Behind the Brewpub Scenes

Running a brewpub/concept restaurant isn’t easy- it’s a lot of work, a lot of sweat and the occasional tears.

There are a lot of good, earnest people working behind the scenes, who put in a great deal of effort, round-the-clock, to ensure that everything you love about stays that way.

And these people are none other than our never-tiring, ever-inspiring staff.

Meet the man responsible for serving your favourite comfort food in ways you wouldn’t have imagined possible, say hello to Toit’s Commis 2 Chef Salim Uddin.

When did you join Toit?

I am from Tripura and I joined Toit in 2013.

What were you doing before that?

I was working in Pizza Hut, Murgesh Pallya and I used to make pizzas there

What is your role at Toit?

I work in the kitchen department as Commis 3. I work in the butchery department and running section. All the chefs say that I do a great job in the butchery section and they would like me to continue in the section and get better at what I do.

Did you have any prior experience working in a kitchen?

At Pizza Hut, I used to make pizzas. The pizzas were good, I was learning also and I had good friends. But the salary was less there so I started looking for options.

Did you always like cooking? Or you developed a passion here?

I have always been interested in the kitchen. I knew my interest from the start. I started with pizzas, now I am in butchery, I also handle the line sometimes. I want to continue learning everything about the kitchen and I want to continue growing. But for that I need to keep observing, understanding and learning from my seniors

What is a typical work day like?

My shifts change as per the duty roster prepared by my senior chef. The first thing I do as soon as I begin my shift is cleaning. The most important aspect of butchery is the cleanliness of the space. I check all items, tagging dates, expiry dates to make sure all items are fresh. If there are any items on expiry, I immediately intimate my chef and we discuss if we can use it or we need to discard it. This is the most important rule in butchery, it’s almost like a religion. Once I complete this, I check the prep details that are listed for me from the chef in the previous shift. Eta cutting, vegetable cutting. In that the first thing to be done is meat cutting. As you are cutting the meat and you have one batch ready, you put It into the cold room. The next step is marination. As you are preparing the marinade, you remove the meats and you marinade the meats. You have to marinade the meats as per weight. The margination has to taste the same everyday and they quantity of margination rubbed on the meats has to be the same as well.

Did you have trouble in the butchery section?

Yes, for the first few months, it was hard, especially cutting and cleaning the meats. But then I got used to it.

What do you do on your day off?

I am off on Monday. I stay with my cousin and friend. I wake up early, clean the house, wash my clothes, prepare a meal and I go out in the evenings to Shivaji Nagar or the city. The week gets hectic so I make sure I give my mind and body complete rest on my off day and I refresh myself.

What are your hobbies?

I can’t say I have any hobbies as of now. Kitchen seems to be my only hobby and I only want to get better at it. I have grown from Commis 1 to Commis 3. I want to be promoted to DCDP, CDP and Sous Chef. I want to grow and run my own kitchen one day.

How has your experience in Toit been so far?

Toit Is a great company. I have worked previously but I can see the difference between the 2 places. And I am not saying this because you are taking my interview. Lot of people say this. The policies, rules & regulations, people, staff, bosses, they are all humble and approachable. Salary, SC, comes on time. During the briefing we discuss the previous day, they correct your mistakes; help you learn and support you. They help you solve a problem and don’t leave you alone. They give you suggestions and tell you how to correct your mistakes. The support is immense here and I feel happy waking up everyday about wanting to come to work.