Behind the kitchen — meet the people who cook your food

You've eaten here. You probably haven't met any of these people. The dining room sees the servers; the kitchen stays in the back. Here are five of the eleven people who actually cook your meal.

Chef Mohammed Iqbal — Head Chef

Started here in 2003 as a kitchen assistant. Trained under our founder. Learned the masala formula by repetition, never reading. Today runs both outlets and oversees menu development. Insists on grinding the morning's first masala batch himself, even though he could delegate it.

Hassan Iqbal — Tandoor Lead

Mohammed's nephew. 28 years old. The fastest tandoor we've ever had — can stretch and oven a naan in 47 seconds. Has burned exactly three of his fingers in five years, which he reports proudly.

Ammar — Karahi Station

Joined two years ago from a Lahore restaurant. Brought the trick of finishing karahi with a high-heat 90-second wok-toss instead of a slow simmer. Customers noticed within a week.

Fatima — Pastry & Dessert

The only woman in our kitchen. Runs all desserts solo. Her gulab jamun is the reason we sell out every Saturday. Refuses to share her syrup ratio with anyone, including Mohammed.

Bilal — Apprentice

17 years old. Doing his first year of evening college during the day, learning kitchen skills at night. Currently grinding masala, prepping veg, and watching everyone else. Will spend his second year learning tandoor. Three more years before he's allowed near the karahi.

If you're ever curious about the kitchen, ask any server. We sometimes give a 5-minute kitchen walk-through after lunch service. There's flour on every surface and you'll smell like coal afterwards. We think you'll like it.