Can Asian Cuisine Change the Future of British Hospitality?

Zest Quest Asia

[00:00:00] Pervin Todiwala: There is a lot of Asian food, which has always been on the back burner. It's always been as a cuisine. French, Italian. They look at the Michelin stars. Yeah, I mean, you can hand look at Asian food with Michelin stars. It's growing

[00:00:14] Cyrus Todiwala: hospitality, particularly within the chefing field, accessible to everybody at every level and no.

Child coming from a deprived backward area to feel that he cannot achieve success. A lot of us, if you ask us what we did when we started, I started as a bus boy. I was cleaning tables and lifting growth. That busted my back. Okay. Today we can say we are reasonably successful. We want British homegrown.

[00:00:42] Pervin Todiwala: People. That is what we want because we look really fast for their passports. They need to be British or they need to be permanent residents of the United Kingdom. We do not want students, somebody asked me today, why not a student, a student can go back? Uh, we don't want that. We want Asians who stay in this country.[00:01:00]

[00:01:05] Timothy R Andrews: Welcome to another episode of Talking Hospitality. Brought to you today by Graphic Kitchen and Leisure Jobs. Today's episode was recorded live at Zes Quest, Asia 2024, where talking hospitality was lucky enough to be invited to speak to co-founders Cyrus and Pervy Alah. We hear about how their foundation aims to create opportunities for young people to learn Asian cuisine at the highest level and their dreams of getting the Asian food on the curriculum.

Hear their passion to succeed, the difficulties they have overcome and the hope they have for the future. This episode was recorded at the competition. Hence the background noise and serves as a sequel to season four. Episodes six and 13. Hosted by Tracy Rashid and me, Timothy R. Andrews. Enjoy the [00:02:00] show.

So finally, we get Mr. And Mrs. Welcome. Thank you for inviting us today. So what is, why is Quest, what's

[00:02:16] Cyrus Todiwala: it all about? First tell me how did you enjoy today? I, what did you think Quest Asia?

[00:02:23] Tracey Rashid: Seeing the pro, because I, and I've been in competitions myself, but seeing the process on the other side where you're not kind of like anxious and, you know, scared, all those sorts of things was so amazing.

Um, how the timing's done. The use of the kitchen, the prep work, the um, briefings. The whole process is really well done. And I think all the students felt really comfortable and they knew what they were doing because there's nothing worse than not knowing what you're doing or where you're supposed to be in a competition situation.

So I think that helped with them, you know, with their cooking and, and you're feeling more confident and comfortable. But it's been fantastic. You know, the, the presentation's been [00:03:00] great. What we've seen the smell in this room has, ugh. Can I be a judge next year please? Because not tasting, we don't get much to taste.

I think we need nap. The first. Okay. How many people is that really gonna go round? It's amuse bush

[00:03:16] Cyrus Todiwala: round. But they, they were making four plates only, correct? Yeah. Right. The scare was that they would break some damage, some. So I made them do a few extra. Yeah. Particularly the baskets because they are very delegate.

[00:03:28] Timothy R Andrews: They are. What about you? What did you think? I think for me from yesterday and today, I think it's for, I always love these kind of competitions 'cause you see the potential that's coming through now in street. And I think for coming here and seeing the, the skill set that people already have, some of them already are like professionals.

Some of them speak better than some of the professionals that I've worked with. Yeah. The, the passion that's underlying some of the food that, that, this is what gets me on an emotional level, on a professional level. What I like to [00:04:00] see is we have talent coming through and I've seen people, even yesterday and today, the change in them.

Yeah.

[00:04:08] Timothy R Andrews: Like there's already, there's growth already. Mm-hmm. From. Oh my God, I got present suddenly that right here, chef, here you go. This is what I've done. And they, they get it and they understand it and they know why they put it together. And then if there's a hard question, a lot of them, most of them had an answer.

