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[Flyura Zakirova]: And we are live. Perfect. So um today is March 24, 2021 my name is for Flyura Zakirova and today I'm joined, could you give me your full name sir? [Sarabjit Singh]: My name is Sarbjit Singh. [FZ]: Perfect. Once again I would like to thank you for taking your time out

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of your busy schedule for this interview. I understand patios open all of a sudden so everything just, I became crazy but we're glad [SS]: It's been for after four months has closed down. [FZ]: Exactly. So whatever we can get, we shall grab it. So before we jump into

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the interview I would like to to reiterate that this interview is being recorded and you're okay with that. Right? [SS]: That's fine. FZ]: Wonderful. Perfect. Thank you so much. So could you tell me more about yourself? Like how old you are? Where did you grow up? [SS]: Okay. Uh

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born in India, Gujarat state uh and then city called Ahmedabad. And uh I graduated, I am uh become graduate from India from with Gujarat University and when I was going to the school and university, my dad used to own the several ashrams in India.

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All right, so that interests me. And uh I was accompanying with the chefs. When I were young I started joining the chefs when I was 14 years of age. All right, so slowly slowly I more into it. And as the Indian parents, they always uh

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kids wants to be educated, university graduate, and all those things. So I went to university, Gujarat University and I've completed my bachelor of commerce but my interest always was in a restaurant and cooking and that's why I carry on. And I told my dad,

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you know what because meanwhile I was studying I was working in the kitchens with the chefs and I learned a lot from there and so many busy nights, especially weekends. I always in the kitchen, we were the three siblings. Right? So uh my older

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brother, myself and my younger brother, but I was the only one who was interested in a cooking. And believe me or not, my I am not very well known and lots of people just know my dad has only two sons because I always hide behind in

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the kitchen. Nobody's met me, I always work in a kitchen. So that's where my interest was a lot more in a culinary arts. So after completing my bachelor of commerce I told my dad you know what, this is not something I wanted to go in accounting

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field or something like that. I want to do something in a restaurant business or in cooking industry. So one of our clients used to come and they always forced me to go ahead in this industry and do something new. So he told me to go to

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Australia. There is some nice culinary schools they and graduate from there. So I decided to go to the culinary school in Australia. It's called William Angliss Institute of TAFE. They served uh army personnel in the Second World War. That's the way that institute

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was, that's the way it started, William Angliss Institute of TAFE. So I graduated from there. Then I did my three years apprenticeship in uh western cuisine. And while I was working as going to the school in Australia, I was start working in a, because Indian

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restaurant business. I already was in it and I knew the Indian background and how that works. And I learned quite a bit while I'm working in India. So I said, you know, let's explore a little more. That time I joined it. Uh, first I started in

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Indian restaurants. The restaurants used to call [indstinguishable] and Hot Gossip and I worked a little bit I says like I remember perfect in an Indian cuisine, let me learn a lot of, lot of different things in different cuisines. So I start joining the restaurant

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used to call Michelangelo. It was an Italian restaurant and uh, believe or not, I walk in, just walk into the place and I say, I want to work and I met this gentleman called Angelo and I was very young at that time and uh, you

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say, okay, what kind of job you're looking for? I said, listen, I used to work in an Indian restaurant and I, my dad owns a restaurant, I want to learn something different. I said, do you have any experience into Italian cuisine or anything? I said, but

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I don't have any experience, but I'm going to the culinary schools I'm learning and uh, if you give me a break, I definitely, you will not be disappointed. So that's where we started and that was a day and I opened the server restaurant as a head

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chef with them in Melbourne. So I learned quite a bit. I learned, I was a fast learner then uh, we opened up the Discaride, Positano. Uh, that's uh, in the Frankston that we used to call one restaurant right on the Frankston beach. We, I forgot the

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name. Uh, we opened that and uh, and I lived from 1997 to 2004 in Australia. Then I had quite a bit and meanwhile I used to go work a few different restaurants as a volunteer because I always wanted to learn something different. And then uh, I

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worked at a few different restaurants in Melbourne cities. Uh, and one restaurant was called [San Keel?] I've forgotten the name now. It is very well known restaurant on the right on the beach. And I used to go do volunteer work there as well. And meanwhile I

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had the opportunity open and help the few other Indian restaurants. One international. They're still opens uh, still in a business last 20 years. My cousins owned a store in a temple store called Rajbhog and I also opened one more restaurant in Melbourne city is called

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Nirankar, yes, Nirankar. It was a good experience. It was mixture of everything Indian, Italian French, western cuisines. So I sharpened my skills while I was young and uh did a lot of research in our school industry and all these things. For us,

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environment to the high end environment, fine dining, to the bistro style environment. So I worked all different experience and even a lot of banquet experiences I got. And 2004 I decided to move to the Canada. Uh right, so 2004 I moved it. Then in here I

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worked at quite a few restaurants, one restaurant we used to call [indistinguishable], it was a very popular restaurant uh called Dimmi, that was an Italian restaurant. I worked a couple of years. I had uh if you heard of the uh in the Markham, Directions closed

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down. Uh used to call Frankie Tomato in Markham, yes I worked bit, bit there, but it was far from me, from... I used to live in Mississauga toward the Markham. So uh small carrier over there. I uh worked as Executive Chef at Pickle

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Barrel for a while around year or so. Not a year, less than a year? And then I had an opportunity came to work uh Terrace on the Green on Mississauga Road. So then at that I worked uh 12 years uh And I left in 2016.

