UE Kitchen Diaries: A Day in the Life of Catering Chef, Dipesh Parmar
Hey there, I’m Dipesh! Join me as I take you through a day in my life as the Catering Chef at urban element!
BUT FIRST…COFFEE!
On a typical day, I wake up around 6:00 AM, make a latte, put on a podcast, and head to the couch to hang out with my cat, Lu. Some say we look alike :)
After another coffee (let’s be honest), I feed Lu and hit the road to head over to the UE kitchen. I’m often the first one there, so I turn on the lights, unlock the doors, and start up the equipment so it’s ready for when the rest of the team arrives.
THE WORKDAY BEGINS
My day starts with admin work. I pull out my laptop to catch up on emails, approve employee timecards, and check to make sure everything is on track for our upcoming catering bookings.
As the team gets in, I check in with them to see how they’re doing, and we go over the plan for the day to make sure we’re all on the same page. Depending on the day, this is usually the time when orders from our suppliers start to come in, so I help receive them and double-check to make sure everything is there. While the team labels everything neatly and puts it away properly to ensure we’re always using the freshest ingredients first, I have time to sneak back into the office.
More time in the office usually means working on prep lists for upcoming events, checking those lists against the product we have in-house, and placing necessary orders from various suppliers, including many local farms and businesses in the Ottawa-Gatineau area that we love to support as much as possible (e.g., Juniper Farm, Ferme Mariposa Farm, Enright Cattle Company).
L to R: Serving up local strawberries at a client's annual Strawberry Social; a sneak peek of my office at the UE kitchen; we love supporting local farmers and suppliers, like Enright Cattle Company (photo courtesy of Enright Cattle Company).
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT OUR LOCAL SUPPLIERS
TEAM EFFORT
Once most of my admin work is done, I change my clothes and head into the kitchen to help with food prep. Depending on the day, I can be found doing any number of tasks, including butchery, baking and pastry, prepping for our ue@home fresh and frozen meals or custom menu items, picking herbs, and washing dishes!
In the UE kitchen, we operate as a team, so on top of my own tasks, I do whatever is necessary to keep the kitchen rolling and keep food prep on track for all of our catering bookings. As I’m prepping, I’m often keeping track of emails as they come in to see if anything needs my immediate attention.
L to R: house-made charcuterie; Team UE; chocolate cake with whipped caramel ganache—photo: Yash Patel Photography)
When we have catering deliveries booked that day, I’ll check in with our driver, Chi Tho, when he arrives. Then, our Sous Chef, Steven, or another UE team member will double-check with him to make sure everything is ready for our clients and packed up safely.
In the afternoon, (Executive Chef) Kyle and I will sit down to design menus. Depending on the time of year, this could mean designing new menus, putting together custom menus for clients, or creating seasonal menus.
As the workday wraps up, I usually check in one last time with the team to make sure the kitchen is in good shape and we’re on track with our prep lists.
RESET, COOK + RELAX
After work, I usually head to the gym to get some movement and stretching in to reset my mind and body and renew my energy for another busy day. If my day finishes early enough, I’ll head straight home and hop on my road bike to cycle around the city for a few hours to decompress.
Once I’m home for the night, I clean up, grab a snack and sometimes a beer or a glass of wine, and I sit outside on the balcony with Lu while I think about what to eat for dinner. This time of year, I’m often cooking up something simple that features a ton of local produce from the farmers' market.
After dinner, it’s wind-down time, so I watch some TV or pick up a good book before heading to bed so I can do it all again tomorrow!
Thanks for joining me! I hope you enjoyed this peek into a typical day in my life as the Catering Chef at urban element.
Cheers,
Dipesh
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🎧 Chef Dipesh’s Podcast Recommendations: