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Vivek Singh (chef)

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Vivek Singh
Born (1971-05-06) 6 May 1971 (age 54)
Asansol, in West Bengal, India
EducationInstitute of Hotel Management, New Delhi
SpouseArchana Singh
Culinary career
Cooking styleIndian cuisine
Current restaurant(s)
Television show(s)
    • Madhur Jaffrey's Curry Nation (2013)
    • At Home With Rachel Allen
    • My Kitchen Rules UK (2017)
Websiteviveksingh.co.uk

Vivek Singh (born 6 May 1971) is an India celebrity chef and restaurateur. He is the CEO and Executive Chef of five London-based restaurants specializing in modern Indian cuisine. Singh appears regularly on BBC's Saturday Kitchen,[1] and has been featured on Madhur Jaffrey's Curry Nation,[2] At Home with Rachel Allen,[3] My Kitchen Rules UK and various NDTV Good Times programs.

Early life and education

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Singh was raised in a coal-mining community in West Bengal, India, where his father worked as an engineer. He attended St. Patrick’s Higher Secondary School in Asansol.[citation needed]

Singh studied at the Institute of Hotel Management, IHM Pusa in New Delhi from 1990 to 1993. In 1993, he was selected for the Oberoi Centre for Learning and Development, training at the Maidens Hotel and Oberoi flight services.[citation needed]

Career

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After completing his training in 1995, Singh was appointed to the Oberoi Flight Services in Mumbai. He later worked at the Oberoi Grand in Kolkata, and oversaw operations at Gharana, a restaurant specializing in royal Indian cuisine.[4]

In 1998, he became the Indian chef at Rajvilas in Jaipur, where he met Iqbal Wahhab. A discussion between them about applying French cooking techniques to Indian cuisine led to the establishment of Singh’s first restaurant in London.[5]

Singh co-founded The Cinnamon Club in London in 2001, his first restaurant in the UK. Since then, he has opened several restaurants under the Cinnamon brand.

In 2015, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Warwick for his contributions to Indian cuisine in the UK.[6][7]

Restaurants

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Modern Indian dish prepared at London based Indian restaurant- The Cinnamon Club

The Cinnamon Club

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In 2001, Singh opened his first Indian restaurant, The Cinnamon Club, in London.[8] The Cinnamon Club has been listed as one of the "Best Indian Restaurants"[9] by the SquareMeal food guide in London, UK.

Now converted into a Modern Indian restaurant on 30 Great Smith Street, London SW1P3BU

Cinnamon Kitchen & Anise

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Upon the opening of his second restaurant, Cinnamon Kitchen & Anise, in 2008, food critic Fay Maschler described Vivek Singh as "a gifted cook creating striking and exciting dishes".[10]

Cinnamon Soho

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In 2012, Singh opened his third restaurant, Cinnamon Soho, and published his fourth cookbook, Cinnamon Kitchen: The Cookbook. Guy Dimond, a food critic at Time Out, remarked that "Singh is a master of flavor" and is "highly innovative".[11]

Cinnamon Bazaar

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The restaurant opened in Covent Garden in 2016. In 2017, it was listed in the Bib Gourmand, which noted it "[offering] both high-quality food and good value for money [...]"[12]

Afternoon tea by Vivek Singh

Cinnamon Kitchen Oxford (closed permanently in 2021) [13]

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The fifth restaurant in the Cinnamon Collection opened in 2017. This was Singh's first restaurant in the UK located outside of London.

Created by Indian Chef Vivek Singh at Cinnamon Soho, the third official restaurant under Cinnamon venture.

Public appearances

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In 2006, Singh was invited to Hangar 7 in Salzburg, Austria, where he collaborated with Chefs Eckart Witzigmann and Roland Trettl.[14]

In 2007, Singh helped recreate an Indian-inspired sausage based on Daljit Singh's childhood memories.[15]

In 2011, Singh was invited to Gourmet Abu Dhabi to showcase modern Indian cuisine.[16] He was also a guest speaker on Maharaja Express "A passage through India" with Allan Jenkins.[17]

The following year, Singh was invited to New York City for a week-long pop-up event at Desmond's NYC.[18]

Charity work

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In 2008, Singh became an ambassador for Wooden Spoon, a rugby charity supporting underprivileged children. Singh collaborated with former rugby union players Jason Leonard, Martin Offiah, Lee Mears and Nick Easter to raise funds through an event called Scrum Dine With Me.[19]