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It was a very good experience there. I learned a lot of different high end cuisines, they also owned the other restaurants uh at the Stoney Creek on right on a lake College, Waterman and I work, I used to go once a while there when they needed me

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and uh In 2016 I decided okay let's see uh open something for myself then this Mirch Masala, I started as a Mirch Masala beginning on in one year, 1.5 year was very tough. But now it's a very well known restaurant in a community. Now we are

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completed five years and is doing very good and we're doing a different like all different experience. We're putting a blending the cuisines together at Mirch Masala and we work more on the presentations and all these things. So my idea is to open the Mirch Masala was

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uh taking the Indian cuisine into a different level like like like as the one was a, when I work in Italian and French cuisine or whatever. My idea was like why the Indian restaurants doesn't come to that this level where the French restaurants or Italian restaurants

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are these days or western restaurants or continental restaurants, why an Indian cannot be there. So that was a few loopholes like the way we're presenting the way the kitchen was operated and uh there was, in an Indian kitchen always be when I see that people don't

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want to come in because it lacks professionalism or whatever it is, but there's a new generation came and they filled that gap like chef like myself. And I see now lots of good Indian chefs to get into that directions and taking the Indian cuisine into

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a different level. Mhm. Right, that's the way I started. [FZ]: Yeah. Oh, that's amazing. That's a great story and I think it's important that especially when you follow your passion, like I can see that from 14 years old, you never lost that fire, like you're so passionate

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about it. But my question is, so when you moved from India to Australia, how was the like cultural differences, like how did you get accustomed to that? [SS]: Okay. Uh only I my friend circle always like, okay, I knew uh it was very small Indian

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community when I moved to Australia and my I knew my couple of cousins was there, so I had a social life with them. But as a friend circle, I would say all Australian people was around me or uh Australian people. And lots of times the questions

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comes here when I asked this question asked from so many people, has been a brown skin chef, have you ever get a discriminated? So I always tell them, you know what, I never had this kind of experience, but here and there, you will hear something but

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I will not consider that a discrimination. That's uh this is like sometime, the way people talk or the way the behavior is, but even two days I had a chance to go back. It was still in 20013, uh 2012, late 2012 last time and

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I met my friends again and they were very happy, they were all welcoming and they all Australians. [FZ]: Oh that's amazing. And so um since you've moved to Australia, how was your parents attitude towards you getting education there and like pursuing the professional career in

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cooking? [SS]: Yeah. Actually my father owned the restaurants and my grandfather was also in the restaurant business. So they they knew the long hours and hardship of running the restaurants. So they always uh was telling me if you could do something different go for it. But you have to

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uh put a loss of hours, you have to sacrifice the family life. You have the uh do let's say New Year's Eve, everybody's celebrating the New Year's Eve. But we are working with the entertaining the people uh any long weekends or any other festivals like people are celebrating

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then you are working and entertaining the other people. That's uh that is the uh Mhm idea out behind this restaurant business. So they were forcing me to do something different in accounting or something. But as, they are happy too, like okay uh sticking to the family

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roots as well. Right? So there because in olden days like when they my parents or my grandfather was into this business. They were different cultures. There are different attitude compared...Because those recipes, uh what happened with those recipes is the some recipes was die with them.

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They never go ahead with the other people, they never teach anybody. But what I learned while I'm in Australia and here, if you wanna grow, if you wanna uh take the things to a different level, then you have to trust the people, you have to give your

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ideas to the people, you have to tell the people oh that's a recipe or and uh if we and you take idea from the other two, this is my recipe, how we can make this recipe even better. So, but in the past days in olden days,

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they were very scared of sharing their recipes to the others because they were thinking like, okay, if we share our recipe, our whole secret is out to the people and everybody can do it. But in reality that is not the truth. Reality is more you share

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better you can make, that's why I always believe it. But they were very happy with it. Like, okay, I stick to the roots and I'm going ahead into this industry. And uh it took me a little longer to being to that position where they were

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young when they opened, opened the restaurants in India. But that was a completely different because I was going through the learning experience in Australia and Canada and India. So I, before I go ahead and do anything do into this business, I wanted to be make every,

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I'm a perfect myself before I do anything else. That's the way. And but they were very happy now and they were uh see okay, good. Now they are saying ok good, you stick into this business. [FZ]: Perfect. So they're happy now. And so how did you decide

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to move to Canada? So you were in Australia? Why did you decide to work to Canada? [SS]: Well, uh, okay, this is a situation uh after my wife I got married to, she was into, she was, you know, in Vancouver and I was in a Melbourne and

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uh after we decided to get married and uh we are back and forth like okay, a few, a few months we stayed in Melbourne. Once we stayed in uh here. So we decided, okay, we cannot be in the two countries, we cannot just do

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about six months here or six months there. We have to take a kind of make a decision on where we wants to be. So then we decided, okay, let's see, yeah, spend a certain amount of time into Australia's. Okay, let me see this country. And uh I

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stayed here and uh, since then, uh I'm here. I liked it. So because and uh it was two different seasons, you get a good summer here, you can get a good winter here, you can do a two different activities. Over there Australia is also beautiful, but

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always you don't get those winter activities in Australia, so it's nice weather. They close to the beach and everything, but here you have different but both countries are great. [FZ]: Yeah. Oh that's that's interesting. And so how was your experience moving to Canada? Like especially because you

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moved from like India to Australia like that, the weather change, how the like did you experience any cultural differences? [SS]: Uh when I first moved from India to Australia, there was a cultural difference. Like, wow, I was shocked, wow, this could happens. And and uh when I

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first uh this is uh 97, 98 I'm talking about when we uh used to in a culinary school, so we used the first time I went out with uh students in class. Okay let's go have a coffee or something like that. So in uh in India

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if I take everybody else, so that's the way I have to pay everybody's bill. Okay. All right, so that's a no no no here everybody chip in. Right, So that's that's a good culture like we are not uh depend on us, we're not bothering anyone

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individually. If somebody's birthday, we go out, we celebrate together, we'll pay from our own pockets and that's good. But in India it is, I'm hosting then I will pay for everybody. So that was quite a bit different culture and something I liked it. Oh wow, this

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is good, you're not uh if you want to celebrate your birthday at least everybody come with you and they celebrated with you and it doesn't cost you much as well. Right so that was a different culture and I learned a lot of things and we

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used to anybody elder people in uh India and we used to call uh with respect uh uncle or auntie or whatever. We never used to call the particular name. Mr Frank and Mr Angel. So that was surprising for me even uh I'm 19 or 20 years

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old and I have to speak with somebody 55 or 60 years. I used to call him from the name, oh Frank, Angel. So that was a little bit uh cultural difference was there because we cannot say if there any older than you you respect me, you

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have to call uncle uncle. So that was a difference. Right? So this is it was a cultural difference now but once I live this is as long as you respectfully call them, your name is respect doesn't matter you how to call uncle or auntie or whatever

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it is. But sir but you can even uh in culinary arts, he even used to call a chef's name. Chef Frank from... Marcel was there, Chef Marcel how are you. So that was a different like in India like you cannot call uh any particular name

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or chef you cannot because if you call them names that's called a disrespect towards the people. So always you call a chef or sir or uh uh, uncle or auntie. So you have give a title to those people to respect them. But in Australia was completely different.

