The bright green logo and lettering at Sirphey were designed by owner Prashant Jain. Photo by Maire O’Neill/ladailypost.com

Prashant Jain is the owner and creator of Sirphey, a new concept in the world of food service. Courtesy photo

By MAIRE O’NEILL
Los Alamos Daily Post

If you search for the word “Sirphey” online, the only references that will appear are for Prashant Jain’s Sirphey on Deacon Street facing Trinity in Los Alamos.

He has created “something entirely new in the world of cuisine, aiming to meet and surpass industry standards in every way by changing the way a restaurant works.” The brand name, created by Jain, features a “nice little word, that kind of grabs you”, he said.

Gurjali Macher, a rarely found curry of salmon in a rich ginger-tomato gravy. Courtesy photo

Originally from Northern India, Jain has lived in many places including Florida, California, and Britain’s Cambridge. He came to Los Alamos from Boston, Mass., for a fellowship in material science at Los Alamos National Lab but his dream was to establish “a food-tech startup that would make dishes from around the world available to everyone” and last year he decided to make that dream a reality.

First, Jain decided that there would be no “front of the house”, that Sirphey would be 100 percent takeout and delivery. Having lived in small towns and big cities, he feels that Sirphey can make that element of cities which allows people to eat almost any kind of food at any hour a reality.

Shrimp Avocado Tempura Salad is among many seafood dishes offered at Sirphey. Courtesy photo

During their first few months in business, Sirphey has offered 45 different cuisines and more than 6oo unique recipes.

“Our food is prepared fresh daily and each day’s menu is different,” Jain said. “We serve between four and eight different cuisines each day. We want our customers to experience quality, delicious foods from around the world on any day of the week.”

Hot take-out food is available 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., then all food is chilled so that it maintains optimal freshness for the evening. Then in the evening chilled food is available for take-out and delivery.

Ratatouille Tart sells out quickly when it’s on the menu. Courtesy photo

Keeping the food chilled after 3 p.m. also makes it safer for delivery but can be warmed for the customer on request.

Food may be ordered online at sirphey.com and a delivery slot or pick-up time can be chosen.“Ordering food online typically takes less than a minute,” Jain said. Sirphey also delivers food to the adjacent VFW bar on request.

“This provides convenience to our customers but also allows us to take care of our employees. I’ve known many cooks and chefs, all of whom work incredibly long hours for very little pay, which seems entirely wrong to me because they are the lifeline of the business,” he said. “Our chefs receive living wages and work standard business hours. This means they do not need to be concerned about providing for themselves and their family and they can actually spend time together”.

Because being a takeout restaurant produces a great deal of waste, Sirphey tries to be as green as possible, using take-out containers made of sugarcane and plastic.

“Sugarcane is completely compostable and grown in a sustainable manner, and our plastic items are made from 100 percent recycled material,” Jain said. “We try to be as eco-friendly as possible.”

Sirphey only charges $3.50 for delivery in Los Alamos and White Rock and customers are asked to choose a delivery window which allows drivers to travel calculated routes that are both time- and fuel-efficient. Jain says this allows Sirphey to transfer the transportation savings on to their customers.

Jain says Sirphey wants to be a positive force within the community and will be partnering with local and national nonprofits and charities to give back to the community. They have already pledged to support the Veterans of Foreign Wars with whom they share the building, and Camp Corazones in Santa Fe.

For more information, go to Sirphey.com or call 505.395.6478.