Having an experience of over 17 years, Chef Ajay Pant began his career as a Kitchen Trainee, Apprenticeshipat Taj Ganges, Benaras. He then joined The Leela Palace, Goa as the Chef De Partie. Pant was promoted from Four Seasons Goa to Four Seasons Resort Kuda Huraa, Maldives as a Sous Chef. In January 2002, he joined Sunset Beach Resort, Al Khobar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as the Executive Sous Chef. Pant then moved on to take the role of an Executive Chef (acting) at Marriott International, Marriott Doha, Qatar where he orchestrated activities for eight restaurants, eight banquet rooms and outdoor catering events, serving up to 2000 guests. He also opened JW’s Steakhouse Restaurant from scratch – February 2009.
He then got an opportunity to work as an Executive Chef at Marriott Red Sea Resort, Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, where he supervised 68 chefs and 30 stewards. In July 2010, Pant became the Exectuive Chef at Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide at Sheraton Udaipur Palace Resort & Spa where he earned many firsts to his credit in Udaipur like opening: a ‘Pure Vegetarian/Jain Restaurant’ in any 5-star property in the city, ‘A Non-Vegetarian Heaven’ Rajwada, featuring exclusive non-vegetarian dishes of Indian Cuisine, first Fun Pub H2O, and first Middle Eastern Venue (Mezzas, Grills and Shisha).
In his current role as the Executive Chef at Marriott International, Jeddah Marriott Hotel, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Pant got a chance to attend Chef’s Excellence Workshop in Dubai with Chef Brad Nelson (Corporate Chef – Marriott International) and Chef Rainer Zinngrebe (Corporate Chef – The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company LLC). He specialises in menu engineering, Banquet, A La Carte, Table De Hôte, Royal Table, Gala Menus and Theme Buffets. He has even conducted cooking shows for Tatler and Conde Nast Traveler.
With a vast experience, Pant also holds a lot of certifications including Certificate of Excellence from the Leela Beach Goa, Certificate of Appreciation from Jaypee Hotels Ltd, Certificate of Health & Hygiene, and Certificate of Manual Lifting. He has undergone Fire Fighting Training, Supervisory Development Program and Train the Trainer in Four Seasons Maldives, is HACCP trained, and a LMS certified culinary professional (Labour Management System) from American Hotel and Lodging Association.