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So that was a culture difference. And uh, the way people uh, talking or even uh. In India was another thing. Now after time things generation change and everything. Now I see that people do this, I did not have a habit to say thank you and please,

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when I first moved to that way is people, Oh, that's rude. Right? So that, but that was the people who grew up with, uh, people not intensely wanted to do these things, but that's the way they were brought up on the uh, the, into a habit

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when, when they, when I see, oh that's a good system. Like even when we were going through the subway to go to the school and that was the one system in the Melbourne, like if you want an elevator or escalator, if you want to walk in

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escalator, then you have to go on your left. If you want to stand on that escalator, you have to stay in your right. So that was like completely different, shocking in India when you know, you can walk wherever you want to walk. And so that was a

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completely different, like it's more systematic, uh more organized. People follow the rules and regulation was better because they, same like in India if there's nobody on a red light at night, people cross, nobody stop at red light, but everybody was stopping at red light. Everybody crossing the

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walkway when was them turn. And uh that was a cultural difference also. I would not say that was anything wrong in India or anything wrong in Australia. But that was uh cultural difference and same way like in India whose population was very high, people have

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no time, whatever it is, they were doing their best to accommodate everybody. Same time in Australia is a population is less so they had a better rules, better regulations, better law and order. Right? So that was a difference. [FZ]: Mhm. And what was the difference moving from

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Australia to Canada. Did you experience... [SS]: I tell you, other than weather I don't think I didn't see anywhere is uh, I think both is commonwealth countries systems almost the same. Everything the same cooking is same. They have Italian restaurants, Indian restraurants, French restaurants, bistros, cafes mostly rather than

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a weather, everything that I think is the same. It's not much difference but rather than accent they call a mate, a mate So I even when I was going to the school in Australia, it was very hard for me. I was once, I still

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remember uh Chef Roman. Uh I was in my second year uh cooking culinary school and uh Chef Roman told me uh saying well get me a choke from the uh walk in cooler, they don't call a walk-in cooler, They call uh, I forgot the name--

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call room. Yeah, so the few revolver is go, go, go get a chuke from the cold. Um, I, I said, what the hell he's talking about? Like I went to the walk-in cooler and I would spin around and I said, I came out and I

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said chef, there is no chuke, I'm sorry, I could not find it. There is no chuke. As soon as you're walk into a door then you can see right in front of there, in your big box is a loss of choke. I say, I'm sorry

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Chef, you come with me and show me where it is. I don't know. So he took me into a walk-in cooler and he grabbed the chicken and said, what is this? I said, oh, you mean chicken? So they used to call a choke, so that

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means chicken. And uh, we used to call a romaine lettuce in India or here we call the romaine lettuce right? They call it cos lettuce. So that was a little difference what they call. So nothing other than everything is safe. [FZ]: And what languages did you grow

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up speaking in India? [SS]: I used to speak Punjabi because I born and brought him in a sick family but I used to live in a different state, Gujarat state . So I grew up with a lot of Gujarati people so I speak Gujarati, I speak Punjabi

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Hindi is the national language, so I speak Hindi and also I speak English as well when I were, because it used to be a British colony, the India education system in English. So we never had a problem to speak English or anything. [FZ]: Okay. And so your

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whole family speaks English as well. [SS]: No, no, my parents doesn't speak English because they uh didn't have a chance to go to school long enough, so they don't speak English. But my older brothers, we all speak English. FZ]: Okay, perfect. And so your whole family lives like

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your siblings and your wife and your kids live in Canada or. [SS]: Okay, My wife is here, my kids, my three daughters, they all born in Canada. Okay. Okay. So my three daughters, born in Canada. My older brother, he lives in California. [FZ]: Oh wow, nice. [SS]: And my younger

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one he's in Australia, he's in Melbourne. [FZ]: Oh wow, interesting. So full international family and so um, how is your um, like family, like your siblings, how is like your wife um, towards the cooking? Like how are they viewing the occupation of a chef? [SS]: Okay. Uh, my wife,

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she's quite happy. Uh, what I do, even she helped me uh, to run the restaurants. Uh, she comes in the weekend. She holds the restaurant in the weekend and uh, is very great thankful to her and my kids, they are young, so my older kids, older

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daughter, she loved cooking, she's a good in a baking, she does cake to bake, she's only 14. But she uh bake the cakes and cupcakes and all those things. Very good. But being uh in like my kind of background like I I love all kinds of

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cuisines, so I'm really glad they eat every single cuisine. They have no question, they can eat Japanese, they can eat Thai, they can eat French, they can eat Italian. So there is, they love everything, they love Indian. So there is no like sometimes you're growing a

00:26:37.760 - 00:26:53.610

family like you stick to the particular food and they don't want to try the different food, they might think oh uh is gonna be good, not good, sit there, not sure right? So at least I'm glad they is uh them father is a chef, so they

00:26:53.620 - 00:27:13.090

tried all different food and there even my middle daughter like she's only ten and uh she eat oysters, right, so she said dad, I want to try last time we went out and say dad I want to try oysters always just like oh that's good,

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that's good, but I'm too young for it and but she tried a couple of times and but she she loved it. [FZ]: That's amazing. And so um like speaking of kids, you think different generations understand the importance of the food differently. [SS]: Yes, uh definitely like a time to

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time and that's uh what my parents used to do when my dad used to own the restaurant, what he used to do in Indian cuisine. What I do, that's always gonna be a generation gap and that is going to be always gonna be argument about this.

