Modou Diop is head chef at 111 by Modou in Glasgow’s West End, a role that was given to him by Nico Simone, director of the Six By Nico company.
After seeing something in Modou, who was washing dishes in the kitchen of his first restaurant, Nico trained him how to cook and eventually gave him the venue.
After seeing something in Modou, who was washing dishes in the kitchen of his first restaurant, Nico trained him how to cook and eventually gave him the venue.
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00:00 I would never have thought I would have come here and just kind of be the chef.
00:02 Hi, my name is Modu, one of the 111 by Modu.
00:05 I've been here for probably about 11 years now, but I've started working with Nico and
00:08 Semplefest for about two years and then we've changed it to 111 by Nico in 2016.
00:15 That's when I became a head chef of it, so working under Nico, just learning as much
00:18 as possible.
00:20 That's how I become about, you know, yeah, so just kind of like, you know, grinding from
00:26 there, learning from Nico as much as possible and then just kind of put myself up to where
00:30 I am at today.
00:31 Obviously, as everybody knows, so I just came here with probably about $70 in my pocket.
00:35 With that 70 euro in my pocket, which is probably about 55 pound.
00:39 Yeah, so kind of came in, struggled for a year, made Nico 2014.
00:43 Yeah, so kind of applied for a job.
00:46 Obviously, I couldn't remember I did that, so I just got a phone call from one of them,
00:49 asked me if I did apply for a job, a keybie job.
00:51 I said, yeah, of course, why not?
00:53 I couldn't remember if I did or not, but I just said yeah, and then they asked me to
00:56 come and start.
00:57 It was a Friday.
00:58 Yeah, I was like, okay, cool.
00:59 I'll come as soon as I can.
01:01 Just get a taxi and then just come in, just jump on the desk, straight away.
01:04 Working with them probably about a few months and then obviously Nico approached me, asked
01:08 me if I wanted to learn how to cook.
01:09 I said, yeah.
01:10 And then, yeah, from since then, that's where we pick up.
01:12 What I was doing, just came in, get, do what I need to do, get my job done, just work as
01:16 hard as possible, you know, try my best, just get the things done and then move on.
01:20 So obviously, he's seen something on me and then just asked me.
01:22 Probably this is my first job I've had in my entire life.
01:24 I've never worked anywhere else.
01:25 The process of learning to cook then, tell me a bit about that.
01:28 Obviously, it was quite hard, but at that time, I wasn't, you know what I mean, I wasn't
01:32 really care.
01:33 You know, I was kind of just like, you know, I just want to do something that I could have
01:37 experience, just make some money, look after my family.
01:39 So, that's what I was thinking about.
01:40 I didn't care how hard was it.
01:41 I didn't care like what time they start, what time they finish all that stuff.
01:44 So, I just kind of like came in every morning, just do what I need to learn as much as possible.
01:47 Just need a bit experience because I've never had any of that.
01:50 So, yeah, that's why.
01:51 I would never thought I would have come here and then just kind of being a chef.
01:54 Obviously, like I've just left Africa when I was 16, moved to Spain, lived there for
01:58 three years.
01:59 I played for jobs all that, trying.
02:00 I didn't even like working or anything.
02:01 I was going to school, all that stuff.
02:03 But obviously, back home when I was growing up, seeing my mom just like making fires,
02:06 making food for us, doing things, et cetera, et cetera, like that.
02:09 Just watching them doing that every single day when I'm home.
02:11 I just kind of like, you know, kind of make it easier for me when I was learning how to
02:14 cook, even though we're doing things differently.
02:16 Yeah, so, I probably would say back home, really watching people doing it.
02:20 And 2016, obviously, after learning how to cook for about like eight months, I started
02:25 out with Nico in 2000.
02:26 End of 2015, that's when we decided to do fine dining.
02:29 And when we went by Nico, obviously, I don't know where that is because I was doing fast,
02:32 like fish and chips, fast food, all that stuff.
02:34 And Nico was like, we sit down, have a conversation.
02:36 He obviously, you know, asked me, like he tell me what he want from me and then asked
02:41 me what, like what he want from me.
02:43 Like we just kind of switched worlds and that and then just kind of what we expect from
02:46 each other, all that stuff.
02:47 I was like, OK, just kind of making promises and that.
02:49 I was like, OK, that's fine.
02:50 If that's what you want me to do, I'm here for you.
02:52 So I will do it with you.
02:53 Obviously, like it's got, it's got, it's got its fang on its mind, obviously, which is
02:58 who was going to give me the restaurant in 2019.
03:01 But obviously, I didn't know that.
03:03 Yeah, so obviously, what I was thinking, what I was saying, what I was doing is like just
03:06 kind of stick what I would say to him, I would do that, which is promise to him, I will stay
03:10 with you wherever you want to go.
03:11 We could take it from there.
03:12 And then just kind of like, yeah.
03:13 And then 2019, it just kind of like, you know, give you the restaurant.
03:16 But he didn't say that to me.
03:17 He just kind of make, after meeting with the staffs and like some of the people and that
03:21 stuff, just make, you know, get me into the office and then just kind of get all this
03:26 stuff sorted behind my back, which I didn't know anything about it.
03:28 Yeah.
03:29 I mean, like, I didn't know because I just kind of burst crying as everyone sees.
03:32 So I was like, I didn't know, to be honest.
03:34 I was like, this is crazy.
03:36 It really feels good, like getting people to recognise you, all that stuff.
03:40 Like, it's amazing, to be honest.
03:41 I can't explain the feeling.
03:43 Yeah, so we just kind of like, it doesn't change me at all.
03:46 I'm still the same Mo.
03:47 So, yeah, I just come in and do what I need to do and then just move on.
03:50 Yeah.
03:51 I'm like a different person when I'm in the kitchen, like when I'm outside, like literally
03:55 completely different Mo's.
03:56 Yeah, kind of just like I could stand in there and do what I need to do.
04:00 Just stand in the kitchen and cook all day.
04:01 I could do that.
04:02 Some of the days we constantly, every single day, 24 hours, I probably would say.
04:05 Yeah, I don't know.
04:06 And then, you know, watching Nico just doing that as well, now he's kind of like, yeah,
04:11 let me just kind of do what he does, because that's pretty much what Nico does.
04:15 It's like, yeah, the passion came from support, inspiring me.
04:18 But I probably would say Nico, working with him, all that stuff.
04:20 And then growing up watching YouTube, teaching myself, watching, you know, Top Guys, all
04:24 that stuff.
04:25 So, yeah, I would say, yeah, the passion came from them, like Gordon Ramsey, all that stuff,