Jai Shaikh

Head Chef Jai grew up in Mumbai surrounded by a plethora of culinary influences, from Indian and Vietnamese to Italian and Thai. He found an early passion for his mother’s improvised dishes, which, he says, were ‘fresh and seasonal, with an emphasis on fish, vegetables and low, slow cooking’.

He began his professional training more than twenty years ago, after abandoning a career in medicine, called instead by the desire to experiment with flavour and to understand the science of food. Six years spent as Sous Chef on board the QE2 resulted in a number of highlights, including the opportunity to use a wealth of global ingredients, as well as cooking for Queen Elizabeth II. Jai settled in the UK in 2009, and spent four years as Head Chef at The Ivy Collection before joining The Wolseley Hospitality Group in 2024, starting at The Wolseley City and later moving to Colbert in 2026. ‘There is no greater love than the love of food,’ he says. ‘It has the ability to satisfy, nurture and create happiness in a way that nothing else can.’