Suresh Kumar Venkatappa

Acclimatized professional with rich & incisive experience in Operations Management and Client Servicing in the Food & Beverage Departments of various hotels.

Skilled Culinary

Professional offering over 23 years of rich experience in various cuisines. Created programs to improve efficiency, quality and resource allocation with a focus on profitability.

Associate Vice President Food & Beverage at Dhruvathara (2026-03 – Present)

Executive Chef at Elior India Catering PLC (2025-12 – 2026-02)

Executive Chef at Kadambaas Hospitality Pvt Ltd (2022-01 – 2022-09)

Senior Manager Food & Beverage at Health Care Global Enterprises Ltd. (2018-02 – 2021-05)

Developing and implementing procedures for maintaining quality standards, streamlining processes and generating cost savings in operations. Supervising all aspects of kitchen management including planning, implementation and monitoring to ensure compliance with high standards. Overseeing the maintenance of excellent health & hygiene standards.

Introducing cost effective customer friendly menu, honed with the distinction of introducing authentic and fusion cuisine. Ensuring high quality service to the clients for maximum customer experience and delight in all the satisfaction parameters (time, quality, food service). Taking feedback from guests to provide the highest quality of service.

Handling guest complaints; delivering high-value services to upscale clients for exalting their satisfaction levels. Developing and implementing key procurement strategies / purchase schedules and ensuring that these strategies / schedules are aligned with organizational objectives. Monitoring and managing procurement of best available raw materials in terms of money & quality.

Ensuring that the correct stock is ordered and that all standards of food & beverage are maintained. Devising and implementing optimum strategies to ensure top line and bottom-line profitability with key emphasis to develop business and service the existing clients. Developing & implementing SOPs to uphold the F&B service standards.

Key Account Manager at Sodexo Food Solutions Pvt Ltd (2017-08 – 2018-01)

Food & Beverage Operations Manager at The Indus International School (2017-06 – 2017-08)

Executive Chef at The Splendour Park (2014-11 – 2016-10)

Spearheading the day-to-day hotel operations, providing assistance as Executive Chef and setting up the kitchen standard operating procedures; updating new trends in cuisines and food & beverage service; conducting training sessions for team members on new recipes. Managing kitchen/ cooking operations of 120 covers restaurant, as well as two units in Chennai and Rooms room service with a team of 10 kitchen staff. Administering menu planning for expensive repertoire of menus, along with portion standardization & effective supervision of food preparation.

Maintaining the food cost, payroll, labour cost, overall budget in-line and maximizing revenue using optimum resources; maintaining quality and consistency of food for enhancing satisfaction amongst customers. Controlling performance standards for the stewarding operations in kitchens, restaurants so as to achieve the highest possible hygiene standards, minimizing operating equipment breakage and streamlining efficient resource and equipment flows. Regulating all aspects of kitchen management including monitoring food production and aesthetic presentation of food and beverages.

Experimenting & presenting innovative ideas, styles new dishes and ensuring cost control measures. Ensuring cleanliness in the kitchen work area & it is in order prior to commencement of food preparation.

• Regulated bakery operations and prepared food concepts category across South Zone region and was actively involved in the successful launch and start-up of 16 Hypermarkets Live bakery outlets across India
• Led the completion of Process of HACCP Certification

Sous Chef at Accor Group (Novotel-IBIS) (2014-03 – 2014-09)

Category Manager- Bakery & HMR at Artee Industries Pvt. Ltd. (Spar), Nigeria (2023-02 – 2025-07)

Managed the front end and back-end operations of the Live Bakeries across India with involvement in: Defining standard recipes for 167 sku's across the format.

Defining Common

Assortment across the format.

Vendor

Base creation.

Handling

Buying & Merchandising activity for the Bakery & Prepared food category.

Delivered

Product R&D and training to the production staff both in Bakery as well as the kitchen and trained the front end and sales staff of Merchandising Hierarchy. Formulated strategies on how to reduce Dump and Shrink across the category; conducted commercials & price negotiations with the vendors on procuring the raw materials. Created SOPs for the category. Involved in the opening of the 14 live Bakeries and 8 live kitchens across the format.

Category Manager (Home Meal Replacement & Bakery) at Aditya Birla Retail Limited (2010-02 – 2014-03)

Managed the front end and back-end operations of the Live Bakeries across India with involvement in: Defining standard recipes for 167 sku's across the format.

Defining Common

Assortment across the format.

Vendor

Base creation.

Handling

Buying & Merchandising activity for the Bakery & Prepared food category.

Delivered

Product R&D and training to the production staff both in Bakery as well as the kitchen and trained the front end and sales staff of Merchandising Hierarchy. Formulated strategies on how to reduce Dump and Shrink across the category; conducted commercials & price negotiations with the vendors on procuring the raw materials. Created SOPs for the category. Involved in the opening of the 14 live Bakeries and 8 live kitchens across the format.

Head Chef (Team Leader) at Premier Inn India Pvt. Ltd. (2009-08 – 2010-01)

Business Manager- Bakery at Max Hypermarkets India Pvt. Ltd. (Spar) (2008-04 – 2009-05)

Managed the front end and back-end operations of the Live Bakeries across India with involvement in: Defining standard recipes for 167 sku's across the format.

Defining Common

Assortment across the format.

Vendor

Base creation.

Handling

Buying & Merchandising activity for the Bakery & Prepared food category.

Delivered

Product R&D and training to the production staff both in Bakery as well as the kitchen and trained the front end and sales staff of Merchandising Hierarchy. Formulated strategies on how to reduce Dump and Shrink across the category; conducted commercials & price negotiations with the vendors on procuring the raw materials. Created SOPs for the category. Involved in the opening of the 14 live Bakeries and 8 live kitchens across the format.

Head Chef at Las Iguanas Restaurant Oxford (2007-05 – 2008-03)

Spearheaded the Kitchen/ Cooking Operations of 240 covers, cooking the authentic Latin American food in the kitchen with a team of 13 kitchen staff. Delivered 20% decrease in guest complaints regarding the quality and taste of food and the variety provided.

Head Chef at Pantaloon Retail India Ltd. (2005-06 – 2007-04)

Managed two kitchens with key responsibility of menu planning of the restaurants, budgeting, food costing, Manpower, pricing and forthcoming new projects. Participated in devising different varieties of samosas for the Chamosa outlets in Bengaluru.

Chef de Partie at Taj Gateway Hotel, Bengaluru (1996-04 – 2005-03)

Received appreciation letter from Chef Sumit Executive Chef TAJ Garden Retreat Hotel Chikkamagalur for helping them in the pre-opening of the hotel and by catering for a group check in of 200 people every day in 1998. Catered for Seafood festival, organized at the Taj Garden Retreat Hotel, Madurai in 1998 and 6 dishes from Indian as well as coastal cuisine for 1,500 pax in 1998 for the H&F'S Award function that was held at the Taj Savoy Hotel, Ooty in 1998. Led the completion of the ISO 14001 Certification Process, resulting in the Taj Gateway Hotel becoming the first hotel in Bengaluru and the first among Taj Business Hotels worldwide to be ISO 14001 Certified.

Bachelor's Degree in Hotel Management – Bangalore University (2002)

Craft Course in Culinary Skill – Taj West End Hotel, Bangalore (1996)

Pre University course – Bangalore (1997)