Travelle at The Langham Announces Pastry Chef Nitin Bali

Travelle at The Langham has announced the appointment of Pastry Chef Nitin Bali. In addition to overseeing the pastry kitchen at Travelle, Chef Bali leads the pastry operations for the entire hotel and all its offerings, including its afternoon tea service, private kitchen orders, dessert catering services, 15,000 square-feet of banquet space, and club level. In the coming weeks, Bali will introduce his all-new dessert menu at Travelle, complete with seasonally inspired ingredients for summer.

“We are overjoyed to welcome Nitin to Travelle,” says Damion Henry, executive chef at The Langham, Chicago. “Having worked at several well-known luxury hotel properties across the globe, he brings a wealth of experience to the role and will be an outstanding addition to Travelle and The Langham, Chicago team. We have no doubt he will continue the tradition of creating even more lasting memories and sweet experiences for our guests.”

Originally from India, Pastry Chef Bali grew up in and around the kitchen with his mother. He notes that despite his mother being a wonderful cook, her pastry skills were lacking. The mother-son duo joked that one day, Bali would grow up to become a pastry chef, not knowing it would one day become a reality.

Bali began his schooling in his home country, earning a bachelor’s degree in Hotel & Tourism Management. Upon moving to the United States in 2007, he received a master’s from Herguan University, followed by enrollment in Long Beach City College’s two-year Baking and Pastry program, where he developed his true culinary passion and realized his innate ingenuity.

Bali rose through the ranks, spending nearly a decade working for a multitude of Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company properties across the United States and Middle East. Some of his defining career moments occurred while working at The Ritz-Carlton, Doha where he had the opportunity to bake for the royal family of Qatar and at The Ritz-Carlton, Atlanta, where he used his culinary talents to create a larger-than-life holiday gingerbread “Arch” display for hotel guests.

Following some time spent at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and prior to joining the team at Travelle at The Langham, Bali led the pastry kitchen at The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago. As Travelle’s and the hotel’s lead pastry chef, Bali oversees the creation and execution of desserts at the restaurant, lounge, and bar. He describes his style as seasonal with a modern, classical touch and enjoys incorporating ingredients and flavors from nature into his plated dessert and chocolate showpieces.

“It is an honor to join Travelle at The Langham, and I look forward to bringing my fresh pastry-making approach to one of the most luxurious hotels in the city,” says Bali. “We all look for joy throughout the day, but nothing comes short of having a nice meal in a world-class setting. I am thrilled to contribute to the culinary excellence of this exceptional dining destination and share with guests memorable and delectable experiences through dessert and first-rate service.”

In his spare time, Bali enjoys hiking, exploring nature, reading chef bios, and experiencing the wide variety of restaurants and cuisines located throughout Chicago – all adventures from which he draws his pastry creations. He notes that appreciating and supporting Chicago’s food scene and interacting with local chefs motivates him in his own culinary career.