Dubai: Chef Surabhi Sehgal is on a mission to make people fall in love with veggies

Khaleej Times

05-08-2025

A 10-year-old Surabhi stood wide-eyed and mesmerised watching her grandmother cook in her kitchen. 'My first teacher was patient, intuitive and incredibly skilled. She would combine spices and ingredients with precision and love. She didn't just cook meals; she told stories through food,' she says.
Surabhi then grew to understand ingredients, their origins, how they interacted, and the emotions they evoked. "That early foundation thanks to grandma, shaped my relationship with food and continues to inspire everything I create today.'
She started catering from home and soon became a big name among the elite circles in the six countries she has lived in. Her presence at the Ambani wedding added a feather to her cap and gave her skills a larger platform to serve vegan food to the celebrities and the guests assembled there.
Surabhi has recently won the Golden Ticket at the World Food Championship, one of the most prestigious culinary competitions in the world. For someone who is self-taught, the Golden Ticket represents a global stage to showcase her food philosophy—celebrating ingredients, honoring tradition, and creating with heart. Her Instagram handle Su Paints On Plates is a reflection of how she expresses herself creatively—through food. 'My father is a poet , my mother a painter and grandma my teacher. So today, I paint on plates —it blends poetry, colors, and an artistic spirit.'
Choosing to be a vegan chef was both intentional and deeply personal. 'Plant-based cuisine is often misunderstood as restrictive. But it aligns my values with my craft of creating food that nourishes both people and the planet,' she says.
But isn't vegan food more expensive? 'Sometimes,' she says. The freshest local produce, high-quality oils, spices, and nutrient-rich ingredients come at a premium. But quality matters. 'I'd rather cook with fewer, better things than compromise on the integrity of a dish,' she adds.
Dubai has been her home for many years, and in many ways, it feels like where she belongs, the most. ' When I introduced my plant-forward Indian Mediterranean Supper Club here, it felt like a homecoming of sorts. A place where strangers gather around the table and leave as friends, connected by shared moments and heartfelt hospitality.'
But how does the Middle East figure in a vegan's plating scheme? 'Think fragrant za'atar, bright sumac, creamy tahini, and juicy pomegranates—ingredients that add layers of freshness, colour, and bold flavours to my cooking. I love blending these Middle Eastern accents with traditional Indian spices and techniques to create dishes that feel both familiar and exciting,' she says.
Has she succeeded in upping people's love for veggies? 'For years, I've been sharing recipes on Instagram, celebrating the endless possibilities of vegetarian cooking. Through thoughtful plating, layered flavors, and honest storytelling, I believe I've truly romanticized vegetables — made people pause, appreciate, and fall in love with them. This includes die-hard non-vegetarians too who are regulars at her supper club. ' Watching them leave the table genuinely surprised by how deeply satisfying and exciting a vegetable-focused meal can be is soul fulfilling to me.'
Travelling keeps her creativity bubbling. 'Learning from local cuisines deeply shapes a chef's perspective. They open our senses to new ingredients, techniques, and flavour combinations you might never discover in a single place. Watching how locals cook—how they treat produce, balance spices, or gather around a table—teaches humility and authenticity.'
Ask her what is primal to her? Food as an artistic expression or the innate desire to feed? 'The desire to feed is primal—it's instinctive, emotional, and deeply rooted in who I am. Cooking is how I express love, care, nourishment and connection. But food as an artistic expression is how I translate that instinct into something unique —where memories become flavors, emotions take form, and a plate becomes a canvas.'
Surabhi is married to her childhood sweetheart who is from the hospitality industry. So, how does her average dinner table look like? 'Warm, lively, and centered around wholesome, home-cooked food. Nothing extravagant, but it's always thoughtful. Even the simplest meal deserves intention—so you'll often find fresh salads, seasonal vegetables, nourishing grains, and a comforting dal or curry, all plated beautifully (because I truly can't help myself!).'
So, do we see a restaurant in the offing? ' While I currently conduct curated supper clubs and pop ups, both in India and internationally, there will be a restaurant in the future — both in India and in Dubai. A space that goes beyond food — one that feels soulful, artistic, and nourishing,' she says.