember.

Methodology Collaborations Awards Masterclass Press Plates

Objective

Best-in-class kitchens

Join a leading luxury hospitality brand as a culinary or F&B head. Bring operational experience, leadership and new ideas, and build a team that cooks unforgettable evenings.

Vision

Bespoke dining

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

Lead with sincerity. Be professional. Make sure the guest leaves with something they will talk about later.

Mission

Pride, passion, a smile

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 Sameer has used in luxury hotel kitchens.

A. People

The team

Nurture the brigade: development, coaching, training, upskilling and multitasking.
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

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

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, Sameer cooked a four-hands dinner at The Leela Palace with Chef Julien Mercer, for the opening of École Ducasse. They 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. Sameer is 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 Sameer 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. Sameer still calls it a crowning jewel of his 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

A collaboration 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.