Member of the month February 2026: Vivek Chauhan
Here at The Staff Canteen, we feature a different member every month who we think deserves to be celebrated – our latest winner is Vivek Chauhan.
As thanks for being a regular contributor to The Staff Canteen, Vivek will receive a TSC mug, an item of merchandise from our online store, and be entered into our member of the year 2026 competition.
Award-winning pastry chef Vivek, who works as a chef consultant, has more than two decades of experience in the industry and has been a member of The Staff Canteen since October 2021.
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Vivek’s career so far
We caught up with Vivek to find out more about his impressive career to date.
“I did my professional hotel management degree from 1996-1999 at the Institute of Hotel Management, Gwalior, in Madhya Pradesh, India,” he explained.
“After successful completion, I became chef de partie in patisserie.”
Vivek has gone on to work in luxury hotels and high-end restaurants, both in the UK and India.
His early experience included the patisserie divisions at properties such as Taj Mahal Hotel and Uppals Orchid, before a move to London saw him continue to develop his craft at One Aldwych.
Vivek also worked for Hilton Hotels, both in the East Midlands and Heathrow, as well as Royal Lancaster Hotel.
During his early days in England, Vivek worked under renowned chefs such as Mark Gregory, Nigel Boschetti, David Dorricott and Paul Danabie.
“I got my first management position at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, becoming pastry sous chef with a team of 11,” Vivek said.
“We were doing banquets and between 5,000 to 7,000 covers in a week. We were taking care of desserts at two restaurants – Nipa, a Thai restaurant, and Island, a traditional English restaurant - plus afternoon tea and room service amenities.
“Our clients were big names like Morgan Stanley, Barclays, Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan.
“I also had the opportunity to do the dinner for the Association of Pastry Chefs in 2010, and we got good recognition for that.
“We also moved Nipa to two AA rosettes, which was a feather in our caps.”
Vivek’s initial stay in England ended with a stint at The Westbury Mayfair, which boasted two one-Michelin-star restaurants, by Alyn Williams and Eric Chavot.
Alongside chef Brian Fantoni, Vivek worked at the Craft Guild of Chefs dinner.
Vivek is now back in the UK after 10 years in India, where he worked at The Imperial and Le Méridien hotels, both as executive pastry chef.
“We were doing banquets, we had a patisserie shop, room service amenities, two restaurants and a café,” said Vivek, who managed a team of 17 pastry chefs.
Awards, associations and key milestones
Vivek works with a number of different culinary associations, namely Association of Pastry Chefs, Craft Guild and Chefs Sans Frontières, as well as holding MIH status from the Institute of Hospitality.
During his time in India, Vivek has won a host of awards.
Among his accolades are Pastry Chef of the Year 2018 (ICF), Pastry Chef of the Year 2021 (India International Hospitality Exhibition), Pastry Chef of the Year 2023 North (Better Kitchen), Iconic Pastry Chef of the Year 2024 (International Icons of Excellence Awards), Innovative Pastry Chef of the Year 2024 (Better Kitchen), and Pastry Chef of the Year 2025 (Better Kitchen).
He also had the honour of cooking during the G20 summit period in New Delhi, with his hotel Le Méridien hosting representatives from four countries.
Why Vivek chose pastry
Discussing his love of pastry work and why he ended up heading down that path specifically, Vivek said: “The management trainee programme lasts two years and for six months they give you exposure across the kitchens. While working in patisserie, I realised this is what I really want to do in my life.
“It has a lot of creativity. Even in those days they used to say, whatever you do today will be history in six months. Now it is a week, or 10 days and something is history, because everybody is coming with new ideas and creativity, with patience and art.
“It’s amazing work. Every day you feel pride that you have done something.
“For example, in 2024, at Le Méridien, my general manager asked if we could do something for the Olympics in Paris.
“I said, ‘let’s make an Eiffel Tower’. She suggested three feet, but I said three feet won’t give recognition - let’s make it nine feet. I presented a plan and got the go-ahead. We made a nine-foot chocolate Eiffel Tower weighing 250kg.
“My executive chef said if it doesn’t work, we both have to resign!
“That’s how it feels when we do chocolate sculpture or amenities - you think about the tribute, the reason, and how to represent something properly.”
To get to know a bit more about Vivek, we asked him some quick-fire questions to finish.
What’s your favourite ingredient to work with?
“Chocolate is my favourite, I love working with it. Whether it’s making a sculpture, amenities, bonbons, desserts, or chocolate bars.
“I learned in England that July 7 is World Chocolate Day, and I’ve always celebrated. Last year I made a five-foot chocolate bar. We also made a three-foot Big Ben.
“Second is berries, because in England you get some of the best berries.”
What do you like about being a part of The Staff Canteen?
“The Staff Canteen feels like a community. I’m thankful to you for building such a beautiful platform.
“It’s not only that I post my work - I learn a lot as well from other chefs. It is your hard work that helps chefs learn from each other, so thank you very much.
“You get introduction to many senior chefs. You learn a lot day-to-day - not only food, but the style, how to present your work on social media. I see a lot of dessert ideas.
“The articles about chefs give you ideas about what you should take care of, the dos and don’ts, even for small desserts, like how to balance your food or how you pair ingredients.
“Earlier in my career we used to buy expensive books, but now with the help of The Staff Canteen, you get all the homework without spending any money.
“You also give opportunities for people to grow, like talking to me to give me an opportunity to highlight myself. So these are the amazing benefits.”
What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned as a chef?
“Patience is the biggest key in the kitchen.
“Attitude is another one. A long time ago, chef Gordon Ramsay said ‘your attitude reflects on your food’ - and I still believe it. If you are happy and in a good mood, you produce one of the best dishes.
“Third is choosing the right ingredient - good quality ingredients matter.”
What is your proudest career achievement?
“The first award I got was from the Indian Culinary Forum in 2018 - they selected me as pastry chef of the year. That was the best one because it was the first time I achieved it.
“My whole family, my mentors, and whoever I learned from, I gave tribute to them. It’s because of them that I was able to win it.”
What are your hopes and plans for the future in hospitality?
“I say to many of my friends, I don’t know anything else and I don’t know whether I will be able to do anything else. I have built up myself for so many years and I really want to be in this.
“Maybe in a couple of years I might think to do something of my own. Maybe a small pastry shop or catering to supply to units.”
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Member of the month February 2026: Vivek Chauhan
