Culinary Director

About Sinclairs

Sinclairs Hotels & Resorts is one of eastern India's most established hospitality names, operating nine properties across the country's hills, plains and coastline, from Himalayan resorts to a beachfront hotel in the Andamans. We are a listed, debt-free group with a strong cash position, now in an active expansion phase and transforming how we run: our commercial discipline, our people systems and our technology.

The Role

You will be the group's first Culinary Director, owning the culinary product across every Sinclairs property: all-day dining, specialty outlets, in-room dining, banqueting, weddings, MICE and buyouts. The mandate is a clear culinary identity rooted in each property's region, delivered consistently through standard recipes, disciplined food cost, safe kitchens and strong chefs, without flattening what makes each location worth visiting.

This is hands-on leadership. You write menus, you cook, you audit, you train, and you travel to Gangtok or Port Blair to fix a kitchen in person.

What You'll Own

• Group food philosophy and each property's culinary identity: Himalayan, Sikkimese, Tibetan and Bengali in the hills and plains, Nilgiri in Ooty, island seafood in Port Blair, Rajasthani in Udaipur
• - Menus across all outlets and events, with a seasonal refresh calendar and signature dishes
• - Standard recipe cards, plating guides and yield specs rolled out across all kitchens; regular kitchen audits with corrective plans
• - Food safety for the group: FSSAI, HACCP-based systems, allergen management
• - Food cost targets by property and outlet; menu engineering, portion control, wastage
• - Head chef development, culinary training curriculum and a cook pipeline from local communities
• - Kitchen design, equipment specification and culinary planning for new properties and refurbishments

What We're Looking For

• 10+ years in hotel kitchens, at least 3 as Executive Chef or in a cluster/corporate culinary role
• - Significant experience with a major hotel group (IHCL/Taj, Oberoi, ITC, Leela, Marriott, Hyatt, Accor, Hilton, IHG or equivalent)
• - Multi-outlet kitchens with high-volume banqueting and weddings
• - Strong command of Indian regional cuisines; solid continental and pan-Asian capability
• - Demonstrated food cost control, recipe standardisation and food safety systems
• - Formal culinary or hotel management qualification
• - Willing to travel extensively, including remote hill and island locations

Where This Goes

First group culinary seat; leads culinary planning for every new property and builds the head-office culinary team.