Frying Solo

Move over chefs and their crew. Here's a look at those who like to do it all by themselves,from shopping for ingredients to cooking to even delivering their delicacies.

When chefs serve finger licking-good food,they are known to (and even allowed to) have some quirks. The kitchen should have a display of equipment,the support staff needs to have its act together before the chefs enter the kitchen,the days preparations should all be in place,the pots and pans need to be kept in a certain way,the counters should be cleaned another way, the list can go on. Sajjani Nair,Priya Kshirsagar and Suruchi Jhunjunwala might also have their own quirks,but they are the only ones who have to put with them. Working from home in what can best be described as one-man kitchens,they take it on themselves to do everything from shopping,to cooking to even delivering the food.

Nair,a graphic artist who was disappointed by the over-priced and non-consistent food she ate at restaurants,decided to start cooking gourmet food for people in her neighbourhood about a year ago. Working under the brand name of Secret Chef,she chose to work alone from her own kitchen with whatever equipment she had on hand. I began with the desire to serve good and authentic food that would not cost a bomb, says Nair,who serves Pan Asian,Middle Eastern,Italian and even some European dishes.

The clientele did not stay restricted within the neighbourhood for very long but Nairs work style did not change. I cannot delegate the core of the cooking. My staff helps to chop some vegetables and to clean up after me but thats where they start and stop. I take care of all the rest, she says. Going into the nitty gritty of really what all the rest involves,Nair says,I take the order calls,discuss dishes and portions with my clients,do the shopping,cook,package it the way its supposed to be eaten and even deliver it sometimes. If all of that were not enough to deal with,Nair also ensures she uses minimum pre-packaged material like sauces or pasta. I dont entertain much ready-made things in my kitchen. I dont like using frozen meats either, she says.

Since keeping things fresh is high priority for Nair,she requires patrons to place their order 12 hours in advance. I need about that much time to organise and prepare the food, she says.

Three years into running her own single-hand kitchen,Jhunjhunwala describes it as a food boutique. Unlike a regular restaurant,there is no fixed menu. People get made-to-order food. I essentially make Italian,Thai,Mexican and Indian cuisines. All the dishes are vegetarian, says Jhunjhunwala. She does not even take help for chopping or preparing ingredients. I like to do things my own way from taking orders to preparing to even presenting the food a certain way. I also do my own promotion by updating my Facebook page, she adds.

Kshirsagar has been in the food business for much longer and has been working alone all along. I have been baking breads for almost six years now. I started with making a few loaves for friends and relatives using my mother’s small oven, she recalls. Baking a variety of breads like foccacia,multigrain and brown breads,buns and brown pizza bases,she needs the order to be placed about a day or two in advance.

Profits may not be large for any of the three but they say its enough to keep them going and they intend to keep their business at the level it is. Its lovely to have a café but thats not where I am headed. When serving on a larger scale one cannot keep a close tab on freshness or consistency, says Nair,adding that she is also not open to letting other bistros keep her food because she wants it to be served exactly as it ought to be.

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Kshirsagar also talks about the advantage of being her own boss. I can work on my schedule; choose when to bake or when not to bake,so I have a lot of flexibility. Of course,the disadvantage is that I have to do most of the work myself, she says.

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