i. Biography
Coming Up
Modern Indian fine dining is the field where Vivek Singh has built his name, and the work reads as a study in precision, warmth, and control. As Executive Chef and CEO of The Cinnamon Collection, Singh has kept the focus on a style that values consistency and memory without leaning on ornament. His own shorthand for it is plain: "That’s pretty much what I’ve been doing throughout my career." The training ground matters here. St. Patrick’s Higher Secondary School in Asansol, followed by the Institute of Hotel Management, IHM Pusa in New Delhi (1990–1993), gave Singh the disciplined base that often underpins a long service career. Those years set up a working path that moved between hotel kitchens, airline service, and restaurant leadership, with each stage adding another layer to his understanding of the trade. Technique was further shaped in service operations. Singh trained at the Oberoi Centre for Learning and Development in Maidens Hotel and Oberoi Flight Services (1993–1995), then became part of Oberoi Flight Services in Mumbai (from 1995). That sequence points to a culinary education built as much on timing, poise, and the mechanics of service as on food itself. Before his kitchen leadership took full form, he had already learned how tightly hospitality depends on discipline under pressure. Kitchen responsibility followed. As chef at Oberoi Grand in Kolkata, operations lead at Gharana, and Executive Chef at Rajvilas in Jaipur (from 1998), Singh moved through roles that required both execution and oversight. The progression marks a chef working across the full span of the dining room and the back of house, where flavour, pacing, and guest experience have to hold together at once. The thread through those posts is a practical one: scale, rhythm, and the ability to keep standards in place as the operation grows. Ownership gave that approach a wider frame. As founder / restaurant operator at Cinnamon Kitchen Oxford (2017–2021), Singh brought his Modern Indian point of view into a more public, more defined setting. The work there extended the sensibility that would become central to The Cinnamon Collection, with clarity and confidence doing the heavy lifting rather than excess. The line from earlier roles is visible in the move to operator: the same craft, now carried into a room he could shape more fully. Today, the collection maps out the breadth of that work: co-founder of The Cinnamon Club (since 2001), founder / restaurant operator of Cinnamon Kitchen & Anise (since 2008), founder / restaurant operator of Cinnamon Soho (since 2012), founder / restaurant operator of Cinnamon Bazaar (since 2016), founder / restaurant operator of Cinnamon Kitchen Battersea (since 2018), and founder / restaurant operator of Cinnamon Bazaar Richmond (since 2024). Taken together, these addresses show a consistent language across different rooms and neighbourhoods. The scale is larger than any single site, but the point of view stays the same.
Where They Are Now
As Executive Chef and CEO of The Cinnamon Collection, Singh works at the junction of kitchen and business, directing the group with a practical understanding of both sides. His view of the scene is equally direct: "But I think the scene and the landscape has benefited so much from both the depth and breadth." The line reflects an outlook that values range without losing specificity, and substance without closing off to variation. That outlook is rooted in the way his career has been built. School, hotel training, airline service, kitchen roles, restaurant ownership: each stage followed from the one before it, and none of them is presented as a detour. The result is a body of work assembled by accumulation rather than by leap, with Modern Indian fine dining serving as the consistent frame around it.
Honors
Vivek's honors include Honorary Doctorate.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Vivek
What is Vivek Singh's current role?
As of 2026, Vivek Singh is Executive Chef and CEO.
Where did Vivek Singh train or study?
Vivek Singh trained at St. Patrick’s Higher Secondary School, Asansol.
What recognition has Vivek Singh received?
Honorary Doctorate (2015).