Yes. Yes. And I think if you'd asked some of them yesterday, they wouldn't have had an answer. No. And to see that growth in what, less than 24 hours.

Yeah.

[00:04:30] Timothy R Andrews: That, for me, that's gonna be my takeaway from, from that.

[00:04:33] Cyrus Todiwala: And that's it.

That's why. So now you are asking me what question that

[00:04:42] Pervin Todiwala: question que, I'll tell you what it is. Yeah. Why Zes? The meme itself says zest. Quest. Okay. And Asia is Quest for Asia. Quest for Asia. Quest, quest, quest for Asian food. And uh, what, what we are very passionate about is that Asian [00:05:00] food, even today, top chefs, you see they're using the use of chilies and things like that, trying to spice their food up, which is not, I mean, it's, it's a good fusion, but what we are trying to do is push, push Asia mm-hmm.

Into. The limelight lime to bring that there is a lot of Asian food, which has always been on the back burner. It's always been as a cuisine. French, Italian. They look at the Michelin stars. I mean, you can hand look at Asian food with Michelin stars. It's growing. When you

[00:05:30] Tracey Rashid: say Asia, what? What do you mean? So

[00:05:33] Cyrus Todiwala: to Japan,

[00:05:34] Tracey Rashid: right?

Okay. They

[00:05:34] Cyrus Todiwala: must look at the whole of Asia. Yeah. So Mr. Massaro made a comment Yeah. That everybody's now going to Southeast Asia. Mm-hmm. When rest, he's come on board this year, for example. So training will begin in Japanese food.

[00:05:47] Tracey Rashid: Yes.

[00:05:48] Cyrus Todiwala: As soon as that training begins their, their fear of Japan, because Japan has been so secluded and it's always been at a very high level.

So they have never been able to understand the cuisine [00:06:00] and they never been able to open up the doors of Japan, Japanese food. So this relationship. Will help the students to open their minds a little bit more, and then we should see them now gradually tracking towards trying to find jobs within Asian restaurants.

Yeah. Or high repute. Yeah. Okay. Because they, the colleges tune them into going higher. Yeah. And some of them feel fail to understand that they must start lower and then achieve higher because they need to build a foundation. I think many colleges fail to make their students understand that basic principle that they need to build a foundation before they aspire to whatever they want to aspire.

The thing about Zest Quest Asia was it's, it's an old history, and I've told you this before, it goes back to two thousands. We started a school called the Asian and Oral School of Kids. Even now, the government does not believe in hospitality even now. Mm-hmm. It's very sad that. The, the concept of hospitality to government [00:07:00] is, yeah, a holiday job.

I've got nothing to do, earn a bit of money, work in the restaurant porter kitchen hand, and then I'm off. I'm doing something bigger and better. So hospital has always been the underdog. Always been the underdog. Our aim is to raise the profile, the Asian restaurant scene. If you look at Indian, Chinese, Thai, Malaysian.

Always been cheap, dirty, takeout food. Yeah, that's true. There's never been appreciation of high level cooking. Many of the Japanese restaurants, for example, that are dotted all over, they don't even know what they're doing.

Yeah,

[00:07:35] Cyrus Todiwala: yeah. The fish is rubbish, is still, the food is put together, but they put it in a bento box and tell you it's Japanese.

Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Right. So all of these things have made the average young British budding chef look at Asian, uh, cuisine with cynicism. Yeah. It's not for me. What do I get out of it? What am I going to achieve with this? But the [00:08:00] scope is massive. It's, it's, it's, it's wider than we can talk and imagine about.

And that is why we thought that, okay, we failed in the college government in US, pulled our funding. We lost a lot of money. Personally, she didn't like me for a few years. But um,

[00:08:16] Pervin Todiwala: I'm still married too.

[00:08:18] Timothy R Andrews: Get

[00:08:18] Cyrus Todiwala: married. So married or mad? Yeah,

[00:08:21] Pervin Todiwala: I'm mad. Definitely guaranteed the bloody over facility. There are three of them who guaranteed the overthrow.

