"A day in my work life "A Genuine story.. From the heart of a Chef , My name is (Bishnu Sugatha) Its Begins...

A day in my work life ... 

(From the heart of a Chef , My name is (Bishnu Sugatha) and I am a chef)

Its Begins...  writers Choice :Bishnu Sugath 

 

1:30 AM

My day starts off at 1:30 am, I freshen up, say my prayers, and start of my day fully fresh. I wear my jacket, pick up my chefes attire, head to my workplace, embrace the 2 AM winter morning as I stepped out of my home situated in a residential place where folks are fast asleep.

The Drive, The purpose

Its a 2 km drive through a forest area and there are no street lights. The main reason I am saying this, is to tell my acquaintances and the rest of the folks back home on a chefs life in Ireland, and my answer to what they tell me occasionally at my visits back home. Some of their comments include “Oh, you’re having a fab life, enjoying your life over there”

The folks that say this has never crossed the border and worked elsewhere, Europe to them is pictured as a place where there’s plenty of money and carefree life, has everything easy this is my answer to them. At the same time to show them what is life over here, also the same goes for the readers on how an Ireland life is.

Cavistons

I’ve arrived at my workplace, parked my car, a little history of my prestigious workplace. During the 1940s (even before Indian Independence) Cavistons was established and is a famous seafood restaurant, with a 50-year rich history. Cavistons has a Deli counter.

I stroll to the entrance, make my way to the Deli counter, and on to our small kitchen where I start the baking process and the Croissants are waiting for me in the oven to push the button and set it to life.

The main kitchen and the kitchen I work in

I walk past the once known main kitchen for the restaurant, as COVID hit we closed the main kitchen where once all the magic took place.

My produce and ingredients for the day

I pick up necessary items and ingredients required for today's dishes, which are Rice, channa masala, mixed veg curry, chicken tikka masala, Chicken Sag, Chicken stew, Mango Chicken (not much liked by Indians, however, the Irish like it), 3 soups and 2 starters.

Way back to the kitchen

Post picking up all required ingredients, I carry back all these by myself. Meanwhile, Croissants are ready and I take them out and set them up. I continue to my work area, where we prepare packed food for the day.

A chef in India need not do any of these, they need not open up the kitchen, carry the days food ingredients like me carrying the 40 kilos of chicken along with the rest by myself, in India, the chef has to give prior requirements of what required just a day before and when he is in the kitchen everything is at his disposal for a full-fledged day.

On the other hand, here, I am the cleaner, kitchen porter, the soup chef, and even wash the dishes myself. Yes, Europe is no fun for a chef.

2:50 AM

The shop opens at 8:30 and as mentioned I will have to get all the dishes ready by then, chill them, pack them, label them and get them into the shop. That my friend is my daily challenge and there’s no room for error. 

I start the fire and prepare the rice first, and move on to the rest of the dishes like mixed vegetable curry and so on.

Oh , by the way

Here the chef has to chop up all required vegetables, unlike chefs in India where there is a section devoted called “cutting”, as mentioned you submit the next days requirement and they cut all veggies and meat in the manner you specify and get them ready for you to dive in.

However, any chef in Europe has to do this on his own, like cutting, butchering, Kitchen porter (washing the dishes and cleaning) as well as cooking. Entirely different from Indian Hotels.

A chef in Europe has to be an all-rounder

Indian food and Irish soup

On a day I will have to cook 7 to 8 Indian food dishes for 400 to 500~ people and 3 different soups for 100 to 150~ people and all before 8 am (including packaging and labelling)

Taste buds

My friends ask me who loves Indian food over here? I say them, it is mostly not Indians who come in rather the Irish folks who come in indulge themselves in Indian foods. Rarely do Indians come in to give orders and that only when there’s a birthday, anniversary. The main guests are the Irish and foreigners.

The good old days

In the pre Covid era, the time where we open the restaurants around 4 in the evenings on weekdays and at 5 PM during the weekends. Everything had to be ready before that. Closing time would be from 11 to 11:30 and it used to be completely rushed and on the weekends the restaurants used to be so packed that there

was no table left and reservations had to be placed at least a week ago. Rice is done and moved to a chiller (chiller is something that chills, especially a machine that produces cold air, either for air conditioning) and cools the hot food to 2 degrees in 10 to 15 minutes.

Back to the store room

I get some more things from our storeroom where they keep our bakery supply and Indian supply and pick up. required ingredients to prepare mango chicken and Channa masala. 

Meanwhile, I wash the used utensils post preparing, A chef as mentioned has to be the cutter, main chef, Kitchen porter, washer, butcher, and switch between these roles all the time.

All sauces for 5 dishes are being prepared at the same time, and by then, I will get on to butchering chicken, and here we do not wash the chicken before we drop it into our dishes as the bacteria in the chicken can cause harm if its washed hence, Irish chicken are not washed.

Taj Senior

My senior in Taj Mr. Amith, came to Ireland first and through his help, I came over as well when here commended an opening in Ireland and referred me, he set my expectations clearly, he said never to have a Taj Hotel life image in mind thinking that it will be the same here, if so, please do not come here.

I thought to myself, hey it’s Europe and this is an opportunity and my life circumstances led me here and I took the coming difficulties as a challenge and jumped onto the plane. The first time I went into the kitchen, it was very crowded and it was literally like the Hell’s kitchen show. Every 15 minutes orders being executed, I was shaken in the beginning but I took it up as a challenge and in the curry section 2 people were handling it, I ended up managing the curry section all by myself. Just explain how life changes.

All things getting ready

Channa masala, mixed vegetable curry, chicken stew, and Mango chicken are done and put into the chiller .The Indian section is almost done, there are 3 more soups and 2 burger starters yet to be prepared.

None of the pots are left empty, soups and lentil burger prep is getting ready,

5:45 AM

I started at 3 AM and in less than 3 hours 8 dishes are ready, 3 items are cooled down, as we pack them, we will wait for other items in the chiller to cool down. 

Time management is key to every chef and fast execution to the guests is a priority, 15 to 20 minutes max to  send the food out the kitchen door is the followed theory in practice.

Packing and labelling

I get on to packing, each package is around 560 grams, 2 portions. As soon as packing is done the soups on the fire are done as well. 

Now labelling comes into place and that too is complete.

Moving and cleaning up

Time is 7:10, an hour before the shop opens up. I now have to take the packed food containers to the shop. 

Oh, let’s not forget to tidy up the kitchen.

The closing

Now, this is as a chef my daily routine, this is more or less how every working individual abroad live their life, they have their difficulties, hardships in their profession and family. It doesn’t mean if someone abroad has it easy, every work and every profession is accompanied with its unique labour. I here end my day waiting for tomorrow & its sunrise to do this all over again with a smile.