End of the seven-year-itch

I never imagined I would do this againrdquo Moshe Shek says to us with utmost sincerity He looks around his brand new cafe and bakery housed on the first floor of an old building in Ropewalk Lane Dressed in his favourite shade of grey he is colourcoordinated with the walls of Knead The sprawling cafe space is dressed with sturdy wooden furniture and black outlines In a corner sits an old typewriter and another supports a standing fan We could have been in a cafe in any part of the worldCulinary entrepreneur and chef Moshe Shek says he opened Knead in Kala Ghoda to support his cooking school in Alibaug PicsBipin KokateSeven years ago Shek signed a noncompetition bond after selling his share of Moshe outlets and packed off to the town of Alibaug where he continues to run a cooking studio in a glass house by the sea aptly named A World AwayldquoWhen I sold the company I was so happy that I was done I had decided I will never get back to this That is why the noncompetition bond I signed was a long one I told them to put any date on it and I would sign itrdquo says Shek now 53He says a few reasons are responsible for changing his mind ldquoFirst I was very aware that there is an absence of a good cafe in the city Every time I spent time in Mumbai I got bored of eating at the same places the same sandwichesrdquo he saysSecond he identifies a personal need If given a choice I would have chosen to stay in Alibaug but the lockdown meant that they were shut for almost a year To keep the studio running he had to balance it out with something in Mumbai ldquoDuring the last stint I was confined mostly to the office I have missed customer interaction and the gratification of serving something and getting instant response for the food I put outrdquoBaklavaThis July Shek makes a mental calculation will be seven years since his exit ldquoOnce the clause ended it took me a while to find a place to allow the idea of getting back into the cafe space sink in and rebuild our production unit in New Bombayrdquo says Shek who was slated to open last March before the pandemic stalled his plansKnead is centred around his love for baking He defines it as a large casual easy and simple place ldquoThe idea behind it is based around the kind of cafe I would like to go to It is a projection of my world there is a kitchen a studio and a small roastery to brew fresh coffee from beans I source from South IndiardquoThe menu steers clear of the past Shek has turned vegetarian and the cafe only makes room for eggs ldquoEverything you eat and buy here totalling 80 products is homemaderdquo he says of the jams sauces dips and breads ldquoExcept the Tabasco sauce we outsource nothing No packaged food or ingredients come in through that doorrdquo The focus here is on healthy options adding natural elements to the plate with a thrust on baked items which are an ode to his weakness for bakery products puff pastries and flatbreads Within two days of opening Shek has been bombarded with requests for the fondue from his older menu ldquoWe will serve this on demand maybe as a specialrdquo he hintsA batch of cream cheese browniesWhat about desserts Are they healthy too He looks at us with a serious face ldquoWhen someone says healthy dessert I tell them donrsquot eat chocolate cake every day Have it once a week Donrsquot ask me to make a healthy versionrdquo he smiles handing us a menu to order from When we ask for recommendations he grins ldquoEverything is goodrdquo walking away to give his kitchen staff the dayrsquos brief We are pleased to see the menu has a whole section dedicated to hummus Three years ago we took a class in Israeli cooking at his studio where he taught us how to make baba ghanoush three types of hummus and a handson assignment of trytomakeyourownpita We still have the recipe file stained with our kitchen experiments stacked somewhere Shekrsquos hummus comes with kibbeh and nachni pita bread the egg chatternee is a local Iraqi rice dish that comes with roasted marbled eggs And we love the simple egg roll which comes with the airiest wrap wersquove had in long For dessert we try the cashew nut and coconut tartmdashbite full of decadence as is the rich New York cheesecakeAt Knead Shek is sole owner ldquoNo more partnerships This will be the only cafe I will be here most of the time and we will do different things This space is less about business and more about my creativityrdquo he says with a satisfied look of a man having taken the long road homeMoshe in MumbaiShek was one of the first to introduce the concept of the restolounge in India beginning with Athena in 2001 He opened Cafe Basilico in 2002 and in 2003 he opened a franchisemodel restaurant in Delhi named Moshersquos Oliva This paved the way for the first Moshe at Cuffe Parade followed by 12 other outlets In 2013 he pulled out of the business entirely