Oh, no, no, no. That's fine. It's not a problem. It's over. It's finished. It's done. Yes, you have to move on. But the passion is there. The passion is and what, what, what it is. For me is mostly, is the British, British aspect of it. We want British homegrown people. That is what we want because we look, we asked for their passports.

They need to be British or they need to be permanent residents of the United Kingdom. We do not want students, somebody asked me today, why not a student, a student can go back? Uh, we [00:09:00] don't want that. We want Asian food to stay in this country.

[00:09:03] Cyrus Todiwala: Yeah. To prove that point, one of the teams that took part, that takes part almost every year.

They produced a team of three foreign students, but they argued that because at that time they were European citizens. Yeah. They very much have a right of aboard in Britain as well. However, immediately after them winning the prize, all three disappeared from Britain. Exactly. Not one started to work in this country.

Now one has come back, was to work in the country. He's working in this country and we took him on a tour. Because he deserved it. The other two I wasn't worried about because they are now giving that talent to some other country. Yes. And Britain is lost out. Yes. Yeah. So which is why we are very, very clear on from now, no driving licenses passport.

[00:09:47] Timothy R Andrews: Yeah. See that circles back though, to the reason why you are starting Zes Quest. Yeah, absolutely. Which is basically to get it on the curriculum, right? Yes, yes.

[00:09:55] Cyrus Todiwala: Yeah. As a country and British [00:10:00] people as a whole do not regard hospitality as an equal and professional profession. Right? That's the first problem Britain has got.

It's the old class system that defines hospitality and lowers it down. Mm-hmm. Two. So we need to raise the students image as well. So by doing things like this and this competition, it comes into the eye of more people. From starting with two sponsors, we are now down to most sponsors, and the sponsors don't believe in us.

We cannot educate the young people. Absolutely. That's right. Right. So the sponsors who have got a vested interest. Every company that has invested in the competition has a vested interest in the future development of British talent. And that is what we want the sponsors to understand that if they don't buy into it, we cannot encourage students to grow.

Yeah. Yeah. And they want to learn to use the right products. As a result, products are brought into it. They must learn to use the products. Properly, [00:11:00] they must learn to enhance those products. So it helps the sponsor. It helps the sponsor, gets new recipes, sponsor gets new ideas, sponsor sees new techniques.

And this is all coming from the research that the students and the teachers are doing as well. And that makes the whole concept of Zes Quest Asia better ideally. The country needs to buy it. And the biggest gift of all would be, and this country finally accepts Asian cuisine on the curriculum, that that is another thing that will be the top achievement.

[00:11:38] Pervin Todiwala: But also what What happens is with the these students, the prize is so big because we work very hard. It's through our foundation, the foundation, and it's not for profit. So we don't keep any money for ourselves or for the work that we do. It's all trying to put it back into the competition, into the prizes that we give you to tonight.

You'll see what we go to an Asian [00:12:00] country and we have been with. Two or three of them because we've been sponsored by, by the sponsors to go to the country that's, we'd been to the Philippines today. I am so pleased to see that we have a full Philippine menu and that is because the tutor comes with us as well.

And this is, yeah, this is expanding their knowledge, expanding their, uh, sight into the cuisine. So much research. They have to do research. They have to look at what the country offers. Sometimes we don't know things. So we open the board, we open Google and say, what is that? What is this? Then question them.

And

[00:12:36] Cyrus Todiwala: you see Cane tonight, you'll see it in the cane tonight. Yeah. City of Western won the prize last year,

[00:12:42] Pervin Todiwala: so now

[00:12:43] Cyrus Todiwala: they've already gone to the hotel and they'll be creating the cane for tonight's dinner. So this year's winners will do it for next year's canopy reception. The reception. But they other important thing is that it is.

