THERE are changes in the air for the Taj Group. Rumour mills are working overtime, but one confirmed piece of news is the imminent departure of Hemant Oberoi, the master of restaurant launches and Corporate Chef of the chain's luxury division. A very reliable source has informed BW Hotelier that Chef Oberoi is retiring this year.

When we contacted Chef Oberoi, who is now in Davos, Switzerland, he neither confirmed, nor denied the news. "No comment," he said, and added: "Everyone has to be in a company as per company rules."

A culinary super star, Chef Oberoi has launch a series of prestigious restaurants, from Mumbai's Zodiac Grill to the Masala series, Blue Ginger, Wasabi by Morimoto and Varq. He joined the chain of hotels as a trainee chef in 1974 after graduating from the Pusa Institute of Hotel Management, New Delhi. It took him just 12 years of single-minded dedication to climb up the kitchen ladder to become the Executive Chef of the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Mumbai.

In his four-decade-long career with the Taj, he has won multiple awards, been invited twice to demonstrate his skills at the World Gourmet Summit, and he was the only Indian chef to be invited by Alain Ducasse, the man with the most Michelin stars, to the 25th anniversary bash of the Louis XV in Monaco.

In his four-decade-long career with the Taj, Chef Oberoi has prepared meals for dignitaries such as Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Bill Clinton and Margaret Thatcher, and for Hollywood celebrities, notably Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

What will life be post-retirement for the chef who's famous for his daunting 7 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. daily work schedule? Prefacing his statement with a "No comment", Chef Oberoi assured us that he was not one to rest on his laurels, nor change his routine.

Bikramjit Ray is the Executive Editor of BW Hotelier.