SPICE
IT UP
Chef Sheally, to whom Indian food is both an intrigue and a way of life, talks about his
journey from Northern India to now spicing things up at Sarova Hotel.
A
s we drive up to Sarova
Panafric to meet with
the Director of Food and
Beverage Operations for
Sarova Hotels, I ask one
of the guards if Shailender Singh
is in. He has no idea who that is. I
initially think I might be pronouncing
the name wrong, but later learn that
it is because this chef (by profession)
is known to everyone as Sheally. A
few minutes later, I am seated across
from him at his desk wondering if
the purple colour of his Sikh turban
signifies anything. I make a mental
note to find out afterwards. Sheally
is chatting away about the hotel,
and I already feel like I have known
him for a while. He has that effect
on people, a skill probably honed
from having worked in hospitality for
about 25 years.
At 44, his passion for the culinary
arts has seen him work all over his
home country of India, SouthEast
Asia, America, Europe and now Kenya
where he’s been for about 10 years.
All the while, he’s served numerous
celebrities and heads of state including Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Colin
Powell, Hillary Clinton, Bill Gates, Sir
Richard Branson, Sir Elton John, Brian
Adams, Roger Waters among others.
He has recently been touring the
world, bringing international wine
and food concepts to Kenya, and his
accolades are far too many to list on
this page. For all his work outside
the kitchen, however, I quickly find
out that he is one to regularly put on
his chef’s apron and dive right in to
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