Sarfraz Hussain

Joined 2017
Executive Head Chef

Sarfraz Hussain (fondly known as Freddy) is Keble College’s Executive Head Chef and has been at the College since 2017. Sarfraz’s love of cooking began at a young age when he would listen to the stories of his father who worked for and looked after various Prime Ministers in Pakistan as Head Chef.

In 1996 Sarfraz travelled to the UK to pursue his hobby of kayaking. During this time, he won 3 gold medals at national level and took part in the Devizes to Westminster race which took a gruelling 4 days over 125 miles.

Whilst achieving great successes in kayaking, Sarfraz still had the love of cooking in his mind for his next career goal. He went on to gain his NVQ level 1–3 in Hospitality and Supervision/Leadership as well as a Diploma in Food and Production of Cooking. His first job was working as a Kitchen Porter at the Shakespeare Hotel in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Sarfraz went from strength to strength professionally, working for Hilton and Pennyhill Park Hotel where he had the opportunity to cook for the Six Nations England Rugby Team—one of the highlights of his career. He was soon being approached by international companies in Australia and Abu Dhabi, however Sarfraz decided to stay in the UK when the opportunity to work at Keble College arose.

“Having the chance to work at Keble has allowed me to enjoy the face-to-face interactions with customers: students, staff, Fellows, alumni and conference guests. Being able to talk to customers day-to-day about food and my passion helps me to be more creative with my work. My team in the kitchen are also one of the best in Oxford, all being reliable and flexible, making us a well-known name around the city”.