00:27:50.040 - 00:28:11.080

Uh we used to do good and when things change, you have to adopt the new ideas because uh back in the days uh grow was not together now all internet and all social media and everything's brought the whole globe together like before they used to be

00:28:11.090 - 00:28:26.390

uh it was apparent in the nineties, it was very hard to afford the people to fly out to the different country now is a different system. There was no internet, there was no social media. So it was very hard. Like what the food looks like it,

00:28:26.390 - 00:28:39.980

what the, so that is always going to be argument uh in between the generation to generation, what we used to we used to do is a good and they're always gonna say what we are doing is good. So that's the argument always between me and my

00:28:39.980 - 00:28:53.570

father. He always said, oh what you guys do is not all right. But are you always tell him this is a new generation idea. That's the way people like it. As he according to him, the oh you spend too much timing on just garnish your one dish and

00:28:53.570 - 00:29:08.600

this time I can produce the three dishes. I said, well that that time there was no concept of the clicking the pictures meant that food goes onto a table. Right? So I believe when your food goes to the tables or every customer's camera has to come

00:29:08.600 - 00:29:24.010

out to take the pictures. So that's the way you have to present your food. Back in the day there was no different dishes and no colorful dishes and it is completely different and in ten years from now where the Indian uh this is uh where culinary arts will

00:29:24.010 - 00:29:41.050

be, it's gonna be on a different level. Like you can, I can see on instagram these days and uh facebook and all people are posting the pictures uh sharing the short recipes and all these things. Right? So it's completely on a different level than 10 years

00:29:41.050 - 00:29:59.150

ago and 15 years ago. So there is no comparison in between time to time, things change and you have to adopt that uh changes right? Before was we are driving uh gasoline car now is an electric car out there. Right? So in the future might be

00:29:59.150 - 00:30:16.320

something else going to come out. But you have to adopt these ideas, that's the way in the food industry, like time to time it things are changing and uh that's the way I'm doing a lot of different things into Indian cuisine uh been using capers and horseradish.

00:30:16.320 - 00:30:36.740

That's not Indian cuisine uh things. But I'm landing those uh things, uh Italian la bomba and all these things into my recipes. So so people are loving it. So this is gonna be like time to time, it's gonna be universal, everything's gonna be universal. And uh

00:30:36.750 - 00:30:51.830

in the way that Canada is the multicultural, I will see if that will be the restaurants going to be created in a few years there where you can go have a uh ramen noodles, Japanese ramen noodles in under one roof and Indian curry in a one

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room at steak as well. So I will see that will be happening in a few years from now. [FZ]: Mm And so for your restaurant right now um why did you decide to open an Indian cuisine restaurant? So like since you opened Indian cuisine and you blend

00:31:07.290 - 00:31:32.370

things into it. [SS]: Okay uh this is like I had a mostly people when in a GTA area. Now we start happening in the chefs, young generations. I'm don't consider myself a young but I put a lot of time into uh industry. So that was the way

00:31:32.370 - 00:31:49.900

the other restaurants, the way the other restaurant service people are used to, I myself, I always had a good uh bad experience just going to the art community restaurants and uh food is good but service is not good, presentation is no good but I'm not but that

00:31:49.900 - 00:32:09.470

was not enough infrastructure was into a Indian restaurants. So by my experiences, I said why we're not taking the this uh Indian experience into a different levels. So that's why I want to implement it was tough. It's been a hard but when very, I'm my

00:32:09.470 - 00:32:26.540

good luck, we succeeded quite a bit. And in a few years we have a few new concept is coming up uh, COVID stopped me otherwise I was going to open up one more restaurant at this time. But during this covid happened, I stopped a little bit

00:32:26.540 - 00:32:44.540

and see, let's see, let's finish the covid and I'm introducing a new concept into is going to be Indian concept but in more different, different level as a completely different idea, ideology of it. So, uh, this is something I wanted to do and uh, you will

00:32:44.540 - 00:33:03.880

hear in soon a new restaurant by Mitch Masala, or by chef Sarabjit Singh you will hear soon. But that's the way like I, I always wanted to take the Indian cuisine, Indian service, Indian presentation into a different level and different like this way even I'm very

00:33:03.880 - 00:33:23.790

happy uh, with being in Brampton and I served lots of different communities or lots of different race people into my dining room and that's a great compliment for the Mirch Masala and myself like, okay, at least I'm not attracting one community only. There's lots of uh, diversity

00:33:23.790 - 00:33:41.830

is coming to this store and uh, that's uh, you feel proud of yourself and your stuff what they did. And uh, that's amazing. [FZ]: Yeah, that's perfect. And uh from there. So when you open your restaurant Mirch Masala like was the Brampton the only option or like

00:33:41.840 - 00:34:05.610

why did you choose to open in Brampton. [SS]: Well that was not the option. But when this location came and uh it happened to be sometimes, right. It was in a Queen Street. As soon as take the 410 exit close to the highway, lots of parking. So

00:34:05.620 - 00:34:24.410

that was an existing restaurant. I had to just renovate it. And uh it was closed for the couple of years. That place was empty [indistinguishable] space, but that was a previous restaurant was previously there. So I, you can speed up the process of the opening the

00:34:24.410 - 00:34:42.850

doors fast because its previous restaurants and uh, we renovated quickly very fast and because we didn't need to change any uh any wall so that we had to do cosmetic stuff only. Uh that's where and uh, I always wanted to be the close to the highway

00:34:42.850 - 00:34:59.590

where people get easy access when people wanted to come to the restaurant. And uh that ideology worked for me because my clients when they, I see them in the weekend, they said they drove from Windsor, they drove from uh Pickering, they drove from Ajax, they drove

00:34:59.590 - 00:35:16.370

from London. So so being being close to the highway is giving easy access to, to come to my restaurant. And when you get into this situation like people wanted to come and try your particular person's or particular chef's food, they will drive far and they will

00:35:16.380 - 00:35:36.020

want it to have experience. And I don't think so. They will say, oh that's too far or they're too close, it doesn't matter. So I see my clients and now it's even a summertime, my 20% of client during the summertime uh is US based now is

00:35:36.020 - 00:35:52.270

the, our land border is closed so we don't see that even flying restriction is there too as well. But in a previous years I see my 20% of client was a US based like US client base in a summer time from April to October when they

00:35:52.270 - 00:36:07.210

were somewhere here. They used to come and they wanted to, mind is that we want to go to Mirch Masala for dining. So, which is a good, like I did something right toward in this direction to attract people like people know that this is a good

00:36:07.210 - 00:36:25.780

restaurant and uh, there's a lot of good chefs, lots of good restaurants are coming up in these days and uh, I wish everybody to be success and good. Like now is things changing the new generations stepping up. They wanted to do something different. So, but that's

