Humans of The Hood: Shah

Shah and his ever present smile

Mother’s Day is behind us, as well as the first beginnings of “dine-in” service with our mini terrasse. While we are still keeping plenty busy, we wanted to take a moment to slow down and share a part of who we are and why we do what we do each and every day.

Connections Matter

We don’t say it as often as we would like, but The Hood was born out of a mission to bring people of all colors and creeds together. Through sharing good food, great coffee, and soul-stirring music, we work to build a community every single day: one that starts here in the 11th and on our street, Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud, but that also spreads a spirit that covers each part of the city and travels back home with all those who visit us from abroad. These things - food, drink, music - are powerful insights into other cultures, but they also are important unifiers that reach across borders and boundaries.

Hence, this week, which marks a quiet one-year anniversary of the newest iteration of these ideals as realized in this location, we wanted to tell you about Shah, one of our “humans of The Hood” that helps to build our project every day.

Meet Shah

Shah came to Paris in 2018 from Bangladesh. He first came to us when the restaurant he was working at closed without warning. We weren’t in a position to hire at that point. We had just re-opened and were still struggling with the effects of the ongoing Yellow Vest strikes. He also didn’t speak much English and French, so after a challenging first couple days in the kitchen, we told him it wasn’t a good fit. But he persisted, bringing back a friend the following day to help translate, and with a bit more understanding among us, we offered him a small contract as a plongeur to help us on the weekends. Not only did he excel there, but during slow times he was constantly looking around. You could see him making mental notes, learning, seeing where he could help more. He proved (and continues to prove) himself meticulous, helpful, and hardworking.

Not one to forget about those less fortunate, he suggested that we offer water to delivery drivers during the past months as well as distributing some of our spare food to the homeless in and around our neighborhood. This kind of compassion is infectious and we were reminded as a team how important it is to create a culture of concern and care for other humans around us.

Shah has continued to grow with us and currently works on the service side with plating orders for our takeaway and delivery, as well as for the guests who can currently join us on our petit-terrasse. If you see him when you stop by, don’t hesitate to say hello!