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Sujan Sarkar is an Indian chef and restaurateur based in the United States. He is a chef and owner of restaurants including Indienne Nadu, Swadesi and Sifr in Chicago, Baar Baar in Los Angeles, and Tiya in San Francisco. In 2023, his restaurant Indienne became the first Indian restaurant in the Chicago metropolitan area to receive a Michelin star He was a finalist for the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Great Lakes in 2024 and semifinalist in 2025. while Nadu was a semifinalist for Best New Restaurant in 2026.

His works and restaurants have been featured in Esquire, Bon Appétit, Robb Report, Wine Spectator, and the Michelin Guide.

Early life and education

Sarkar was born in Kalyani, West Bengal, India, and was raised near Kolkata. As a child, he initially aspired to become a fashion designer and making it to the list in the two fashion schools NIFT and NID before deciding to pursue a career in hospitality. He studied culinary arts at the Institute of Hotel Management, Bhubaneswar, where he received formal hospitality training.

Career

After graduating from the Institute of Hotel Management, Bhubaneswar, Sarkar began his culinary career at the JW Marriott Hotel Mumbai, where he received classical hotel kitchen training. He relocated to London in 2004 to further his career in European fine dining. During nearly a decade in the United Kingdom, Sarkar worked in Michelin-starred kitchens, where he trained in contemporary European cooking techniques, classical French methods, and modern restaurant management. Among his early appointments was Galvin at Windows, where he worked under chefs Chris Galvin and André Garrett.

Sarkar subsequently joined Automat, a restaurant in London's Mayfair district, where he was appointed Head Chef at the age of twenty-seven. At Automat, Sarkar led the kitchen, overseeing menu development and day-to-day culinary operations during a period in which the restaurant received critical attention. He later became head chef at Almada, a contemporary Portuguese restaurant on Berkeley Street in London, where he continued to develop a cooking style that combined European techniques with influences from a range of international cuisines. During his time in London, he also worked with Cipriani London, gaining experience in luxury hospitality and international restaurant operations.

While working in the United Kingdom, Sarkar was a finalist for the London Chef of the Year competition in 2005 and 2007, and was shortlisted for the National Chef of the Year competition in 2011 and 2013.

After nearly a decade in the United Kingdom, Sarkar returned to India to serve as Executive Chef of Olive Bar & Kitchen. He oversaw culinary operations and travelled throughout India studying regional cuisines, local ingredients, and traditional cooking methods.

During this period, Sarkar also developed restaurant projects outside India. He conceptualized Trèsind in Dubai, a restaurant known for presenting Indian cuisine through contemporary techniques and modern interpretations of traditional dishes. He also developed Ek Bar in New Delhi, which has been described as one of India's first artisanal cocktail bars and focused on cocktails incorporating Indian ingredients and flavours.

In 2017, Sarkar expanded to the United States with the opening of Rooh in San Francisco, a restaurant serving contemporary Indian cuisine. Rooh received a three-star review from the San Francisco Chronicle and later expanded to Palo Alto and Chicago.

Sarkar relocated his primary operations to Chicago, where he opened Indienne in 2022. The restaurant was awarded a Michelin star in 2023, becoming the first Indian restaurant in the Chicago metropolitan area to receive the Star. Indienne also Jean Banchet Awards. He later expanded his Chicago-based restaurant group with Swadesi, Sifr, and Nadu, the latter being named a semifinalist for the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant in 2026. In 2026, Sarkar expanded his restaurant with Baar Baar in Los Angeles, Indienne New York, Butter Chicken Social, Apas, and Elder in New York City, and announced plans to open Ayra, a contemporary Indian restaurant in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Awards and recognition

Sarkar was named Times of India Chef of the Year in 2016. He was a finalist for the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Great Lakes in 2024 and semifinalist in 2025. His restaurant Indienne received a Michelin star in 2023, becoming the first Michelin-starred Indian restaurant in the Chicago area.