DEAN WITH US AND THE LEELA PALACES, HOTELS AND RESORTS PRESENTS THE 2nd EDITION OF THE HIGHLY ACCLAIMED ‘SHEFS AT THE LEELA’ INITIATIVE
The Voice of Chandigarh|Travel Trade Reporter:
After the astounding success of the first edition of ‘Shefs at The Leela’ at The Leela Palace Bengaluru, The Leela Ambience Gurugram Hotel and Residences along with Dean with us (Rupali Dean and Akanksha Dean) now presents its 2nd edition with a sublime culinary repertoire celebrating 3 Indian women Chefs who are creating ripples in the culinary world with their passion and commitment to excellence. On 21st January 2023, Shreeya Adka, Hanisha Singh and Sneha Singhi Upadhaya, 3 globally renowned chefs will come together to curate a unique dining experience that will showcase a menu that will feature their signature dishes with a global spin.
Commenting on the occasion, Anuraag Bhatnagar, Chief Operating Officer, The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts said, “‘Shefs at The Leela’ is a unique and innovative concept that is a celebration of talent and skill. It commemorates equal opportunity for all not just in thought, word and spirit but is backed by tangible and concrete action creating a platform that appreciates the achievements of women in hospitality and builds a community that will inspire, encourage and nurture diversity in our kitchens. We are taking the first step and hope that this will cascade into a movement that will be embraced by the industry at large.”
Spread across 2 days, ‘Shefs at The Leela’ will open with a Masterclass on 20th January and will lead into a spectacular sit-down dinner on 21st January curated and serviced by an all women workforce. Led by the trailblazing women chefs – Shreeya Adka, Hanisha Singh and Sneha Singhi Upadhaya, an all-women culinary production and service team of The Leela Ambience Gurugram will orchestrate this delightful evening which promises to be a mélange of flavours, cuisines and cooking styles and tells a powerful story of diverse backgrounds, experiences and learnings.
THE CURATORS
AKANKSHA DEAN
Food & Travel writer and culinary researcher, Independent Chef & Events Specialist
A trained hospitality professional from the Institute of Hotel Management Aurangabad, Akanksha Dean is the first Indian chef to train with Massimo Bottura at Modena, Italy; the top chef’s three Michelin-starred Osteria Francescana is still considered the best restaurant in the world. Travelling for local food and culture has taught her to develop a completely original perspective on everything, by rewarding innovation and fresh thinking.
RUPALI DEAN
Award winning Journalist; Food & Travel Photographer; A Catalyst and an Events specialist
Awarded as the ‘ Best food writer in the country’ by the Indian culinary forum, WACS and the ministry of Tourism Dean is a familiar name in Travel & Food writing. Her passion and work take her on various travels within India and across the world and her by-line is familiar to discerning readers of newspapers and magazines.
THE SHEFS
SHREEYA ADKA
Chef Founder, The French Door, Coimbatore
Having grown up in a family that has been in the business of selling kitchen appliances for 74 years, Shreeya’s childhood has always been about food and food related conversations. During those years, she was fortunate to meet a lot of chefs like Sanjeev Kapoor and Neeta Mehta who instilled her dream to become a chef. Eventually, she managed to get into The Culinary Institute of America after interning at a local bakery for six months. Exploring and cooking local and international food as a group was her favourite pastime at college. Soon, she realized that pushing boundaries and expanding one’s skill has to be every chef’s priority. Utilizing the fundamental techniques that she learned at college and the exposure she got at the restaurants she trained at (Eleven Madison Park and Per Se New York), she developed her culinary skills working alongside her fellow chefs for the past seven years. She strongly believes that every recipe, constantly needs to evolve and she strives to achieve that every day at work. Growing up in a Mangalorean household, Shreeya has now been spending a lot of time exploring and experimenting with Udupi and Tulunad cuisine with the aim to bring the regional cuisine to the forefront. Her desire is to change the food scenario in the country by introducing novel concepts and dining experiences. “Inspiration for The French Door mainly came from having an exposure to a whole new world of food inspired by French techniques being created at Per Se, which was then, 5th in the World’s 50 best restaurants list.
HANISHA SINGH
Chef Owner, Plats, New Delhi
Chef Hanisha, an alumina of the prestigious Oberoi Centre of Learning and Development started her career at the Trident Nariman point Mumbai as kitchen executive. After a stint at the Trident Nariman point as Kitchen executive, Hanisha moved into stand-alone restaurants. She worked as Sous chef for the Impresario group of restaurants and during her tenure of close to 3 years she headed the kitchen of an immensely successful Smoke house grill. Her new found passion for desserts led her to Bangkok where she trained under Chef Andres Lara, who is considered of the top pastry chefs in the world. Packed with the passion to please and the knowledge gained she opened My little food company in the year 2012. She lay her foundation with interactive, Hands-on Cooking Classes, customized dessert orders and the opportunity to Take home the chef, giving customers the chance to get her to cook for them and their close ones. Her in depth knowledge of baking and her skills has led her to working closely with the American kitchen appliance company KitchenAid, where she is was Chef consultant for the Asia Pacific region. Hanisha and her Chef Partner and husband Jamsheed also ran a chef consultancy firm helping people with a passion to run restaurants realise their dreams before opening their own restaurant. Hanisha does her own plates from across the world with her spin on it. Food is deeply personal and so they showcase what they like to eat and cook and share that with everyone.
SNEHA SINGHI UPADHAYA
Chef/Content Creator, Kolkata
Having seen her mother & grandmother cook delicious food all her life, Sneha was naturally inclined towards food. Her biggest role model has been her mother Mrs. Radhika Singhi who dons various hats of being a designer, stylist, chef & much more. After pursuing Journalism & Media from a reputed college in Kolkata, Sneha eventually realised her calling was in the food industry.
So, she applied to the Le Cordon Bleu in Paris & only told her parents when she was accepted. And, from then on started her journey into the culinary world. Exploring & cooking local food with her friends from different parts of the world was her favourite pastime. Initially interested in pastry arts, she soon realised that pushing boundaries & expanding one’s skills has to be every chef’s priority. And so, she did various courses from different parts of the world, honing her skills. Recognition of the work she has done comes in the form of being awarded the Best Chef for Times Food Guide Award, Best Restaurant Owner (Paris Cafe 2013-2021) by Times Food Guide Award, Best Pastry Chef of the Year India by BBC Good Food. After having to make the difficult decision to shut down Paris Cafe after 9 successful years, Sneha found her calling on Instagram and pop ups. She loves sharing her recipes & tweaks them to make it easier for those cooking at home or staying away from family which is why she instantly struck a chord with her audience. Sneha aims to be the most influential food vlogger & you can find her on Instagram by @snehasinghi1. She loves cooking Indian, Italian & easy dessert recipes for her friends, family & audience.
