A CHANGE IN DIRECTION NURTURES A DREAM

By SIPRA CHAUDHURY     

From working as a garment merchandiser in India to immigrating to Canada at the peak of COVID in 2020 and changing his profession, it’s been an interesting period for Parveen Taak.

He came armed with a diploma in Fashion Designing and work experience in the industry, but saw the move as an opportunity to explore new options.

His love for food took the 39-year-old Taak towards the hospitality industry. With no formal training or cooking background and only learning from online platforms like YouTube and other recipe websites, Taak managed to grab a job as a cook at Daal Roti, an Indian restaurant in Orangeville, Ontario.

Now a chef there, Taak says he started by making basic Indian snacks like samosa and mathri which garnered a lot of appreciation. “This triggered my interest in making more savouries and my first venture of dahi bhalla and nutri-kulcha got me hooked on selling these online. Positive reviews fanned my interest and soon this was transformed into a passion.”

While working at various survival jobs, he continued to experiment with recipes. “In 2021, when my landlord franchised this Indian restaurant with his friends, I was offered work there and haven’t looked back since!”

The Taaks had applied to immigrate to Canada for better opportunities for their two kids, Naira and Suhaan, and to fulfill his father’s wishes.

“My father’s sudden demise interrupted the documentation process,” says Taak. “His business with tractor auto parts needed my presence, and so I decided to continue the immigration process for my wife, Sania, and the kids, deferring mine.”

He came with them in 2020 to settle the family and then in 2021, returned to Canada with a work permit.

Of his journey as a chef, he says, “It’s a little more complicated than just learning a few basic recipes. You may be a great cook, but professionals in the food service industry distinguish between cooks and chefs.”

According to Taak, though both these jobs revolve around food, the roles are different. A chef is typically a highly-skilled culinarian with years of training and experience, while a cook is someone who has been taught to complete a task but may lack the technical knowledge, skills, training, and certification to be considered a chef.

“Another difference between the two is the level of responsibility. While chefs generally manage the kitchen and the cooking, they do less of the day-to-day cooking tasks. Their work usually includes overseeing the preparation of food and managing different workstations, and keeping the restaurant running by delegating tasks, ordering supplies, planning meals, and calculating costs. Cooks usually work under the direction of chefs and managers. They are often the ones preparing the food, but not deciding what to prepare or how to prepare it. I know chefs are generally thought to be more skilled and qualified than cooks.”

At Daal Roti, Taak worked as both a cook and chef.

He has since moved to Highway Indian Bistro in Barrie.

What does he love most about Canada?

“It’s a green, clean, and beautiful country, though the winter months are long and tough!”

He believes in the proverb Patience is a virtue, and aspires to have his own restaurant one day.

What’s your story? If you’d like to share the story of your arrival in Canada, please write to desinews@rogers.com or call 416-695-4357.