Chef Amod Singh, Executive Chef at Argonaut Hotel and Blue Mermaid Restaurant, where he oversees the hotel’s food and beverage program. Chef Singh will leverage his Michelin-trained background and diverse cultural roots to offer A Creative Spice California’s Cuisine to excite locals and visitors alike.
A long-time San Francisco resident, originally from India, chef Singh possesses a deep understanding of the Bay Area’s diverse ingredients and bounty, which he utilizes in his dishes at Blue Mermaid. Drawing inspiration from his cultural and professional background, chef Singh has curated an elevated California Indian menu serving a broad array of new dishes for breakfast, lunch, brunch, happy hour and dinner service.
With his vision to diversify and cultivate a brand new menu at Blue Mermaid, Chef Singh has propelled the food and beverage program to an entirely new level.
Chef Singh Creations of California spice cuisine is a vibrant fusion of flavors inspired by the diverse cultures and ingredients found in the Golden State. It combines elements from Mexican, Mediterranean, Asian, Indian and American cuisines with a focus on fresh, local produce and bold spices. Think of dishes like Classic Pani Puri from India introduces as "The Flavor Bomb" on his menu, avocado and mango salsa, cilantro-lime Confit Butter Chicken, and Barbecue burritos etc. The key is to experiment with different spices and ingredients to create unique and flavorful dishes that reflect the rich culinary tapestry of California. Adding a touch of spice to his already vibrant culinary landscape brings in some truly creative dishes, which has become the City new favorite. The agricultural landscape offers an abundance of fresh ingredients the give an opportunity to create more and pair with the spices. Indian cuisine is renowned for its vibrant and aromatic use of spices. Some of the most commonly used spices in Indian cooking includes turmeric, cumin, coriander, mustard seeds, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, red chili powder, fenugreek, asafetida each stands out with their own identity and benefits once combined well with the right ingredient, makes a huge difference where Chef Singh excels with his deeply rooted traditional learnings since his childhood. Each spice adds its own distinct flavor and aroma, contributing to the rich tapestry of Californian Indian Creative Spice cuisine. Chef Singh certainly focuses on the locally available ingredients, which he likes to pair with the spices of his origin keeping in concern the identity and integrity on the ingredient, not be compromised at any given time. This make the dish very successful as the locals and visitors try the ingredient what they are already familiar with and gets a wowed experience once when they get the different taste of the same. This has influenced several neighborhood perception of their meals, which clearly reflects their thoughts through their reviews. “We’re Kiwi’s staying at the Argonaut as a treat at the end of our four week trip from NYC across to San Francisco. Night two of eating at the restaurant and we had the ‘Flavour Bomb’ appetiser. All we can say is amazing! The chef had brought his Indian cuisine influence to stellar heights. This is a must try if you’re dining at the Blue Mermaid”, “Beginning with the incredible nights the food prepared by Chef Singh is some of the best I have ever had. His mix of flavors and creativity and then beautiful presentation creates a unique and wonderful dining experience. I was lucky enough to have lunch with chicken and sourdough bread, and I honestly cannot describe the incredible mix of flavors for dinner. I had these beautiful chicken bites also incredibly unique flavor and beautiful presentation and then, I had coconut shrimp curry. The sauce was delicate, subtle, and so different. Just delicious and nice and light. Tonight I enjoyed something called the flavor bomb. The presentation was so beautiful and the flavors were some of the best things I’ve ever eaten. And then I finished it off with a light and refreshing dessert called mango variations. Beautiful presentation, nice, light, and just delicious. I could not recommend this restaurant more if you’re looking for something very special in a dining experience”. Chef Singh has been constantly educating his team as well as his guesta towards the benifits of having these spices in their daily meals plans, as has been a hot topic for discussion. Chef Singh featured on Forbes Magzine and Conde Naste Travellers and many more getting recognition for his work and culture.
Prior to his new role at The Argonaut Hotel, Blue Mermaid Restaurant, Chef Singh was executive sous chef at Taj Campton Place in San Francisco, where his culinary talents earned the restaurant two Michelin Stars. While there, Chef Singh was honored for his work and nominated for Hotel Hero Awards’ Hotel Council of San Francisco in 2018. The restaurant at Taj Campton Place has been recognized as a top restaurant in San Francisco by respected critics in publications like San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco magazine, Eater SF and many others.
Before his time at Taj Campton Place, chef Singh honed his culinary training at three Michelin Star restaurant, The Restaurant Ambassador in Frankfurt, Germany, under the culinary mastery of famed chef Jaun Amador. In addition to his extensive work at several acclaimed hospitality food and beverage programs, chef Singh graduated with a degree in hotel management from Institute of Hotel Management in Chennai, India and began his career in the industry at Taj Hotels and Resorts in India.
Chef Singh is passionate about being involved in the restaurant and food community and has participated in several events, including the James Beard Foundation, Saint Sebastian Gastronomika Spain, World Gourmet Festival Thailand, Obsession 19 Northcote, UK, SF Chefs, Meals on Wheels, Plate by Plate, Eat Drink SF, and others.
With his 25 years of learning and experience in the hotel industry, Chef Singh shares his best insights and care for the food and culinary community. His respect for food and ingredients has brought him a very long way and will cintinue to enhance the dining experience of his clients year after year in future as well.
Nomination Title: Chef Amod Singh, Executive Chef
