Restaurant’s back door is always open to the hungry
Owner knows what it’s like to be broke and without food
It’s not unusual for customers at Indian Fusion — The Curry House, to hear knocking at the back door while huddled over bowls of Indian and Fijian curries, passing steaming rice and baskets of naan bread fresh from the tandoor around the table.
“While we are sitting, you’ll hear the knock,” said restaurant owner and chef Parkash Chhibber, taking a brief break from the demands of running his kitchen on Saturday.
While Indian Fusion at 10322 111 St. serves food to hungry customers inside, Chhibber also serves hot meals to anyone in need out of the back of his restaurant, what he and his staff call ‘God’s food.’ All they need to do is knock.
Three years ago, Chhibber said he watched as homeless people rifled through the dumpsters behind his restaurant.
“I felt really bad. I thought, I have a lot of food inside, let’s go ask them,” said Chhibber.
Word of his kindness spread, and soon Chhibber and his staff were serving three to five meals per day to those in need.
Now, Chhibber says he is serving as many as 1,600 hot meals out of the back of his small restaurant every month, and says it’s not uncommon to see lineups during the lunch rush.
“We don’t say no,” Chhibber said. Part of his determination to help comes from his own life experience. “I was in their situation once,” he said.
Before coming to Canada 10 years ago, Chhibber was a young, successful, hard working newlywed with his entire life ahead of him until he was hit by a car, shattering bones throughout his body.
Chhibber says he was bedridden and unable to work for nearly two years. At one point he and his wife couldn’t afford to eat.
He relied on the kindness of family and friends who would invite him in for a meal and much-needed comfort.
Once he recovered, Chhibber said his family then came to Canada “with not even $10. Today, we have everything.”
“I almost died. This is my second life, so I want to make the best use of it,” said Chhibber, adding, “I could live another 100 years, but I’m living my life so tomorrow I don’t have to regret that I could have done better.”
Every morning, Chhibber and his staff start by cooking ‘God’s food,’ preparing enough extra food — the same he serves to his paying customers — to serve dozens of people, preparing a second extra batch in the afternoon.
Should they ever run out, they cook more. No one is turned away.
Chhibber said he is always looking for new ways to offer help. With the assistance of a group of 40 volunteers called The Line of Hope since April, Chhibber now serves a buffet dinner to feed 150 people at the Hope Mission every Wednesday, and collects small personal-care items and warm winter clothing to give to those who show up at his back door.
“I am very fortunate. My staff, they don’t get tired, the volunteers, they don’t get tired. My name comes up, but there are a lot of people working behind,” Chhibber said.
While the demand is a lot for his small restaurant to keep up with, Chhibber said the extra work is repaid in gratitude from those they serve. As long as he is able, Chhibber’s back door will always be opened for anyone who knocks.
“I know a lot of people depend upon me at the back door. The people who come through the front door can go anywhere, but this is our responsibility,” he said, adding, “this door has to be open, we know that. We cannot even think of closing the back door, never.”