When you travel to Switzerland and reach the border between Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Austria. There, you will see an idyllic restaurant, which will impress you with its simplicity and magnificence at the same time. run by a master Chef who graduated from the prestigious Swiss Magro Chur Club School in Switzerland.
Saif Khan entered the country as an asylum seeker and today hails one of the finest restaurants in Switzerland.
However, that is just half the story, this restaurant is the amazing encapsulation of an asylum seeker who transformed himself into a master chef and started this enterprising business.
Hailing from Mandi Bahauddin, Saif was a Pakistani political activist who sought refuge in Switzerland to protect his life. He, however, refused to be seen as a refugee who people would pity. Therefore, he decided to assimilate into Swiss society. For that, he mastered the German language and acquired a degree from a reputable Swiss institution. And unlike many other migrants who tend to take up typical professions, he studied to become a chef.
This is the story of a young man who, with his Pakistani identity, successfully integrated into Swiss society, and became a master chef, a milestone rarely achieved by members of the immigrant community there.
Like most immigrants and asylum seekers, Saif had always thought and hoped he would be able to return to his home country in Pakistan. However, that hope died, after two years of contemplation and getting by, he decided, now was the time to move on and make a life in Switzerland.
Master chef in Margo
The then 32-year-old was not sure how he would eke out a living in his newly adopted country, but through sheer determination and staying power, Khan has come to be recognized as a leading chef in Switzerland.
He began by learning the German language, and with this, he was able to integrate into society to better understand their culture and assimilate there.
Whilst working and studying, Saif Khan worked at a number of restaurants, washing dishes and helping around with the chores that come with a restaurant business.
This is where the idea was born, he began to learn how the industry worked and how to operate a successful restaurant.
he became friends with his doctor at the Swiss Political Asylum Centre. The doctor became one of his closest friends and they are still friends to this day. With this friendship and support, he embarked on his journey to start his restaurant.
This journey was not an overnight success, he had many hurdles to overcome. He had to go back to school, learn to be a chef and support himself whilst he was studying. So he was working and attending language courses. After he managed to save some money, whilst studying, he applied and secured a position in a three-year food training internship program at a vocational training institute and then graduated from the Swiss Magro Chur Club School.
After graduating, he became one step closer to realising his dream, to start his own business. He summoned the courage and applied for a loan from the Swiss Bank and was successfully granted more than one million Swiss Frank credit (one million Euros) to start his restaurant business.
In 2018 he launched his business, Selva restaurant, based in Trubach, Switzerland. Located conveniently by the borders of central Europe. Close to Germany, Litchenstuen and Austria.
Saif revealed that at present, he has a 10-member Swiss staff working at his restaurant, but he is the executive chef.
“I am the executive chef and the region is one of the richest places in the world, full of rich tourists. The business is going great,” he said. But he doesn’t forget how this dream became a reality. Khan expressed how he got an incredible amount of support from the Swiss government and people.
Now that the political climate has calmed down, Khan is able to visit his family in Pakistan. He travels twice a year and rejoices at how his mum’s lentil Dhaal is the best dish he has ever stated. So far he does not have any plans of opening a restaurant there, but perhaps his mum will.
Although he is unable to recreate his mum’s recipe for dhaal, he speaks proudly of the menu he serves at his restaurant. It mainly comprises Swiss cuisine, cooked with the finest ingredients and under his watchful eye and he has added a few Pakistani dishes, that have been adapted to the Swiss palate.
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