00:36:25.780 - 00:36:42.280

always been uh, that's why I decided my mind was not set. I want to be in a Brampton. Uh, and this is a fact like if good chef can be anywhere, people will come. [FZ]: Mm hmm. And so for your next restaurant, like have you decided on

00:36:42.280 - 00:37:04.490

location or...? [SS]: We haven't decided on a location yet, but it could be in a Toronto, Uh, could be in a Halton could be in Vaughan. I'm not too sure, it depends what kind of opportunities coming and uh I will decide from there and as soon as

00:37:04.500 - 00:37:24.980

potential is there and uh things I can do whatever I can make it happen. That's the only the problem and I will not see the second will take longest because uh Mirch Masala name chefs, things name is already been in the market and people know uh

00:37:24.990 - 00:37:44.060

what we can do and how we can do and that's uh just a matter of time. The COVID's over and everybody and now it's good news came yesterday, restaurants uh staff going to be vaccinated in a second phase roll out and that's that's a very good

00:37:44.060 - 00:38:01.850

news and uh it gives a lot lots of hope to the restaurant industries because the restaurant industry's been struggled a lot during the covid. Uh they had to close the them doors for longest period. And uh this is a good news so people will get a

00:38:01.860 - 00:38:17.050

staff will get vaccinated so people will not come and scared to come dining into the restaurant because staff is already going to be vaccinated and that's good news and from the government and good news for the restaurant worker as well because the lost, suffer a lot

00:38:17.050 - 00:38:32.960

because lots of uh these industries welcomes everybody and that's all I like about it either you're a student or you are a profession of India's industry. So this industry welcomes everybody. Like if you're a university students, you still can go to the restaurants make your

00:38:32.960 - 00:38:45.430

living. If you are a good chef, you go to the restaurant, make your living if you want to uh if your income is not enough and you want to work at part time, this industry welcomes you and make you. So this is the beauty about these

00:38:45.430 - 00:39:02.850

restaurant business and food industry. They welcome every single different professions. Like if you want lots of people, I see they are very happy what they do. Teachers, I see teachers the work Monday to Friday, but because of the and enjoying, we're talking to the people come

00:39:02.850 - 00:39:21.060

to the restaurant business because we are into entertainment business right? So they come work part time. So this is a good news. Uh I see the nurses uh they come and look at the part time. Right? So this this is a good news and uh this

00:39:21.060 - 00:39:36.890

is what I'm very happy. Like we welcome every single one. Either they are part of the industry or not part of the industry. So we welcome up these these people and uh thanks to this industry like if you're a newcomer of this and as soon

00:39:36.890 - 00:39:52.350

as you walk into this country and nobody gives you a job, restaurant will give you a job as a busboy or washing dishes or anything but this industry support a lot of people even give a good start or if you want to make a career, you

00:39:52.350 - 00:40:08.620

can make a career. This is like a lot of industry. I see there, if they want to get in there to struggle a lot. In this industry. No, the sky's the limit. But thanks. We can able to support everybody, the people, students to the newcomers to

00:40:08.620 - 00:40:28.320

the everybody. Right? [FZ]: Yeah. And so like as we're talking about this, it's so important that like restaurant industry can provide for so many people. Even during covid, it still gave jobs um, to those who lost their, um, like primarily jobs. And so thinking about being such

00:40:28.320 - 00:40:46.190

a very important cultural aspect as well. And food industry has been such a big part of your life. How does the meaning of food change to like to you since like you working in the kitchen of your um, father to like getting the education and it's

00:40:46.190 - 00:41:06.190

like opening your own restaurants. [SS]: Okay. Put it this way when my grandfather and my father, when we had old restaurants, we did not have an adjustment in the kitchen. So in India is a hot country. We did not have a gas stoves in our restaurants. They

00:41:06.190 - 00:41:25.260

had one guy used to, uh, big coals used to come and one guy was job just uh, with the hammer. Uh, put us make small pieces of coals to put the uh, fire the burners, like they used to have a fan underneath. So they used

00:41:25.260 - 00:41:40.520

to fill the coal into a hole. And they used to do a pot cooking like this. So I seen this day there was no adjustment. Then I see in India there's a gas stove [indistinguishable] and then uh, this uh uh adjust French installed and

00:41:40.530 - 00:41:54.400

there was no such a thing. Walk-in coolers or fridges back in the days when I, I see in India they have to do everyday production, you go in the morning and uh do the, make sure you finish whatever you have end of the night, so you

00:41:54.400 - 00:42:09.530

have to be in a very right on the top, there was no refrigeration system there or so there was a tough industry back in the day is what I see when I was growing up in India and when I went to Australia then I said, wow,

00:42:09.530 - 00:42:25.840

that's very easy. There's a walk-in cooler, okay. When I left India there was, there was might not be walk-in coolers or walk-in freezers like, but there was a reaching fridges or small fridges will start getting available for the restaurants. So that was a very big help. But

00:42:25.840 - 00:42:41.230

when I went to the Australia, wow, this is amazing, you can think there's a lot of machineries and uh you don't need to use a lot of time, there's a blenders, grinders and so there was no blender, you have to do everything with the hands

00:42:41.230 - 00:42:57.710

and that was a tough like there was no slicers and so no man leans. So lots of things you have, you have to use your knife, you have to use your hands. But that was a great experience, like ice tea. So worst to the better. So you

00:42:57.710 - 00:43:13.340

appreciate everything. We did not have this in the past. Uh, that was a no dough, dough machines to make a dough. So people used to, I I still remember we used to go, My dad's restaurant we used to be 100 kilos of dough, we

00:43:13.340 - 00:43:28.550

the chef has to make it by hand. So so that now I see that's no, you have to put the dough into the machine, put the recipe, uh, saw sugar, flour, baking power and you make your dough. But that was the day you have to put

00:43:28.550 - 00:43:48.690

the dough into a big pot and mix it with the hand. And that was tough. So I see the worst to the better. That's that's a good things like you as uh, technology is growing and everything is growing is things making it easier better. So

00:43:48.690 - 00:44:03.310

you can focus more into a food rather than on to uh, these are small things where you don't have to put our time into it because back in the days you have to put lots of time into where it's not necessary because this technology grows. So

00:44:03.310 - 00:44:15.800

this will give us a lot more opportunity to put more effort into a food than a lot of the things. That's that's that's as I said, we I see that there was no gas as we used to when I used to sit there and make the

