Like every occupation, catering is also a profession worth exploring for youthful aspirants in today’s competitive job market. Although there are plentiful successful and talented chefs, not everyone takes it to the end. Most people easily get tired of a kitchen for several reasons. People used to be so passionate about cooking that they—a natural cook or a professional chef—would happily spend their life in the kitchen. But not anymore. People now tend to find new interests based on trend, their liking, and convenience.
Purists can talk about passion for hours, but it doesn’t convince the youth. They don’t want to be stuck in hot kitchens in the evenings. Moreover, kitchens are not known to be very friendly places, and some chefs make it tough for their team. Then how do you instil interest in a new chef? Still, there’s a glimmer of hope, thanks to the experienced lot. A veteran chef articulates and demonstrates his cooking in the most graceful way and makes everything look so easy.
We found it fascinating to explore the thinktank of elderly chefs at Rasa Gurukul, and invited all our known sources to introduce us to retired individuals, who could share their wisdom with our young students. It was a deliberate attempt at helping elderly in our society to get back to active living and enjoy their life like all of us. Early this year, we met Mr Kesavan Nair and his son on a Sunday morning. One of them was looking for a job.
And to our surprise, it was the father and not the son who asked, if he could join us in the kitchen. He said, “I am highly experienced in making traditional Kerala food and have worked in many top restaurants. Cooking fascinates me.” Enjoying his lively talk, we asked, “How old are you?” We thought he was in his mid-60s, and he shocked us again, “I am still learning to cook like my mother and I am only 82 not out!”
We invited him to join us the next day. What followed was the most incredible harmony in our kitchen as his charm and enthusiasm influenced every member of the team.
We started witnessing the amazing quality and heavenly flavours of food. While cooking he wears an innocent smile on face and keeps chatting with the team. He walks three km from home to reach here everyday, and is usually the first person to arrive in the kitchen. Mr Nair strolls around the farm during breaks to collect the things that others had missed during the morning harvest, and keeps them ready for dinner. With his impeccable energy he mixes up with guests and communicates in his own ways to express love and care for people. Honestly, he’s not just working for fun or to pass his time, he looks after his wife and sick son even at this age.
Who decides the expiry of a cook’s fascination for serving the world? We are left with this interesting discovery as we enviously observe Mr Nair’s passion for cooking. When we look at the world where people complain about everything most of the time, some people like Nair are the ultimate model of unconditional devotion for an art and its untiring journey.
Initially, our aim was to inspire every potential chef to learn from someone like Mr Nair, but he has become a model for everyone—the youngsters and people in their 60s or 70s— to stand up to learn and win more in life. Mr Nair says, “Life is new every day, so are we. There’s more to achieve in every single day. I feel happy and blessed that I am working with young people.” The author runs the London-based Rasa chain of restaurants