Singh has worked with Action Against Hunger since 2002, hosting an annual Diwali Charity Event in their aid.[20] He also supports Find Your Feet and participates in yearly campaigns to raise awareness through the Curry for Change campaign.[21] Singh works with The Prince's Trust charity, Mosaic Network,[22] which aims to inspire young people from deprived communities to realize their talents and potential. Other supported charities include the Asian Restaurants Skills Board, which aims to attract new talent to the Indian restaurant sector through college courses, work experience placements, and apprenticeships.[23]

Controversy

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In 2008, Singh created a dish for Virgin Media, which the company claimed was the world's hottest, to promote a new Bollywood movie channel. The claim generated debate, as other curry house owners disputed it. Singh commented that while the dish was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records,[24] measuring the "hottest" curry was subjective. The dish was named The Bollywood Burner.[25]

Personal life

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In May 1997, Singh married Archana in Bilaspur, India. They have two children: Eshaan (born October 2001) and Maya (born July 2006). Singh resides with his wife and two children in South London. [citation needed]

Cookbooks

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  • The Cinnamon Club Cookbook. Absolute Press. 2003. ISBN 9781904573012.
  • The Cinnamon Club Seafood Cookbook. London UK: Absolute Press. 2007. ISBN 978-1904573418.
  • Curry, Classic & Contemporary 3rd book by Vivek Singh. London: Absolute Press. 2008. ISBN 978-1904573883.
  • Walker, Chrissie (2012). Contribution in Capital Spice. London: Absolute Press. ISBN 978-1906650728.
  • Cinnamon Kitchen The Cookbook by Vivek singh. London: Absolute Press. 2012. ISBN 978-1906650803.
  • Singh; Yaseen, Vivek; Nagaraj, Abdul; Hari (2011). Cinnamon Club: Indian Cuisine Re-invented by Vivek Singh, Abdul Yaseen & Hari Nagaraj. India. ISBN 978-8184001143.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Singh, Vivek (27 January 2015). Spice at Home. London, UK: Bloomsbury. ISBN 9781472910905.
  • Singh, Vivek (2017). Indian Festival Feasts. London, UK: Bloomsbury. ISBN 9781472938473.

References

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  1. ^ "Vivek Singh". sense.org.uk. 3 June 2013. Archived from the original on 30 July 2014.
  2. ^ Blundell, Graeme. "The True Spice Girl takes a British tour". The Australian. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  3. ^ "Rachel Allen: Home Cooking – Series 1-Episode 8". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016.
  4. ^ "About Chef Vivek Singh". Redhotcurry News. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016.
  5. ^ "A creative use of spice". The Daily Telegraph.
  6. ^ "Vivek Singh receives(sic) Honorary Doctorate of Letters". Cinnamon Kitchen (Press release). 23 January 2015. Archived from the original on 6 February 2015.
  7. ^ "Ballet, opera, TV, WMD and tropical medicine all feature in latest honorary degrees announced by University of Warwick". University of Warwick (Press release). 8 January 2015.
  8. ^ "About Us | Modern Indian Cinnamon Club". Cinnamon Club Full. Retrieved 25 April 2025.
  9. ^ "Best Indian restaurants in London". Squaremeal.co.uk.
  10. ^ Maschler, Fay. "Evening Standard restaurant review of Cinnamon Kitchen". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 26 November 2008.
  11. ^ Dimond, Guy. "Food review of Vivek's cooking at Cinnamon Soho". Time Out. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
  12. ^ "Cinnamon Bazaar received a Bib Gourmand from Michelin". London Evening Standard. 29 September 2017.
  13. ^ "Home - Cinnamon Kitchen". www.cinnamon-kitchen.com. Retrieved 28 December 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ^ "Culinary Trip" (PDF). interspot.at.
  15. ^ "Britains first spicy Bangras 'Gourmet Sausages'et".
  16. ^ "Gourmet Abu Dhabi 2011". Rotana Times.
  17. ^ Jenkins, Allan (16 April 2011). "A passage through India on Maharaja Express". The Observer. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
  18. ^ "Vivek goes to NewYork in 2012". H2G Magazine. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  19. ^ "Scrum Dine With Me". Retrieved 17 September 2009.
  20. ^ "Vivek Singh supports Action Against Hunger Charity". Slowfood.org.uk.
  21. ^ "Curry for change by Find Your Feet Charity". Mood Food.
  22. ^ "Prince's Seeing is Believing with Prince Charles". Business in the Community. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  23. ^ "Asian Restaurant Skills Board with Eric Pickles". Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  24. ^ "World's Hottest Curry in Guinness Book of World Records". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 10 July 2008.
  25. ^ "Curry Hell to rival the Bollywood Burner". The South Asian Times.
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