ABOUT CHEF SHAI

Chef Shai is an international chef specializing in fusion cooking that combines the flavors, techniques and presentation of the major world cuisines including, but not limited to, French, Italian, Mediterranean, Asian, Middle Eastern, American, Indian and Pakistani cooking.

Born to a physician father and raised in Quetta, a small, picturesque city in the Balochistan province of Pakistan, Shai completed her Bachelor’s degree Science and moved to Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city to attend Karachi University where she completed her Master’s Degree in Botany, specializing in Plant Physiology.

In order to realize her passion of seeing and traveling the world to explore the broad spectrum of cultures and tastes around the globe, she decided to join the airline industry.

While traveling worldwide across over 100 countries from Australia to Alaska and Tahiti to Tel Aviv, to feed her own insatiable appetite for food taste and culture, Shai tasted everything from truffles to caviar, escargot to bouillabaisse and from classics to contemporary everyday food.

She believes that it is an extraordinarily adventurous journey to eat out regularly and sample the variety, blend, and depth of cuisine in varied cultures and nations on the planet.

Following her graduation from the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) in New York City in 2001, formerly known as the Peter Kumps Institute, she worked for prestigious restaurants and companies in New York City including Tabla, under celebrity chef Floyd Cardozo, owned by Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group.

She also worked for Rock Center Café at the Rockefeller Center in Manhattan, owned by Restaurant Associates, the largest restaurant management company in the United States. She cooked for major celebrities, tourists and heads of State including President Bill Clinton.

This was followed by her stint at Abigail Kirsch, America’s largest and premier catering company where she catered to large parties and events including dinners during the Republican party convention in New York City attended by Vice-President Dick Cheney.

Before entering the television world, Chef Shai worked at California Pizza Kitchen, one of America’s leading restaurant chains, to become a versatile chef making scrumptious pizzas.

Through her academic and professional endeavors, Chef Shai mastered the art of cooking ranging from fine French plates to hors d’ourves to rustic Italian Pizzas.

Chef Shai has produced and hosted a number of television cooking shows including her latest, current live show on Masala TV called Simply Shai.

Chef Shai is currently working on her latest book which will be announced shortly.

Chef Shai splits her time between New York City and Karachi where she maintains homes both in the United States and her native Pakistan.