From Commis to Executive Chef: The 22-Year Journey of Kuldeep Singh
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Kuldeep Singh's culinary journey did not begin in a five-star kitchen. It began in 2002 as a Trainee at Hotel Trident, Gurugram, followed by a stint as Commis III at Chancellor Club, Ansal Group — the kind of entry-level posting where a young cook learns discipline, hygiene protocol, and the rhythm of a professional kitchen before ever being trusted with a menu of his own. From there, he moved through The Taste of India and ITC Fortune, Gurugram, steadily building the technical foundation that would define the next two decades of his career.
By 2008, he had earned a place at ITC Maurya Sheraton, New Delhi, as Chef de Partie, followed shortly after by a posting at Mercuries Restaurant in Jumeirah, UAE, where he took on the role of Chef de Cuisine — his first real taste of international kitchen leadership. In 2009, Singh joined Shangri-La Hotel, New Delhi, beginning a long and significant relationship with the Shangri-La group that would carry him across three countries over the following decade.
His most formative chapter came at Shangri-La Hotel, Jakarta, where he served as Sous Chef for nearly seven years, from 2012 to 2019 — assisting the Executive Chef in daily operations, mentoring junior chefs, and helping uphold the brand's global culinary standards across high-volume service. This was followed by a posting as Indian Chef at Shangri-La Makati, Philippines, where he led the kitchen during the 2019 State Visit of the President of India — a defining professional milestone.
In 2021, Singh stepped into entrepreneurship, taking on the role of Owner and Head Chef at Neelkanth Hotel in Chamba, Uttarakhand, where he managed not just the kitchen but the business itself — budgeting, vendor relationships, staffing, and guest experience. He returned to international kitchens in 2022 as Indian Specialist Chef at Orchard Hotel, Singapore, before moving to the United States, first as Executive Chef at Fine Indian Dining Group (Chote Nawab) in New York, and currently as Executive Chef at Chutneys Bellevue, Washington, since September 2025.
In total, Singh's career spans six countries — India, the UAE, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, and the United States — and reflects a steady climb from commis-level kitchen work to leading culinary operations on an international stage.
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