Tommy Miah
| Tommy Miah | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Mohammad Ajman Miah 28 March 1959 Moulvibazar District, Sylhet Division, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) |
| Education | Aston Manor School |
| Spouse(s) | Rina Miah (m. 1975) |
| Website |
tommymiah |
|
Culinary career | |
| Cooking style | Bangladeshi/Indian Cuisine |
|
Current restaurant(s)
| |
|
Previous restaurant(s)
| |
Mohammad Ajman Miah, FRSA (born 28 March 1959), better known as Tommy Miah, is a Bangladeshi-born British celebrity chef, owner of the award-winning Raj Restaurant and founder of the International Indian Chef of the Year Competition.[1] He is often recognised as the "Curry King" in Britain.
Early life
Miah was born in a village in Moulvibazar District, Sylhet Division, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). He arrived at the age of 10 to Birmingham, England, with limited knowledge of English. He became interested in food and cooking due to which he began by working in the catering industry.[2] He began by starting his own small takeaway at the age of 17. Throughout the years working with hard work and determination, led to success in his business.[3]
Career
Miah established himself in Edinburgh and founded the award-winning Raj Restaurant. In 1991, he founded the International Indian Chef of the Year Competition, to promote innovation and quality in Indian cooking, which attracts 5000 entrants from around the world.[4] The competition also consists of an event to raise funds for the Sreepur Village Orphanage in Bangladesh.
He was chosen to head the first South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Food Festival in Delhi. He was also selected by the Bangladesh Foreign Office to represent Bangladesh, cooking typical Bangladeshi staple dishes.[5]
With his status being as a celebrity chef, including having his own television show in Bangladesh, and with the experience of international dining and catering, Miah has established the foundation of the Tommy Miah Institute of Hospitality Management, which is an institution which trains Bangladeshis in the international hospitality industry. In Bangladesh, Miah's recipes for of any types of cuisine such as Bangladeshi, Thai, Indian and Chinese meals can be requested through text message from any Banglalink mobile phone. He also owns the Original Raj Hotel in Murrayfield and The Heritage Restaurant in Dhaka, Bangladesh.[6]
Miah's achievements includes, delivering a curry lunch-box to 10 Downing Street for the then Prime Minister John Major's 50th birthday, producing the world's largest curry which was large enough to feed 10,000, promoting innovation and quality in Asian cuisine, developing dishes for high class manufacturers, writing cooking books, and he was the first to make Indian meals available on flights worldwide.[2][6] He has sponsored for many charity groups both in Bangladesh and Britain, which includes, 'Cancer Research UK,' ‘Shishu Polli,' ‘Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed' and the 'ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital.'[7] Tommy Miah runs food hygiene classes for refugee camps in Bangladesh, and also sponsors foreign students to study in the UK.
Awards
In 2004, Miah was elected a fellow of Royal Society of Arts.[8]
See also
References
- ↑ "Biography". tommymiah.com. Retrieved 24 May 2009.
- 1 2 "The new international flavour of ICDDR,B". ICDDR,B,. 31 October 2006. Retrieved 24 May 2009.
- ↑ Karim, Mohammed Abdul; Karim, Shahadoth (July 2008). British Bangladeshi Who's Who (PDF). British Bangla Media Group. p. 155. Retrieved 1 August 2008.
- ↑ "The Indian Chef of the Year". Retrieved 24 May 2009.
- ↑ "Tommy Miah Heads SAARC Festival Team". Chup Magazine. Retrieved 24 May 2009.
- 1 2 "Curry King puts word of his recipes out by text". Bangladesh: The Daily Ittefaq. August 2006. Retrieved 24 May 2009.
- ↑ "Tommy Miah". CurryPedia. Curries Online. Retrieved 3 April 2009.
- ↑ "British Bengali Success Stories". BritBangla. 2003. Retrieved 6 May 2011. Tommy Miah