Cloud Kitchens: Divesh Aswani, Commis Station

Wine & Dine

Textual content and Images by Mallika Chandra.

Divesh Aswani, 33
Commis Station
Location: Mahim
Speciality: Baked items, kitchen staples, condiments, confectionery, ice lotions

What led you to begin Commis Station?
I used to be 70 per cent down the road with my analysis and growth for a restaurant when COVID-19 hit. The one factor that had been left to do was to discover a house. So, a 12 months after the lockdown, I form of simply broke the menu down into its fundamental parts and determined to take off. The one mannequin that appeared to work on the time was the supply mannequin.

What was the idea of the unique restaurant?
It was going to be a really informal house with no particular theme. A spot the place you would get a extremely good bowl of pasta, a pleasant noodle soup, roast hen or sandwich.

And was that the form of meals that you just had been making even earlier than you ventured out by yourself?
I left Mumbai after I was 17 and I had the luxurious and the chance to coach at Le Cordon Bleu in Sydney. Throughout that course, I used to be working part-time. I lived in Australia for 10 years and labored at completely different cafes serving varied cuisines. That’s the place I picked up most of my cooking type from. I additionally ate out loads which form of outlined how I cooked. Australia being a melting pot of cultures, there’s loads on provide when it comes to meals and that simply opened me up creatively.

In order that variety of delicacies has been carried into Commis Station?
It’s principally what cooks would now outline as fashionable Australian delicacies. They’ve taken influences from completely different sorts of cuisines and put it collectively as parts on the menu. I like which you can go to a restaurant as a household of 4 the place a toddler might need a noodle soup, the mom may need a sandwich or a salad or a recent pasta and so forth. I wished to create an area the place there’s one thing for everybody, actually.

The title Commis Station itself is a nod to skilled kitchen buildings. An fascinating selection as an alternative of one thing extra associated to your product. What was the thought there?
There was lots of thought behind the title. Basically, a commis is essentially the most junior particular person within the kitchen hierarchy. The primary function which you can apply for within the kitchen is that of a commis and you then climb up the ranks.

Following that hierarchy, the concept was to inform our purchasers and friends that we’re your commis cooks. Everybody was cooking throughout COVID-19, however they didn’t essentially need to make recent noodles or baos or gyoza wrappers. We wished to be the place the place folks would attain out and say, “I really feel like consuming burgers tonight, what are you able to do for me?” And we’d say, “We are able to ship you the buns, the BBQ sauce, the pickled cucumber, the hand-cut fries and also you simply need to put it collectively.”

In our brand, you’ll see the stripes on the lettering. The stripes resemble these on the aprons that commis cooks would put on again within the day. The commis station is the place all of the mise en place will get achieved. So principally, the commis station by no means stops. Even throughout service, they’re doing last-minute prep jobs and ensuring that the kitchen is absolutely able to serve.

Why provide simplified connoisseur? What gaps are you filling?
The thought may be very easy. We use our ability set and supply one thing that can not be simply achieved at house. Folks realized loads about cooking throughout COVID-19, however even then, they wanted to get staples and condiments. In the event you have a look at our sauce vary, we began with one thing acquainted — a Sichuan sauce. Certainly one of our top-selling dips is the Lebanese garlic unfold, which is actually a toum however we add confit garlic to it to offer it our twist. Every part needed to be elevated, recent and one thing that can not be made or replicated simply at house. It’s a fixed battle to do issues that different folks aren’t doing.

I used to be stunned to see how quick a time it took for a product to get created from scratch and get packed within the field.
Sure, however that does backfire typically. As an illustration, folks want to eat bagels for breakfast. However we begin our shift at 8 am and by the point it’s prepared, it’s like 10 or 11 am and by the point it reaches them, it’s midday. However it is very important me to create a really comfy work atmosphere for the crew. It was troublesome after we began as a result of we didn’t understand how a lot we’d promote. Now we’re virtually sure that we’re going to promote X variety of sauces each week so these could be made in small batches. And we’re fairly vocal concerning the issues that we make in small batches, issues which can be made-to-order, issues that want 48 hours’ discover. It tastes completely different when it’s recent. Versus any fancy restaurant within the metropolis, which can nonetheless be serving parts that didn’t promote the day earlier than.

How did you go about establishing your operations and house?
Powerful! It was very robust. I don’t even need to take into consideration these days. Every part that might have gone fallacious went fallacious. You form of have to only be prepared for it. We confronted lots of points from licensing to water to the builders not displaying up, and we have been constructing throughout COVID-19!

I used to be scouting for offers throughout city as a result of so many locations have been shutting down. So, I used to be purchasing for a espresso machine from one place, choosing up somebody’s cabinets from one other a part of city, a second-hand oven from someplace else. It was simply full-on hustle mode.