00:44:15.800 - 00:44:31.270

coals, to fill the coals, used to big coals used to come. So the truckload of the coals used to come once a week and dump into one corner in a parking lot. And uh they had to break it, feed it every morning, light it. And it

00:44:31.270 - 00:44:46.000

was stuff like uh here you can control the knobs of the for the flame like uh go you want a low flame, you can make it low. You want a high flame, you can make it high. Alright, so over there you it was tough to uh

00:44:46.010 - 00:44:57.320

control the coal when it's a high how to make it low or when it's a lower how to make it high. So it was, it was a tough industry and that was now we have ovens, they did not have ovens, they used to have a full

00:44:57.320 - 00:45:12.170

walls like built like with the bricks and that was uh coal. They used to put underneath and uh there was no temperature meters or anything and they were just guessing by the putting them hands in. What is the temperature is and things like that. And they

00:45:12.170 - 00:45:27.400

were making the things into that dough kind of implement. That was a great like and I mean now we have we have a uh controller like we needed this temperature to bake in so we can bake into that temperature. So I seen the industry's changed from

00:45:27.410 - 00:45:41.620

uh what was, but that was a great day. These are also a great day. You learn. Now person like me, even I'm gonna talk to my kids or that. No, we never used to have this dough machines or we never used to have uh these uh

00:45:41.630 - 00:45:54.940

ovens, but we used to do this. They're not gonna believe me, They never seen that. So dad, you gonna, you're lying. No such a thing that it was no day. But that was a day. That was a tough industry is, there is a tough time. And

00:45:54.950 - 00:46:16.540

even now there's uh back in the 10 years ago, everybody used to like to serve it to white color plates. Now it's things seeing more color plates, colorful plates, came up and more sprouts and uh lots of different cauliflowers, even uh cauliflower. I used to be

00:46:16.540 - 00:46:34.390

a white cauliflower only. Now it's a purple yellow. All these things like all food industries, not only the chefs that anything related to food industries of producers and all this. They are working to make the things better. So that's that's amazing. Things like I was

00:46:34.390 - 00:46:55.810

watching the one documentary from the food industries in France last weekend, uh what the way the chef was, the particular uh farmers to get that tomatoes because those tomatoes makes the things different. So they don't buy anything from the any other producers. That's only the producer,

00:46:55.820 - 00:47:13.830

the oyster producers of fresh rainbow trout producers, that's a particular lake that they want those trout from the lake only. So that that makes the things amazing of this industry. Like uh everybody has a preference. I want these producers to be produced these things for me,

00:47:13.830 - 00:47:34.060

I want these producers to produce these things for me now, I was not too happy and we start doing this like uh in Indian cuisine. Like we need spice makes a very important role, played a very important roles. The cumins and corianders and fennels and tumerics

00:47:34.060 - 00:47:51.470

and so chilies and so that was no consistency when used to come to this, from this supply. So we decided to get the just the whole spices and we will grind up own spices. So we have to organize the one commercial grinder where they can

00:47:51.470 - 00:48:10.680

make to fine powder of this all these things and we roasted to particular temperature and they cool it down and we grind. So this result consistency is always right. So when we used to buy these uh from the uh suppliers, they produce, production was changed. Or

00:48:10.680 - 00:48:27.750

that these guys, these guys. So the for giving example, some people's uh coriander seeds, some people who when they grind it, they try the stems of the coriander as well. They dry this so the freshness is a little less. So some people just grind the 100% coriander

00:48:27.750 - 00:48:44.230

then some people roast the coriander seeds and then grind it so that this is not gonna work. We have, we need a consistency and we keep everything same way. So we decided to grind our own spices and it is a little extra work but consistency and

00:48:44.230 - 00:49:02.870

quality is a matter, this is this, that's a bit like that's the way industries change and is tremendously good and it will be better in a few years. [FZ]: Wow, that's that's just amazing. So like and just cooking industry is not just about nutrition, it's like

00:49:02.880 - 00:49:23.390

it's the art, it's the science behind it. And so um since you mentioned that you're the only one out of your brothers who are interested in cooking like for you to educate your own kids like about Indian cuisine, like the meanings behind it. [SS]: It's like the

00:49:25.370 - 00:49:51.080

right, I'm trying to teach uh my kids this is the industry and uh they are getting it there slowly, they're experimenting with different things, they are trying their different things and they're blending their different things and uh they are very excited about this but uh as

00:49:51.090 - 00:50:12.170

as I as I mentioned it like every case has a different uh things in their mind but but what I get succeed into it, I told them try everything and they tried everything, they love everything, they sometimes they have personal opinions and but the they are

00:50:12.170 - 00:50:30.610

not fussy, I'm not going to eat this food or I'm not going to eat this food. I don't like this for them, steak to fish, to French restaurant to Italian restaurant, to Indian restaurant, a Thai restaurant or any fast food restaurant, they enjoy it. So uh

00:50:30.620 - 00:50:50.590

that's a good thing, they're looking the things different way. So and another thing is like I been uh my career was with a different nationality's people. Like I work with the French, I used to work with the Scottish work with uh uh Swiss people. So I

00:50:50.600 - 00:51:13.260

worked with the Europeans and Chinese and Japanese. So I work with so many different people in my career and I see and I learned about different things of them cuisine and I learned the different culture and that's that was just impressing and uh that's what I

00:51:13.260 - 00:51:35.800

wanted to teach my kids about this and multicultural, multicultural uh food and everything. So they are getting they are into them that direction that I'm very happy about it. [FZ]: That's amazing. Yeah, I think it's very important that uh you introduce your kids to different cuisines because

00:51:35.810 - 00:51:56.550

like it's my next question to you. Like, do you think food is like something very important that can teach us about the culture itself. [SS]: Yes uh definitely like uh the way that as I said, I wanted to take the Indian cuisine into a different level of

00:51:56.550 - 00:52:19.550

whatever it is before people was only knew the Indian cuisine is a curry and tandoori. So when you present these things uh the way it's supposed to be the way the world want to see it on a world platform, then you will change the people's opinion

00:52:19.550 - 00:52:41.470

about the cuisine. Okay. No, wow. Uh the way example, like we have one appetizers, the aloo tikki is potato fritter, uh patty kind of things stuffed with a lentil. Usually people put the sauce here tamarind chutney, this chutney in. But the way we presented, we

