Sameer Taneja, a native of New Delhi, India, has achieved 16 stars in 20 years of culinary history. Sameer has worked with renowned chefs such as Pascal Proyart, Michel and Alain Roux, Joel Antunes and Pierre Koffmann. He then opened his own place, Talli Joe, where he started serving Indian tapas. After closing his restaurant, Taneja joined Benares as Executive Chef.

Combining high quality British ingredients with authentic Indian spices and techniques, Sameer brought Benares a Michelin star in the Michelin Guide for the UK and Ireland in 2021.

Taneja has represented Benares at events such as the St. Moritz Gourmet Food Festival and Benares Madrid, and has cooked for prestigious events such as the official birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.