Kickstarting a passion among students. [00:13:00] For example, Sheffield College has an internal competition to decide which students will take part in this competition. We love it whelmed with the response from students. We want to take part. So they form teams and then each team competes against each other within the college.

And then the best team competition as well. They feel for

[00:13:22] Tracey Rashid: it.

[00:13:22] Pervin Todiwala: Okay. Sorry. Wants something? Yeah. Yeah.

[00:13:26] Farrah Solim: So can you tell me about pass contest? That, that, so if anyone, if you wanna encourage teams to Thrive next year, or if you wanted to encourage people to watch it or support it or whatever. Right. Can you give any examples of students that have won or have brought the competition

[00:13:43] Cyrus Todiwala: and where they've got to now?

Do you know, like, so this is one of the things that colleges need to understand and this, I hope the colleges take on board because there's, they will always encourage the students to go into the Michel role. For what reason? I do not know. [00:14:00] So the student, after all the input will go find a job in a British or a French serving restaurant because they want the mis and staff to tick on their boxes.

Mm-hmm. Without realizing that they have a lot more to learn and a lot more to aspire towards. So this, the colleges need to take on board number one. But during the trip to Japan, we were sponsored by Panasonic in their 100th year anniversary, and the team was sent from Tokyo to Osaka by Panasonic. And they spent five days in the Panasonic development, uh, facility.

Two of the students joined the Hilton Tokyo to learn more about Japanese food. Okay. One of them got absorbed into the Hilton, Tokyo finally, and he is now, I don't know where he, yes, very, but actually got a job. We were very pleased and he worked in the Japanese restaurant at the Hilton, Tokyo. So that is success.

Whatever tiny bit is, it's a very tiny sub from here. We can have a few more students going into [00:15:00] Asian restaurants and uh, unfortunately, uh, our relationships are not very tight within Asian restaurants that we can say, okay, this team can work here for a week and work there for a week. And that would change that thinking completely.

And this is what we want to achieve. So what we do from the foundation as well. The idea of the foundation is to create a surplus that we can help poor kids through education, and that is the main basis of that foundation. So like for instance, one of the prizes today is a nice purse of money kept with a supplier that does our uniforms, and the students can go to him and buy anything they want for a certain amount of money that helps them to make sure that they stay in education.

Absolutely. Otherwise, what's the use if

[00:15:45] Pervin Todiwala: you give them a pot of money, it's. Yeah,

[00:15:47] Cyrus Todiwala: they'll blow it up. They can't blow it up because they have to

[00:15:50] Pervin Todiwala: buy some stuff

[00:15:52] Cyrus Todiwala: for which sort of, it's working 11 years now, wait for the 15th year. We will have a lot more of them working in Asian restaurants.[00:16:00]

[00:16:05] Timothy R Andrews: So there's a number of restaurants opening up in London, high profile Asian restaurants. Yes, I was. So if they're going listening to this Yeah. What can they do to get in touch with you?

[00:16:14] Cyrus Todiwala: Get in touch with us. We'll move them in touch with the colleges, and the colleges will then make a open plan. Ask the students who wants to work in these restaurants.

And I'm sure the problem we have got is a lot of our colleges are from outside London. Yeah. One or two may be taking part that are from London itself. The best restaurants are opening in the city first and then going across the country so that the, the disadvantage to a student coming from outside London is accommodation in London.

It's the only biggest problem they've got. If a restaurant offers them a certain salary and then offers them something towards accommodation, we'll find a lot more great talent from all over Britain wanting to come and work there. Yeah, because that is the draw. You tell [00:17:00] them your monthly room will cost you a thousand pounds.

I'm giving you 500 pounds towards your accommodation. You bet you they will come.

Yeah.

[00:17:09] Cyrus Todiwala: Because that's the encouragement

[00:17:10] Pervin Todiwala: for that. But, uh, one of the team members today, um, is working in, uh, from UCB Birmingham. He's working in, which has just got a two Michelin star with Islam and that itself. And he will learn a lot.