00:52:41.470 - 00:53:01.660

completely present a different way. So the way people look at it. Mhm. So that makes you taking the your cuisine into a different world's platform. What the when things go, present it this way and present it this way when you see it's okay, but it might

00:53:01.660 - 00:53:20.320

be tastes good. But you might say, yeah, it's okay when you presented these things different way, wow. So that wow factor has to be there. When you you presented any cuisine, it doesn't matter when you want to talk into a world platform. That's the way it

00:53:20.320 - 00:53:40.270

is. The way you present your food is very important. That's that's after the people see the food with the eyes first then they taste it. If food doesn't look good, people might avoid to eat it. It doesn't look good. Uh might be you have you have a

00:53:40.270 - 00:53:59.980

chance that they might avoid to eating it when food looks good, They have 110% chances they will eat it. All right. So the presented, the presentation presentation presentation and wow factor has to come up when you present in the food and that your mind has

00:53:59.980 - 00:54:16.460

to be very sharp how you wanna present into a different way, how I presented this thing, different way, this thing different way so that you are, we work our uh things, we work ideology like, oh we take the time, read the stuff, okay, today, this what

00:54:16.460 - 00:54:34.480

we want to do, this, what we want to do this. So that is very important. This is food is not only to feed the people, food is an experience the way you uh, presenting it, how they're having it. And the whole idea of people to enjoy

00:54:34.480 - 00:54:55.410

your food in uh, satisfaction matter. Like, wow, food quality to presentation. And our session was excellent. So that you want to hear from your client. Like, Wow, that's that's that's the matter. And what, as, as we've been in the food industry, you're not able to

00:54:55.410 - 00:55:15.620

have satisfy for every single person, 100%, you will follow the criticism and that criticism, you have to take it positively. The people give you their opinion and when people, they give them opinion and uh, you uh, you have to work on it like, okay, they might

00:55:15.620 - 00:55:35.280

be right if we switch it a little bit these things to this way that could work better. So this has always been in these industries, learning never stop. You keep learning new things every day every day, every day. Me say something similar after 10 years or 12

00:55:35.280 - 00:55:51.370

years or 15 years back. Nobody was used to use a fresh edible flowers into a garnishing? No sprouts is was there. So that's a new thing. Like as time comes as things change as time goes pass by things changing, presentations changing, taste is changing, but you

00:55:51.370 - 00:56:06.170

have to adopt this new things. If you will not adopt the new things, you will stay behind in the industry and uh you will fall apart that's always like, you have to keep updated why the Apple's introducing the new phones every year and year after year,

00:56:06.180 - 00:56:19.040

the same thing into a food industry. You have to introduce the new things, day by day. Like people doesn't need to get bored, but uh you eat this every day, used to eat the same food, you're gonna get bored, you're gonna get bored, so you need

00:56:19.050 - 00:56:38.130

to change uh your recipes, your techniques and your presentations to people don't get bored of the food. That's uh fact of this industry. [FZ]: Yeah. And so as you brought it up. So like the multiculturalism and you said that you get a big variety of customers, like

00:56:38.130 - 00:56:55.260

from different backgrounds. So do you think food is something that can bring like nations together, like different cultures together, like learning about each other through in a, in a way seems small, but which takes a really big part like food takes a lot of time out of

00:56:55.270 - 00:57:13.660

our lives. So do you think that it can teach us more about each other? [SS]: It definitely like being in this industry, I...food industry bring the cultures together. Like wow okay you're doing this? Oh we do similar things but we don't call this we we call this, so

00:57:13.670 - 00:57:32.900

it's a basic principle of cooking is uh same and they country to country culture to culture and the weather together is changed modified differently. So if you go into the roots of the principle of the cooking is principal of the cooking's in every single cuisine is

00:57:32.900 - 00:57:51.890

the same. So saying the same uh same thing as many uh different culture and different things. We're all human, we're all human. That's the principle of we all human beings. So but that's the things of the principle of the cooking, basic things is a change things

00:57:51.900 - 00:58:15.790

uh things uh for example uh we make an naan bread, stuffed naan bread with the potato. Same thing. Yeah. So say the same thing is the I see in a different culture. I see uh yeah European countries Polish people makes it, uh European Yugoslavian people makes

00:58:15.790 - 00:58:32.940

it uh in a pastry, they put the spinach and feta cheese into it. Basically the same concept but it's a different way, they're calling it different way of eating it. The same thing, a country to country relative weather change. They some things a different country, different

00:58:32.940 - 00:58:48.730

things available. Like Spain is a nice weather, they are using the lots of saffron in their cuisine because that's the weather there according to this, saffron is not many countries produce it. A couple of countries producing in India Kashmir, northern part of

00:58:48.740 - 00:59:09.170

the uh India. They have those kind of weather. They produce it. But that's the way it is. Like so many things uh being created according to the weather, according to the culture and uh that's really like in a they in India like when they used to be all

00:59:09.170 - 00:59:29.480

farmers, they used to do a heavy, heavy, heavy work. So they have a lot of uh cows uh in a farm. So they used to milk the, milk the cows and uh used to make a yogurt, milk, clarified butter. So they never used in cooking

00:59:29.480 - 00:59:45.120

the vegetable oil or canola oil as they used to use the clarified burgers for the cooking. So that's a culture because they had a lot of things around them. Like a milk, lots of milk was around them. So they have to use that milk so doesn't go

00:59:45.120 - 01:00:03.780

bad because back in the days that there was no refrigeration or something like that. So they did this way. So the same thing, any other countries like uh we have lots of maple syrup in Canada. So we introduced that maple syrup in our breakfast with pancakes

01:00:03.780 - 01:00:23.520

and waffles. So, so that's whatever we have people like to utilize their things into a cooking industry and say different countries like uh in Australia. They, I see uh people eat lots of seafood because right? They are raw, right on the coast, they have lots

01:00:23.520 - 01:00:40.550

of seafood available. They have lots of lobsters and all this. Here is the seafood is a big too. But what I'm saying, they have easy access to these things. Yeah. Right. So whatever you close to it, what your weather's your country allows you? They produce that

