TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — When handling food, it's crucial to suit up properly. I'm handling food in a professional kitchen this week at Saffron Indian Bistro, 7607 N. Oracle Rd. I put on my gloves, covered my hair and set off to see if I have what it takes to make it as a chef.
Saffron owner Saurabh Sareen started me off making dough for naan—and making bread is definitely new to me.
A little kneading and shaping and the dough was ready for us to make our way to the baking station.
And for this part, I was nervous. I had to place the flattened dough on the oven tray—a move that I don't get to re-do.
But I went for it anyway.
Shape aside, it looked pretty good coming out of the oven. I added some butter, sliced it up and it was on its way.
I even got a thumbs up from one of my supervisors, Saffron general manager Samuel Nalli. I'd say that's a pretty good sign!
Now it was time for the chicken. I loaded it onto skewers, then lowered it into the heat. An easy enough job but I have to admit—I was distracted by how good it looked.
Once the chicken was cooked, I had the very simple task of taking the chicken off the skewers, but I might have tried to do too many at a time.
Next it was onto the main dish: Chicken tikka masala. We added some heavy cream and spices the homemade sauce, then fresh cilantro.
I plated it, then added the final touches. To my surprise, I even got a round of applause from my new coworkers.
The staff at Saffron were pretty encouraging during my shift. Does that mean I'm hired, or fired?
Looks like I'm hired! They must've forgoten about the chicken I dropped on the ground.
If you have a job you want me to try, send me an email at hiringheidi@kgun9.com.
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Heidi Alagha is an anchor and reporter for KGUN 9. Heidi spent 5 years as the morning anchor in Waco where she was named the best anchor team by the Texas Associated Press. Share your story ideas and important issues with Heidi by emailing heidi.alagha@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.