THE CHEF A LA MODE

       Torsit Sarisdiwongse is the man behind the mouthwatering menu at trendy Greyhound Cafe (www.greyhoundcafe.co.th).The executive chef's main duties entail menu design,budgeting, training staff and ensuring the tasteful quality of eight establishments around town.
       WHEN DID YOU GET INVOLVED WITH GREYHOUND CAFE? I've been the executive chef since the start - around 12 years now. The first branch is at The Emporium. WAS IT DIFFICULT TO COME UP WITH THE MENU? Most of the dishes were inspired by food that Greyhound Cafe's partners like. Food that they experienced on their travels or their friends' home cooking. We adapted these dishes or re-created them with our own recipes. WHAT WAS THE FIRST GREYHOUND CAFE DISH? Spaghetti with Thai anchovy. At the time I found it quite unusual and didn't think spaghetti and Thai anchovy could go well together. The dish came about when one of Greyhound Cafe's founders, Khun Bhanu Inkawat, went to Milan and tried Italian-style spaghetti with anchovies. He told me briefly about the ingredients, the taste and the presentation of the dish. So I recreated the menu with Thai anchovy and added some local ingredients like dried chilli, peppercorns and sweet basil. I experimented with about 10 recipes until we got Greyhound Cafe's own signature.
       HOW LONG DID THE TASTING TAKE WHEN YOU DESIGNED THE MENU? Before we got each dish, we had to try about 10 recipes.When the restaurant first opened, we had around 60 dishes. So we'd tried hundreds of dishes [smiles]. It took about a month for the tasting at first. DOES MENU DESIGN ALSO INVOLVE MARKETING? The marketing department gives me a promotional plan such as the current "Italian Feast". For this promotion I came up with new dishes using Italian sausage. Because most Thais might not be familiar with Italian sausage, I needed to come up with dishes that sell, that suit Thai and foreign palates. DO YOU ALSO HAVE TO TRAIN EVERY SINGLE CHEF? Yes, because each one has a different background. New chefs need one month of training. I train the head chef of each branch as well as the assistants. So that's around 200 people. WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE DISH AT THE CAFE? I like pasta dishes. I like Spaghetti with bacon and Spaghetti with Thai anchovy, mainly. HOW DO YOU SPEND YOUR LEISURE TIME? Reading. I look for references or inspiration for new special dishes. YOU READ ABOUT FOOD IN YOUR FREE TIME? Sometimes, because we normally have a marketing plan for the year and I have to come up with special or seasonal dishes, so I need to study. DO YOU COOK AT HOME? Not really [smiles]. I normally buy from outside. But I cook sometimes when there's a weekend gathering with friends at home.GTo see an extended interview with Chef Torsit, visit gurubangkok.com