01:00:40.560 - 01:01:00.400

like uh Russians, they eat lots of vodka, drink lots of vodka [FZ]: and with a lot of potatoes. [SS]: Right? So that's that's that's that's the way that's the way it is. Right? So that's the things uh whatever you produce that country, what the weather suits to produce,

01:01:00.410 - 01:01:19.080

it comes into your cooking so easy to produce or easy to uh uh in the back in the days, a few countries, they used to make a stew, uh stew, stew is like uh you want to eat meat, but that was uh back in it, that

01:01:19.080 - 01:01:33.280

was a butcher used to cut the one cow or one lamb or whatever it is. So there was no refrigeration systems. So they used to divide the all this what we're gonna cut this and they used so still uh they say, okay then they use that

01:01:33.280 - 01:01:49.420

whole animal into a one day. So they they want to eat the meat, but there is not available same day every day. So they start coming up this stew. So you put a little bit piece of potatoes, vegetables and meat into it. Uh make a

01:01:49.420 - 01:02:04.110

stew. So the whole family can eat and everybody can try this so you don't need to use the whole like everybody can eat and you don't need to use a lot of meat because it's a flavor. But some countries like in the U. S. We have

01:02:04.120 - 01:02:24.210

now things goes uh change. We have lots of uh cow farmings available so we have a lot of steaks is available in North America because of this because we are farming we are doing these things so that things change according to our country or community weather

01:02:24.220 - 01:02:42.000

and uh like in Japanese, Japan that they are using a Kobe beef like they are very expensive like they have masseuse to massage the cows to produce the Kobe beef so the muscles gets very relaxed and where is like a butter so that surprised like the

01:02:42.010 - 01:02:59.060

uh that's what little cost effective as well but that's the way it is like your culture to culture weather and what you're producing in this country, what weather suits you? You start producing, it comes into your eating habits that's always been. So this is the way

01:02:59.060 - 01:03:17.840

it is an Italian they produce lots of pasta because they have lots of flour to produce the pasta right? So they start producing those things because then in with the past that they can live in vegetables, meat and then everybody can enjoy that. So that's because

01:03:17.840 - 01:03:33.390

they have lots of flour. That's why they have a pizza left. They used to make all the pizza, leftover meat, they start putting as a topping and next day people can eat it. So this is a they, this cuisine introduced from the basic things like and

01:03:33.400 - 01:03:50.350

it took into a different level. Now modernizations comes and all these things comes the same thing is thing with the uh indian cuisine like and now in the US we have a very good chefs uh in San Francisco, Sujan Sarkar opens up nice restaurants and

01:03:50.360 - 01:04:09.120

they are working towards these modernizations and uh put the things into a different level. Indian cuisine to a different, so do I, I'm trying to put the Indian cuisine into a different level. So hopefully one day that will work and uh, we will come into attack

01:04:09.120 - 01:04:26.830

comparison, wow. Indian restaurant is, is the place to be right. So that's, we are try. [FZ]: Oh wow, I didn't even think about that. That makes so much sense because now, because food takes so much time of our lives like seeps into our culture and that's what

01:04:26.830 - 01:04:44.710

people think of us. So for example, everyone thinks Italian eat all the time, they eat their pasta and pizza, Russians drink their vodka. Yeah, that makes so much sense. I never thought about that. And uh yeah, so like you're so passionate about it, like you just,

01:04:44.720 - 01:05:01.040

I just feel all the energy, like all the passion just coming through the screen. Um my question is, so you are so busy, like you're so involved with your restaurants and uh, so how is your family life incorporated into that? Is your family involved? Like how

01:05:01.040 - 01:05:20.730

does, how do you go about that? [SS]: Well, there's always been a tough being into a restaurant industry, as I said, when everybody's uh celebrating something, that's the time you are working. So uh, for example, I celebrate, uh kids wanted to celebrate the Mother's

01:05:20.730 - 01:05:39.770

Day, but Mother's Day is the second busiest day of the year. Uh, so I have to, so we plan it accordingly. Okay, I wake up the kids early morning while the mother is sleeping, I'll help them to prepare the breakfast with them. Well then uh,

01:05:39.780 - 01:05:54.550

dig, give them a gift to the mothers and give her a gift and we eat breakfast together and I spend some time with the kids and family. Uh, and then I tell them if you want to come and join have lunch at the restaurant with your mother, you

01:05:54.550 - 01:06:09.750

are welcome. And if you're not then some other day or they understand and they always said, okay, dad, you know what, you're going to be busy today. So let me let us spend some time with my mother, our mother and uh, you carry on with your business

01:06:09.750 - 01:06:23.520

and some other day when you have a time, we'll go some uh, some other day somewhere else. So that's a good thing. They understand the situation of my business and they, and uh, really I'm busy in a weekend, so we always find some time in a week

01:06:23.530 - 01:06:38.640

is to spend with each other. And that's, that's the way it is. And that's a very good, like they understand which industry I am and uh, this will, I'm not afford to take these days off or that days off. So that's, that's, that's very good. And

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my wife understand as well. So that's otherwise, uh, uh, it's gonna be a family issues and you cannot consider it on your home, But I'm lucky to have a kids and for a wife like that. [FZ]: That's amazing. Yeah. I don't want to take too much of

01:06:55.600 - 01:07:12.410

your time. I'm so grateful for you taking time. I understand patio season open all of a sudden and like everyone is just so excited to be out of the house. Um, so yeah, so it's, it's very important yeah that you involve your family and your passing

01:07:12.410 - 01:07:24.710

down your knowledge to the kids and you teach them about the hard work because a lot of people don't see that behind the scenes of the restaurant. Everyone is just thinks that are like, oh, it's, it's just a restaurant, like you don't do much, but when

01:07:24.710 - 01:07:40.990

you get into it, like you're not just a chef, you're entrepreneur, your father. Like it's just a lot of things go behind and I really appreciate that. Um, I can't wait for Covid to go a little bit down so I can visit your restaurant because I've

01:07:40.990 - 01:07:55.280

seen all the pictures, I know all the insights now. I can't wait to visit. Um, but yeah, thank you so much for this conversation. Thank you for passing your knowledge to me. Now I will be able to pass a little bit of your knowledge down to

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my friends, down to my family and um, yeah, thank you so much. [SS]: No problem. [FZ]: Thank you so much.