Detroit chef helps local immigrants break into culinary business
(CBS DETROIT) - Matheen Syed is the proud owner and creator of DOSAlicious & More.
He immigrated to America 25 years ago and has always dreamed of opening a restaurant. That dream became a reality when he found a local chef offering other immigrants a taste of success.
"I read this article in one of these magazines about Chef Nikita Sanches of The Culinary Project," Syed said. "He was really amazing. He went out of the way to help us with setting up DOSAlicious and More right from registering with the state to the health department and setting up everything. I always say Chef Nikita is an angel in disguise."
Sanches was one of the owners of the former Rick City Eatery. He vowed never to open another restaurant, but his passion to help others got in the way of that plan.
"I swore after we opened up our restaurant in Detroit that I would never open another restaurant again because its such a rigmarole. There's so many things that go into it, but there's nothing better than having someone like Mr. Syed say, 'You've helped me reach my goal,'" Sanches said.
Sanches has been cooking for more than 20 years. He moved to America from Moscow, Russia, at the age of 12, and for him, this work is personal.
Sanches is launching the Patchwork Culinary Project, a bodega-style shop that will double as a mecca for helping other immigrants break into the business. There will be training sessions, Serve-Safe certifications, and a chance to showcase unique dishes. As the business continues to grow and evolve, Sanches hopes to have a major impact on the industry.
"I'm an immigrant. I had to navigate opening up a restaurant and dealing with all the impediments that come along with that so I figured, you know what, I'm going to try and help them out and have that be part of our restaurant," Sanches said.