Marriott Appoints Sandeep Pande Director Culinary at Renaissance and Fairfield by Marriott in Lucknow

MARRIOTT INDIA announced the appointment of renowned chef and hospitality industry veteran Sandeep Pande as its new Director Culinary, to helm the dining experience at two of the Group’s prestigious hotels -- Renaissance Lucknow and Fairfield, by Marriott Lucknow. 

Pande who excels in diverse cuisines brings on board more than 20 years of experience in the culinary arts, curating menus, formulating recipes, and planning banquets. He has lead chefs and kitchen staff at hotels and hospitality groups across India and abroad.

In his new capacity as Multi Property, Director Culinary, he will supervise the dining at both Renaissance Lucknow Hotel and Fairfield by Marriott Lucknow

Before joining his latest assignment, Pande was Executive Chef at the Renaissance Mumbai and Marriott Executive Apartments where he effectively turned around the guest dining experience during his three years of service.

Pande’s culinary career began with the Oberoi Group, New Delhi, in 1994. Over the next two decades, he went on to work for the Oberoi Group across its hotels and resorts in multiple cities and capacities including at The Oberoi Amarvilas; Trident, Bandra Kurla, Mumbai; Trident, Gurgaon; Trident, Agra; as well as The Oberoi at Bangalore, Mumbai, and Kolkata. During his association with Trident, Chennai, Pande was in charge of Flight Catering Operations of British Airways, Lufthansa and Air India.

From 2001-2005 he went on to enhance his skills abroad: He hosted MICE functions, conducted international food festivals, and trained in Michelin-starred restaurants. He hosted gastronomic tours of London, the South of England, Provence, and Languedoc-Roussillon. He also consulted with chef de cuisines at Le Meridien Phuket & Laguna Beach Resort, Phuket.

Later, Pande also led the kitchen and dining facilities at the Habtoor Grand Beach Resort and Spa, a sprawling 562-room resort hotel on Jumeirah Beach, Dubai. As Executive Sous Chef for two years, he efficiently led a team of 10 chef de cuisines and a 145-person strong staff. He was also involved in the pre-opening phase of the hotel including designing of systems, kitchens, and menus.

“We are delighted to have industry veteran Sandeep Pande on board to improve, rejuvenate, and revitalize our dining experience. Given his rich experience across cuisines and cultures, we are sure he will effectively lead our team towards offering Lucknow’s best culinary and dining experience,” says Gaurav Wattal, Spokesperson, Marriott Lucknow

Pande holds a masters degree in Hospitality Administration from Cornell School of Hotel Administration. He excels in Mediterranean, Indian, Thai, and English pub cuisine.

Having lived and worked across the country over the years, Pande speaks Bengali, Tamil, Punjabi, and Hindi as well as English and Thai. He has co-authored Cuisine with Altitude, a book featuring first-class menus from some of the best airlines across the world, including menus from the Concorde.

Beyond the industry training and experience is Pande’s own mantra of cooking with passion. He believes that “ingredients make the maximum impact when driven by a passion to satisfy palates and hearts.” His quest is to achieve something new in the kitchen using the same ingredients every day.