However it was a labour of affection and clearly we needed to be very cautious with what we spent. I wasn’t positive whether or not this was going to take off. Luckily, issues labored out and Commis Station has been rising each when it comes to the companies we provide and the enterprise that we are able to tackle.

How do you handle to continue to grow?
It actually helps to have a really robust crew. My crew has supported my choices and backed me up with the lengthy hours, when wanted, or tailored to serving at catering gigs we tackle on the final minute. I attempt to lead by instance. I’m very pleased with the truth that I’m all the time the primary one in and the final one out, I’m very hands-on and that’s central in conserving the morale of the crew up.

The truth that I converse to all my prospects and take their orders additionally helps. I really feel that individuals have gotten so used to ordering on apps that they’ve forgotten the old fashioned approach of ordering meals by calling an area restaurant man and asking what was obtainable that night time. I’ve this group of choose purchasers who simply randomly choose up the cellphone after they don’t actually really feel like cooking and say, “Are you able to kind me out tonight?” And I believe that’s a really good a part of the enterprise. I’ve constructed very robust relationships with my purchasers, a few of whom have even invited me over to their properties for particular events!

It should take time to keep up these robust relationships. Do you are taking out time to concentrate on advertising and marketing and social media?
It’s not as effectively deliberate or designed as you could assume it will be. If you’re an entrepreneur and also you’re hands-on and also you’re cooking, managing a crew, doing gross sales and speaking to prospects, you simply search for that five-minute hole and also you leap on Instagram and publish no matter is being achieved. Typically, I’ll be strolling by a pile of bread and assume that it seems nice. And I’ll publish that. Numerous it’s simply very spontaneous and really unplanned and I believe that’s what makes it stand out. It’s natural and never staged.

On condition that your providing is a lot about being chef-driven and elevating staples, do you’re feeling just like the enterprise is carefully tied to your persona as a chef? How a lot of your self do you need to put out on social media on the subject of creating content material?
In the event you have a look at my profile versus Commis Station’s, I personally have extra followers. However I’m not a chef who’s always on social media. It’s not that I’m not a social particular person. However I’m not somebody who craves Instagram likes or thinks a lot about hashtags. I comply with only a few folks. For me, being on Instagram for enterprise is sufficient.

What are a few of the challenges you face as a cloud kitchen?
The hardest half is determining learn how to get the meals or the product to the consumer in the very best approach. That’s all the time been the problem and all the time will likely be. Some days you may pull off a dessert after which a number of months later it’s so sizzling that you just can not serve that dessert anymore. There’s lots of science behind cooking, nevertheless it’s very onerous to convey that to the client.

It’s also troublesome to remain motivated whereas doing the identical factor again and again for years. That’s why I just like the catering side of the enterprise as a result of it breaks the monotony. We exit, we cook dinner in entrance of individuals and we work together.

Do you are taking day without work?
I don’t. It’s primarily due to work that I journey. I’ve been working with Ishka Farms and producing a condiment vary with them that’s caper-focused. So I journey to Kochi very often as a result of I’ve to be there for the manufacturing a part of it. I like pop-ups. I do lots of collaborative dinners. As soon as the work is over, I spend an additional day or two for enjoyable and are available again. That’s all the time going to be the luxurious of being a chef — you may go to any a part of the world and have a job.

How do you keep impressed?
It’s a course of in itself and it really occurs when there’s a lull. A quiet interval may really feel like one thing is fallacious however normally it’s nothing to fret about. It might simply be a festive weekend or possibly persons are travelling. And so, each time there’s a lull, I exploit the time to create one thing new, publish about it and get eyes again onto Commis Station. An idle thoughts will not be all the time the satan’s workshop.

A few of your gadgets, particularly the tiramisu, have a cult following.
It does. I really received the espresso machine for the kitchen considering that I’d be this cool man promoting espresso within the compound. That by no means occurred however due to that espresso machine, I began making tiramisu. Life works in mysterious methods. On common, we promote about 150 to 160 kilos of the dessert monthly.

What’s the good order from Commis Station?
It’s all the time going to be the tiramisu as a result of that by no means allows you to down and it’s within the sharing format, so everybody’s glad. However we are able to additionally aid you put a meal collectively, so ordering one thing from the bakery, some sauces, some condiments, some staples, is an effective approach to go. I prefer to encourage folks to form of combine and match. Each time somebody requires baos, I’ll additionally recommend ordering the kimchi and sesame. Folks don’t all the time have the knack of placing issues collectively so the right order would all the time be to take the options of the chef.

Earlier: Kartikeya Ratan and Rishabh Doshi, Kiki & Pastor
Subsequent: Anushka Malkani and Nariman Abdygapparov, Masa Bakery