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at Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation, said: “The National Hotel and Tourism Training Institute offers training in six disciplines. We also offer a one-year diploma course in culinary arts. For most of our courses, students who have passed HSC examinations and who are within the age of 21 can apply. Of course, in some cases, some exceptions can be made, but that depends on the authorities.”.JPG)
Youths in Catering
Sheikh Iraj
In the past few years, there has been an incredible transformation in the food scenein Bangladesh. Today, in the major parts of the capital it is hard to find any place without restaurants, fast food chains or mobile food courts. The change in the catering sector is quite remarkable and more youths are getting involved. There are many institutes in the major cities of the country that offer professional courses on catering.
Ziaul Haque, Manager (Public Relation) at Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation, said: The National Hotel and Tourism Training Institute offers training in six disciplines. We also offer a one-year diploma course in culinary arts. For most of our courses, students who have passed HSC examinations and who are within the age of 21 can apply. Of course, in some cases, some exceptions can be made, but that depends on the authorities.
Apon Ghor is a private catering school in Lalmatia that has been offering courses for 30 years. Its owner, Monira Sultana, told YI: I started this institute in 1987. My husband had a good job, but I wanted to do this. Of course, before starting my own training centre, I participated in some catering courses offered by YWCA and other institutes. Today, youths are extremely passionate about learning different things about catering. In the past, I used to get 300 to 400 students regularly; that number has come down to 100 students a month now. Most of them now read cookbooks or try to learn from YouTube videos. Many of them come to me when they cant learn from those. I only teach girls. I have two assistants; both of them learned from me and now work for me. I believe its wonderful to learn about cooking. My daughter, Raisa Khan, after completing her graduation wanted to join me and now looks after the cake decoration section. We offer six-week courses, mainly on Chinese cuisine, cake decoration, baking and south Indian dishes.
Although the passion for learning how to cook has increased among the youth, most of them dont learn it professionally, as they should, Sultana added.
Tofael Topu, assistant chef at DuSai Resort Spa in Sylhet, told this correspondent over the phone: In 2005, I participated in a professional chef course at the National Hotel and Tourism Training Institute. After completing my course, I worked in many places but soon I got an opportunity to work in Dubai. There, I worked for five years in some world class hotels and restaurants. Then I decided to come back home because today, one can earn as much or even more in our country working as a chef. I am 27 years old and I believe I made the right decision in choosing my career. When I first started learning, some of my friends didnt think it was a good idea to become a chef. Today, I am satisfied with whatever I am earning. I see many youths like me not getting jobs. I am sure that if they learn catering, they will not remain unemployed. We have to remember that the catering business is only going to boom.
Nowadays, many youths are starting their own catering business, while some are working in the sector to gather experience and earn some money. Many who have started their own catering establishments mostly learned how to run the business by reading books or watching videos online. This sector is creating new job opportunities.
Faysal Shareng, co-owner of Capsicum, told this correspondent: I started my own restaurant back in 2014. I was an undergraduate student when I decided to start my own business. I am 27 years old now, and I believe it would have been hard for me to complete my studiesand find immediate success in any other career. I am my own boss now and I like it this way. I used to watch different cooking shows on TV and those shows really inspired me to take up the challenge to start something of my own.
In our restaurant, we serve 44 dishes, which are mostly from Indian, Thai and continental cuisine. I didnt have any academic training in catering, but over the years, my chefs have taught me how to cook some of the dishes. It took me Taka 15 lakh (Tk 1.5million) to start the business. My family and my co-partner have invested in this. Our restaurant is located near Monipur High School College, he added.
Petuk is a well-known kebab restaurant in Khilgaon. Petuk started its journey four years ago and in a very short span of time, it has become quite popular among food lovers. Indian style chicken and beef kebabs are their most popular dishes. Shaidur Rahman, co-owner of Petuk told YI: I have travelled to India a few times and I really liked their food and cooking style. So I tried to introduce that cooking style in our restaurant. Initially, I only invested money in this restaurant, then I gradually become part of the management. I am 30 years old and after my graduation, I worked in a private firm for a few days, but later decided to concentrate on the restaurant. In May, I am going to hand over my share of the business to my co-owner. I am doing that because these days, business is not that good. When we first started, we had to give an advance of Taka 150,000 and the rent was Taka 20,000 per month. But now, the landowner is asking for Taka 30 lakh (3 million) in advance and we are paying Taka 35,000 per month as rent. Just a few years ago, Khilgaon was not considered a posh place, like Gulshan or Banani. In just five years, over 200 restaurants have opened in Khilgaon. There are too many restaurants all over the capital, but there are not that many customers. More than 90 per cent of the restaurants in Khilgaon cant make profit now.
Today, online catering businesses are slowly becoming popular as well. Opening an online catering service on social media sites is easy and economical. Many youths who have a vocation for catering are opening their own online businesses. Also, it is easy to order different kinds of food items through websitesor mobile apps such as Hungry Naki, Foodpanda, Foodmart etc, and thats becoming very popular among the youths. Some use the services to save time and money, while others consider it trendy
Monjurul Alam, 27, a student, said: My friends and I use online catering services when we dont have much time on our hands. For example, if we have to attend classes from morning till evening, we order then. Again, when we are with our family and lets say, we are all watching a cricket match at home, we order online then.
Tahmina Tasnim, owner of Pineapple Story, told YI: I used to work in a private bank as a manager, but then I took a break. I am 31 now and from an early age, I had this knack forcooking, but never gave it any serious thought. After having my first child, I decided I was not going to stay at home and do nothing. My family supported me all the way to start my food business. It has been seven months since I started my catering service. We provide lunchsets, we charge about 120 to 200 per meal, and we try to provide a balanced diet to our customers. I didnt have to invest much and whatever I am earning, I am putting it back in asinvestment. I have a few people who help me with the cooking. I personally learned how to cook on my own through reading cookbooks and experimenting.
Pineapply Story has a few corporate clients at the moment and I have plans to expand the business. Customers can order via Facebook and we have a home delivery service as well. We serve nearly a hundred customers every day, Tasnim added.
SamratShakawat, 30, works in a private bank. Talking about online catering services, he said: My co-workers and I regularly order food online. Its easy to order and it saves time and money.
CakeSake is an online bakery. They specialise in customised novelty cakes. Farzana Ali Nishi, co-owner of CakeSake, said: I am in my mid-20s and I am studying MBA at BRAC University. My sister, Mahbuba Ali Trina, and I started this online bakery three years ago. Right now, five of us are working here. Customers can place their orders through our website cakesake.com, or via Facebook. I learned to decorate cakes mostly by watching YouTube videos. I always had a knack for baking and I want to continue it, even after my graduation. Normally, from October to January is our pick season, and during that time, we even work for 16 to 18 hours a day. On average, we make five to six cakes each day. Sometimes, customers give us specific designs, sometimes we do that for them.
The price of our cakes starts from Taka 1,500 and can go up to Taka 20,000 depending on the design. We dont have a home delivery service, as we basically run the business from our home. After placing their orders, customers can come near Bon Bhaban in Mohakhali to collect their cakes, Nishi added.
Photos: Courtesy, file
