For two evenings, February 20 and 21 from 7pm to 11pm, Raen The Chef’s Studio at The Leela Hyderabad is hosting the Hyderabad leg of Chef Jason McKinney’s Elizabeth India Tour. The seven-course tasting menu introduces diners to his interpretation of modern American cuisine, shaped by fine dining and familial nostalgia, with subtle Indian touches woven in.
India was not part of a long-term strategic process. It happened so quickly. “It’s so crazy. We didn’t have anything organized like we did 45 days ago. And now the whole year is basically booked,” Jason says. He met Prasad, who runs The Hedonist, by chance while working in Bangkok. “He told me about this program that brings together chefs all over India. I said, ‘Wow, I’d love to do that.’ Within weeks, dates were scheduled across Hyderabad, Bangalore and Pune, making India the first stop on his 2026 World Supper Club tour.
For Jason, starting out in India was intentional. “The hardest thing for me is going to a country where I don’t know anyone and trying to organize a dinner party,” he says. Collaboration has made this leap easier. “Having someone who had done this before, like The Hedonist, was a game-changer.” The association with The Leela also carried weight. “When they heard I was doing something at Leela, immediately, yes, definitely.”
Diners curious about what modern American cuisine means beyond fast food will find Jason’s answer rooted in memory and refinement. His time at The French Laundry remains central to his philosophy. “When you grow up in America, the food you eat is the same food your mother cooked. That’s the norm,” he explains. “What I want to do is take things I grew up eating and turn them into fine dining dishes.” The goal is to offer discovery and familiarity. “If you’ve never had it before, it’s an introduction. If it has familiar flavors, it brings back that nostalgia.”
This approach defines the seven-course menu at The Leela.
Chef Jason McKinney
The meal begins with the cheesecake, inspired by his favorite childhood biscuit, reworked into an upscale bite of cheddar and Parmesan Mornay. This is followed by a truffle cappuccino, a dish born out of necessity when his early truffle business suffered. “The first order we ever placed was four kilograms of truffles,” he recalls. “We didn’t sell any of them.” Hosting dinners led to the creation of the truffle cappuccino and white truffle mascarpone ice cream, both of which have become signatures.
For my dining companion, the chicken and waffles come in one fun piece containing smoked chicken liver mousse, maple brown butter and pickled onion relish. It nods to comfort food while embracing the fine dining structure. There’s an escapism influenced by his years spent handling seafood at The French Laundry. “There’s no water in the brine. It’s all vinegar and it’s all sugar,” he says of the saffron and fennel preparation that gives the fish its bright color and sharp finish.
A deeply personal spin that reimagines his mother’s chicken noodle soup. The broth is simmered for two days, then tossed with homemade miso and poured over tortellini filled with carrots, green onions and grilled chicken. Vegetarians receive a mushroom version of dashi made with the same patience and care.
California appears in the form of tacos. “California cuisine is as important as Mediterranean cuisine,” says Jason, describing it as a mixture of cultures and influences. Its Hyderabadi version features tempura sole with sesame mole and chilli, while whole roasted cauliflower or garden-roasted eggplant are served with layers of spice and texture.
For the main course, pepper-roasted lamb is paired with pommes anna, pomme purée and asparagus, reflecting its classic underpinnings. Dessert concludes with a chocolate-hazelnut Basque cheesecake inspired by his love of peanut butter chocolate fudge, followed by Baked Alaskan Thai Tea, his mother’s favorite. “My mother has never traveled outside of America,” he says. “So to do this outside of America is ridiculous.” Naming the tour and his upcoming restaurant Elizabeth is a tribute to her and the recipes she passed down.
His years at The French Laundry continue to guide his restraint in the kitchen. He remembers the moment when the carrots arrived a little smaller than usual and the chefs started trimming them. “We put this farm here, and the gardeners are putting carrots in the ground,” Chef Keller told him. “These are really the most beautiful carrots you can find.” The lesson was simple: respect the race.
And at The Leela pop-up, that philosophy remains intact, even as he gently adapts to local tastes. “We tried to make some things spicier,” he says, crediting his team in Hyderabad for helping to improve the seasoning process.
This two-night show is more than just dinner. It’s a preview of Elizabeth’s, a proving ground for recipes that blend heirloom family dishes with world-class technique. “This first dinner will allow us to refine the recipes and keep getting better,” Jason says. “I hope between now and when the restaurant opens, you guys will come and tell me how things have improved.”
In Hyderabad, Elizabeth begins far from her homeland, but is firmly rooted in it.
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