The Vasaikar who was never late

I would joke with people that my staff who lived in Vasai or Ambernath would be the first to report for duty while those who resided in Colaba would be the last veteran chefrestaurateur Hemant Oberoi recalls his days at the Taj Mahal Palace amp Towers Chef Oberoi made this observation while talking about his colleague from the fivestar hotel of over 30 years Ronald Ronnie DMello who passed away on Tuesday He was 60DMello had been struggling with kidney ailment A doctor from Riddhi Vinayak Hospital in Nalasopara West told Midday that all dialysis patients are tested for COVID19 DMello was too and he tested positiveDMellos punctuality and sensitivity to every regular patron is what Oberoi remembers the most When we opened Wasabi in 2004 Ronnie was the first I handpicked because it was a prestigious property For Ronnie the customer and the hotel mattered the most Guest is God was his and the teams philosophy shares Oberoi who would interact with him daily not just at Wasabi but at his earlier stints at Zodiac Grill which opened in1988 and before that at RendezvousHe was a fine human being an amazing chap I never saw him argue with a colleague he always kept his cool and would be the first to own up if he made a mistake such qualities are rare to find these days Oberoi reminiscesHe understood guestsDMello worked for four decades at the landmark hotel and his attention to detail was topnotch food writer and entrepreneur Vir Sanghvi who was a regular at these restaurants vouched for it I remember Ronnie mdash and two other staffers Dominic and Netson mdash from Rendezvous and Zodiac Grill days Wasabi was an expensive restaurant and service was key Ronnie was an asset because he understood the guests He was from an era where staffers served an organisation until the end of their careers Over the years even if the food of Zodiac Grill or Wasabi wasnt up to the mark we still went for the serviceOn Tuesday across social media platforms it was the endearing frame of DMello with restaurateur Gauri Devidayals daughter Dia that triggered countless messages by Taj patrons of their connect with the oldtime captainI cried when I heard the news because it feels like he has been part of our lives in a way reveals Devidayal recalling a time when her own restaurant The Table and Wasabi were on the same restaurant awards list On our next visit he told us You beat us we were three places after you At the end of the meal they brought us a cake all this happened because Ronnie knew us I told him to visit our restaurant with his family but he only smiled she sharesAttention to detailChocolatier Zeba Kohli echoes this attention to detail during a visit One afternoon I was there for a business lunch and wasnt really focusing on the order Halfway through our meal Ronnie came to our table with Spinach with sesame I looked up and asked whether we had ordered for it No maam but you always order it I know it is your favourite This will remain a stinging memory in my heartRonnie and that team would train the juniors but when it came to service on the floor they would take the onus especially for highprofile restaurants like Wasabi Theyd be in constant touch with the kitchen for fine details about patrons preferences says Oberoi of his star colleagueAnother regular Anandita De recounts her 30th birthday celebration My mum Shobhaa De had taken over the Princess Room as a birthday surprise The evening was incredibly memorable There were dishes from Wasabi specially crafted for me such as the handrolled sushi rolls and the prawn tempura This was possible with the help of our darling friend RonnieService with a smile was Ronnies mantra Guys like him understood hospitality and have worked their way upwards from scratch They make you feel at home even in a restaurant and thats what makes all the difference Oberoi signs off paying the ultimate tribute to DMelloCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news