The daily grind: Noureen Feerasta

The Toronto-based restaurateur and skilful chef of Rickshaw Bar shares her day with us and we can’t help but crave her delectable dishes. From experimenting with new recipes to working the sauté station, Feerasta’s schedule is sure to give you hunger pangs!

9am:

I wake up and take a quick shower.

10am:

I’m at BarBuca or Portland Variety for a meeting with my accountant, financial manager, realtor or assistant, getting updates.

12noon:

I’m in the kitchen. I start off by tasting all the sauces and ordering all produce, meat and fish needed for the day, as well as replying to all email and phone calls for reservations. I have a quick lunch, usually consisting of smoked eggplant on flatbread.



1pm:

I create a new dish everyday, some end up on the menu and some don’t. But it’s my favourite part of my day. I’ll go down to the farmers’ market for seasonal inspiration.

2pm:

Back with my bag of goodies, I start with two main ingredients and pair different spices and herbs, measuring and writing down my recipe as I go along.



4pm:

I brief all servers about the new dishes, and any reservations that need special attention. Anything new on the menu will be plated or poured so the servers can taste it.

5pm:

The cooks will pull out their entire ‘mise en place’ or the set up required before cooking, at around 5pm for me to taste, so I can adjust any seasoning or inconsistency.

6pm:

Service starts. As the chef, I call out all the chits printed, finish garnishing on all the plates and also work the sauté station, which is the busiest station. As the dishes are done I will call for ‘hands’ and a server will bring the food to the table. We go on like this till 11pm.

11pm:

Time for a smoke break for all kitchen staff, where I usually end up talking to them about what they did well and what needs to be improved. The cooks will start cleaning and I take this time to meet tables that have requested to speak to me. It’s the most fulfilling part of being a chef to hear how my food reminded them of their mother, grandma or home.



1am:

By 1am, the cooks will call me back to the kitchen to check if everything is clean and has been put away properly. If everything looks good, they leave. I close up and walk back to my home – only two blocks away!

2am:

Back home and ready for bed.

3am:

Fast asleep!