Recently, I got the opportunity to interview Toronto’s Queen of Thai food, Chef Nuit Regular, about how she’s had to adapt to the COVID-19 restrictions on restaurants in the city. It’s no secret that many small Toronto restaurants are struggling to get by right now, with 140 (and counting) having to permanently close. For others, business is not as usual, as they’re being forced to make changes to their normal routines in order to survive, and Chef Nuit and her beloved empire of Thai restaurants is no different. She is the chef and co-owner of Pai, Sabai Sabai, SukhoThai, and Kiin. Recently, she’s opened Pai Uptown, the second location to her popular restaurant, Pai, and has even released a new cookbook, Kiin. Despite the hardships of the pandemic, Chef Nuit has been able to stay positive and continue to dominate Toronto’s food scene.
How have your restaurants had to adjust to the changes COVID-19 brought, with closures to indoor dining and an emphasis on patio or takeout?
Chef Nuit: All the restaurants transitioned very quickly and easily to takeout because we were already doing takeout before the pandemic. We just had to ensure that we’re keeping our high-quality standards across all the kitchens.
At Kiin, where there are more intricate, delicate and beautiful presentations, I was worried that it wouldn’t travel well for takeout, so instead I launched my By Chef Nuit pop-up concept which has comfort food tied to it, with burgers and sandwiches so that it can allow me to employ my staff back to work and give the excitement of incorporating Thai flavours.
What were some obstacles you and your restaurants faced as a result of the pandemic?
Chef Nuit: Everyone in the restaurant industry has had issues with jobs and revenue because we’re unable to do indoor dining. We’d get 80% of our revenue from indoor dining especially at Pai, but we’ve been fortunate to have been doing very good takeout since we’ve reopened. Takeout now has become our largest revenue, but it’s still not the same as we were before the pandemic.
It’s also hard to import in certain ingredients, you know early on in the pandemic. We import a lot of ingredients directly from China, so when the first lockdown happened in March, it seemed like the whole world was in lockdown. I just couldn’t get access to certain things like Thai basil or holy basil. I reached out to other local producers and farmers to grow some of the Thai Basil and holy basil for me this year and they did it very well. If this pandemic didn’t happen, I wouldn’t be able to reach out to farmers locally because everything was already a well-developed system with all the importing.
What was it like to open a restaurant during the pandemic?
Chef Nuit: This project was in the works for a long time. Originally, we planned to open in the spring, but the pandemic delayed all our schedules, so we’re just so grateful that we finally have Pai Uptown up and running, even though it’s only open for takeout and delivery at the moment. The neighbourhood has been very welcoming so far, so I just can’t wait for the day we can reopen for dining in and we can fill the place up! We have a second floor with beautiful lanterns, beautiful ambience and it’s so amazing, we have a stage there. At the end of the night, we can do live performances, have private dining and private parties, so there are so many possibilities.
What’s next for you and your restaurants now that colder weather is approaching and the likelihood of indoor dining in Toronto happening anytime soon is low?
Chef Nuit: During the winter, I think we’re just going to keep doing takeout. My cookbook came out on October 20th, we have over 100 recipes and beautiful scenery and stories capturing the time I was living in Thailand. Every year, the lifestyle in Thailand changes, but I was able to capture some of those moments of when I was growing up to put in the book, and some of the stories are like a novel, a narrative. Things you read to inspire your ideas for Thai food before you get to cook the food.
This book is now perfect during the pandemic because people are cooking more at home. People get bored of what they usually cook, so the inspiration for the different cultures and the diversity of the food is just a perfect time for home cooks to learn how to cook more food.
I try to support them by having my marketplace that has the tools and equipment for cooking and products that are hard to get like holy basil so that they can order, pick it up, and try to cook at home.
A final note from Chef Nuit about cooking:
Chef Nuit: If you’re doing something with your passion and you’re doing something you love, you’re so genuine and people can receive that through the food. Even though the food is not created by you, it’s created by me, but you’re the one cooking it. Earn that dish, cook it, and earn it as your own dish in front of you. Grow your love and passion for cooking from your heart and it’ll make cooking your time to be your happy time.
Now, more than ever, Toronto restaurants need your help! If it’s within your means to do so, aid them through ordering takeout or even by purchasing gift cards! Other great ways to show your support? Follow them on social media, engage with their posts, and share them with people who might benefit from them. If you’re interested in hearing more about the benefits of different delivery and takeout platforms, check out my last article Your Guide to Toronto Delivery Apps.