Thursday 9th March is celebrated as International School Meals Day across the world. So, it is only right that this week’s #MeetTISB features our Cafeteria Team. We reached out to the Executive Chef, Mr. Gokul & operation managers Mr. Janakiraman & Mr. Lourd.
Born & brought up in Ooty, our executive chef started his career in 5-star hotels in Chennai & Bangalore. He worked with the Good Shepherd International School for 14 years before joining The Basil and working at TISB.
“I have always been happy serving food for young children, and it is no small feat to satisfy different age groups and is a pleasant challenge to feed them.”
Mr. Janakiraman, born & raised in Tamilnadu - has worked in 5 - Star hotels, cruise lines and institutional catering in India, United states, and Singapore for over 20 years. He has travelled to over 20 countries while he was working in cruise lines. We asked him what his favourite memory was.
“I was wonderstruck by the white nights during the summer in St. Petersburg, Russia.”
He has been working with The Basil in TISB Campus for 8 years.
Mr. Lourd, born & raised in Bangalore started his career in the Taj group of hotels and worked there for 10 years. He joined the Basil in the year 2007 and has been working on the TISB campus since. Having worked with us for so long, we asked him what the storybook of his life at TISB be called - “Today & Tomorrow.”
“The Basil Hospitality Services has associated and happily served TISB from 2001, now that’s 22 years! We started with a smaller kitchen and moved to a large state of the art 10000 sq. Ft commercial kitchen from 2009 with a 5-star standard. It is a pleasure for me personally and for The Basil to have travelled along with TISB with the great support and feedback from the TISB community.”
Quick Q&A
What strategies do you use to create meals that are both nutritious and appealing to our students?
Mr. Janakiraman: A key strategy we use, is to offer a large variety of dishes and mix the good for you and best for your ingredients and focus on the flavour profiles of the different age groups.
How do you keep up with current food trends and new recipes that might appeal to students?
Mr. Gokul: We research and are active online to spot new trends, we also have constant interactions with the community to learn & receive feedback.
How can we encourage students to try new foods and healthy choices in the cafeteria?
Mr. Lourd: We have to constantly communicate with the students about the importance of healthy choices. We plan to shortly use different mediums on the campus to communicate the same..
Can you describe a typical day in the kitchen, from menu planning to meal service? How many staff are there etc.
Mr. Gokul: The day starts with a briefing to clearly align the day’s needs and review the day gone by of production planning and execution. There are more than 85 staff helping in production, service and stewarding. We follow a 3-week menu cycle to avoid monotony, there are constant reviews and food committees instituted but the school shares their feedback for us to review and implement.
What are some changes/improvements the cafeteria has made this year?
Mr. Janakiraman: New dishes have been implemented in the menu, recipes have been standardized and a faster implementation of recommendations have been at play. An external food safety auditor conducts monthly safety and hygiene audits and training sessions conducted for the direct food handlers has helped us validate the systems were already in use. The cafeteria operations at TISB were awarded a 5-star hygiene rating from the Food Safety and standards Authority of India - FSSAI this academic year.
Goals/Plans for next academic year
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