And that itself is fantastic because you, you, I mean, we are so thrilled and so knows about Que Asia and hopefully, you know, there, there are more sort of, uh, restaurants and chefs who will come across and take part in this kind of thing because this is the growth. I'm sure he wants a lot of homegrown talent as well

[00:17:45] Cyrus Todiwala: as we do into the college to taste their food,

[00:17:48] Tracey Rashid: taste their food as well, which is really good.

You mentioned growth per, so obviously you started in 2013. Yes. So Quest, Asia, like the brand, the competition, what, how do you want it to [00:18:00] grow over the next, let say five years?

[00:18:02] Pervin Todiwala: It's already the most. In, but I, yeah, but my aim is to see it in classrooms like this, teaching, uh, Asian food, not Indian food. See people look at us and think, we want Indian food.

No, please look at Asian food. Please look at the diversity. Even if you take, today, we had Bangladesh. Today, we had Philippines. Today we had Japan, Thailand, you know, there's, so in 16, we. About five milia. Five to five cuisines. Yeah. You know, so this is what we want in the curriculum that maybe we have, uh, schools like, uh, the Tokyo Sushi.

Yeah. We have other, other schools. We have an academy where we try, like Cyrus's food is very different. So even though it's Indian, it's very different Indian. So, you know, we, we do, we want. People to just open their eyes and bring it into the classroom.

[00:18:58] Cyrus Todiwala: This quest is your [00:19:00] classroom at Cafe Space.

[00:19:01] Tracey Rashid: Oh, yes.

[00:19:03] Cyrus Todiwala: If anybody's listening, gimme money.

[00:19:08] Timothy R Andrews: Gimme

because you want to make. Accessible or

[00:19:15] Cyrus Todiwala: we wanna, but we wanna expand the Japan. Yes, you are right. Great chefs from everywhere we want. Yeah. And make them

so say, say that you want to make, um, the, um,

[00:19:31] Cyrus Todiwala: more accessible access

for everybody where their backgrounds,

[00:19:35] Cyrus Todiwala: that's exactly what hospital.

Particularly within the chefing field, accessible to everybody at every level, and no child coming from a deprived backward area should feel that he cannot achieve success. A lot of us, if you ask us what we did when we started, I started as a bus boy. I was cleaning tables and [00:20:00] lifting loads that busted my back.

Okay. Today we can say we are reasonably successful. There are a lot of people who start that way,

[00:20:08] Pervin Todiwala: kilos and kilos of onions because I am a trained chef. Yeah. But I just had to marry him, so I had to move

[00:20:15] Cyrus Todiwala: simple, just move

COC into it.

[00:20:21] Pervin Todiwala: I was co to the restaurant, so I up front of, that's not important. You know, I wanted to tell you about one, one person. One, just.

We went to Philippines with a, which Sheffield College, one of the boys. He did not come. He had, I don't think he had had the opportunity of even going to another country he had never thrown before. And he had, yeah, I don't know. Well, let's, let's, I don't know exactly. Yeah. But the, the teach teacher told us that the father came to her, him, and absolutely was.

You know, you [00:21:00] could speak to the teacher because he would be able to give the right account for it, but we were so just happy to hear that the father came and actually thanked the tutor that this was the kind of opportunity which his son would never, ever would have got. Yeah. And they came back to the college.

They have done a Filipino menu this time, so they students to compete. So this is what, that's what it's all about. Yeah. That's what it's all about. We call the underdogs.

Nothing out there.

[00:21:34] Timothy R Andrews: That's fantastic. Bring out, thank you both very much. Thank you.

[00:21:37] Tracey Rashid: We'll see you on the evening and hope you enjoy evening.

[00:21:40] Timothy R Andrews: Thank you. Okay. Yes, sir.

[00:21:46] Tracey Rashid: Thank you