Srijith Gopinathan

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

Chef Srijith Gopinathan grew up in Southern India with his mother and grandmother’s cooking. Mesmerized by his grandmother’s cooking, he says: “It was magic the way she transformed these living things into delicious dishes, and I wanted to master the magic too.”

He began his journey as a chef with the luxury hotels in India. He then pursued further training at the Culinary Institute of America, at Hyde Park NY, and in the kitchens of Raymond Blanc and Gary Jones at the famed Two Michelin star restaurant Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Oxford, England.

“I grew up in India and the first thing you do is you wake up, and your mom gives you tea, and that's the first thing you drink. It's the first thing I eat almost everyday day, even today.”

Srijith has served as the Executive Chef to the Taj Campton Place Hotel since 2008, where he has become well-known for his distinctive style of combining traditional South Indian cuisine with classical European cooking. Speaking to this style, Srijith reflects: “Whatever everyone else was doing, I wanted to do something else”. In 2010 he earned a Michelin star as a result of his mastery of this unique style and his ability to create classic dishes with unconventional elements.

Before joining the Taj Campton Place Hotel, Srijith served as sous-Chef at the Taj Exotica Resort and Spa in Maldives, where he commanded menus with seasonal produce sourced from across the world.