Celebrity chef Suresh Pillai shares how he used to sell peanuts for Re 1, worked as catering service boy

© Provided by The Indian Express

Long before celebrity chef Suresh Pillai became the face of Kerala cuisine, he worked as a catering service boy. Sharing an old photograph of his stint as an 18-year-old catering service boy, Pillai reminisced his bygone days when he even sold roasted peanuts for Re 1. The long Twitter post has moved many online.

The old photograph shows him standing next to the buffet corner at a reception. The catering service boy stands with his hands folded in the back while guests take food.

When his friend shared the photo, Pillai was taken on a trip down the memory lane. Pillai who participated in the BBC Masterchef Professionals mentioned that he started his first-ever "business" in class 6 or 7. Narrating about how he sold pomelo fruits in the market, he wrote, "We had a big Kambili Moosu/ Kambili Naranga (Pomelo) tree at home, and that was a staple childhood fruit. I loved it to such an extent that I used to get up at 5 in the morning and pluck a couple of them, in time for breakfast."

"Soon, this grew from being just enjoyment to my first source of pocket money. Plucking in batches, I used to sell this at the market at 25 paise per piece - or 4/5 for a rupee. You could imagine my pride in showing off a couple of 1-rupee notes to my friends at that time! Ah - those were the days!" the businessman who owns a chain of restaurants now added.

He used to sell roasted groundnuts during temple festivals and that too for one rupee. "Taking the government ferry to Kollam town, I bought about 2 to 3 kgs of raw groundnut, came back to the temple ground, roasted them in sand and sold them for a rupee. Not just that, I sat at very strategic locations near the fireworks, ganamela or the drama stage - to get more customers," he mentioned about his strategy.

Pillai donned several roles in his early years to earn money such as hotel waiter, cleaner at a temple eatery, catering boy among others. "Sometimes, it is okay to feel stuck and confused. It is okay to not know what to do. But keep trying, just start - the rest will fall into place by itself. Or as Steve Jobs said: 'You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.' Just start - bakki ellam seriyavum! Everything's gonna be alright!" the celebrity chef wrote, leaving a dose of inspiration for his followers.

Chef Pillai's tweet inspired many online. A user commented, "You inspire us everyday." Another user commented, "What a journey sir. Thanks for sharing. Lot of motivation." A third user wrote, "Truly inspirational. This 18-year-old Catering boy is clearly redefining the taste journey for Malayalees in or outside of Kerala. All power to my dear friend @chef_pillai."