For my ADL community connections assignment I decided to interview a young restaurant employee named Bardia Ebrahimi. One of the few reasons that I decided to interview Bardia is that he is a young junior student that goes to a secondary school in the North Van area. Another reason that I decided to interview Mr. Ebrahimi is that I am interested in working in a restaurant setting, and with this interview, I think that I learned a lot about the field and how it works. Bardia used to be a dishwasher and was promoted to an all-around worker. lastly, I find it inspiring that Mr. Ebrahimi can balance his life and work.
- Can you explain your roles and responsibilities in your current position
Hi there I’m Bardia Ebrahimi, and I am a restaurant worker in the North Vancouver area, I work as a line cook however since our kitchen is quite small, the back of the house works various amount of roles such as dishwashing, deep cleaning, and closing. technically speaking, I am responsible for the garnishes that go on our dishes and I must ensure that the foods meet our quality standards. Additionally, I am responsible for keeping the kitchen clean /sanitary, and I need to make sure our kitchen is closed properly and prepped for the next day.
2. Why are you passionate about your job role?
I am passionate about my job not just because I enjoy cooking, but because it develops a lot of other skills such as social skills (in communicating with staff and starting conversations with the customers), it also develops good habits with cooking for yourself, or keeping everything clean and organized. moreover, cooking tends to bring out your creativity, it lets you around with an abundance of ingredients and methods until you reach your final product. sometimes it may not turn out as expected, but I think that’s the importance of failure, it lets you problem-solve until you find a solution, which is a super helpful skill in the long run. lastly, I enjoy working this job as I get to work with my friends that I’ve known for many years and that helps to keep me working in the kitchen.
3. What obstacles have you faced to get you where you are today?
In my experience, the biggest obstacle is time management. Working a very rigorous job like a cook could collide with a lot of the things you have going on in your personal life, it may include making time with family, school assignments, staying active with exercise, or even playing sports, etc. All these things tend to topple on each other, therefore it’s easier if you plan everything out which furthermore improves your organization and problem-solving skills. working a job is important, though you must make time for yourself and for your family to keep yourself in a healthy mental state. As for the obstacles in the kitchen, the biggest ones include multiple orders (online and in the house), tons of dishes, and lastly closing the kitchen at 1 am. when everyone is tired and want to head home.
4. What is your favorite thing about your work?
My favorite thing about my job aside from my friends, is the creativity aspect. you can really mess around with the ingredients on hand and get opinions from yours peers to workshop the dish, and sometimes your dish might be a good fit for the menu or it may not, either way, it can be the root to all your ideas in the future