Le Cirque’s French-Italian feast comes to The Leela Hyderabad

Chef Vashisht Ajit Kumar brings Le Cirque a fusion of French and Italian haute cuisine to The Leela Hyderabad.

Chef Vashisht Ajit Kumar’s passion for food, both eating and cooking, began with his mother. As the youngest in the family, he often found himself trailing her in the kitchen, keenly observing her culinary skills. His interest in food led him to pursue a Master’s degree in hospitality Chandigarh Group of Colleges (CGC), a decision that was not entirely supported by his father and sisters, who all pursued careers in law.

“My mother was the only one who backed me,” Vashisht recalls. “To convince my father, I simply told him, ‘You worked your way up and succeeded. Let me do the same in my own way.’” Determined to carve his own path, he chose to specialise in Franco-Italian epicurean artistry.

Now in Hyderabad at The Leela, chef Vashisht is set to host Le Cirque, a culinary experience that embodies artistry and theatre, where every dish is a performance. Le Cirque, meaning ‘the circus’ in French, has a celebrated legacy in India, beginning at The Leela Palace, New Delhi, where it introduced its signature fusion of French and Italian haute cuisine.

With a bachelor’s degree in Hospitality and Hotel Administration from Chandigarh Group of Colleges, Landran, chef Vashisht began his career as a demi chef de partie at The Grand New Delhi. He then moved on to JW Marriott, New Delhi Aerocity as chef de partie, followed by stints at Courtyard by Marriott, Gurgaon, and Roseate House, Aerocity.

Explaining the concept of Le Cirque, chef Vashisht says, “Le Cirque is about presentation, shape, texture, and colour—it’s about imagining food as a canvas. The concept was originally introduced by Sirio Maccioni in 1974 in New York, where he encouraged French chefs to prepare Italian family-style meals with a fine-dining touch. In India, traditional Italian family-style dining isn’t as common, so we adapted the concept into ‘sharing plates’—where guests can share, converse, and enjoy a communal dining experience.”

At Le Cirque, the two-week festival will offer guests an indulgent experience, beginning with breaking bread served with truffle butter, followed by roasted beetroot and burrata risotto with 24 karat gold dust, and hand-cut fresh black truffle fettuccine, among other dishes.

Chef Vashisht brings a wealth of experience in curating personalised menus, overseeing hotel operations, and delivering exceptional culinary experiences. As the sous chef of Le Cirque at The Leela Palace, New Delhi, he has twice hosted chef Massimo Bottura’s pop-up. Under his tenure, Le Cirque has also been featured in the prestigious ‘World’s 50 Best Discoveries’ list. Vashisht has worked alongside chefs like Johanne Siy from Singapore and the late James Kent of Saga, New York.