Star Chefs Dazzle at House of Commons Bash!
Over 180 VIPs packed the House of Commons on 12 March for a glamorous night celebrating the best in Asian cuisine. The event honoured winners of the Asian & Oriental Chef Awards and launched this year’s Asian Restaurant Awards and Asian Curry Awards. Hosting the soirée was Minister for London, Paul Scully MP.
Top Chefs Take the Crown
The evening followed an intense cook-off at Ealing University last month. Indian chef Daya Shankar Sharma from Grand Trunk Road in South Woodford, Nepali chef Shanker Pandy of Everest Inn in Blackheath, and Jie Chen from London’s Canton Restaurant scooped the Asian & Oriental Chef of the Year 2020 awards.
Runner-up honours went to Chak Fung “Jacky” Chan of Golden Dragon in Swansea. Regional winners included:
- Suna Meah, Tamarind Lounge, Sevenoaks (Kent)
- Mahabur Rahman, Royston Tandoori (East of England)
- Ram Paudal, Panas Gurkha, Blackheath (London suburbs)
- Mohamed Al Amin, Millennium Balti, Royal Leamington Spa (Warwickshire)
- Mohammed Najib Ali, Maya Restaurant, Atherstone (Midlands)
Special Awards and Big Announcements
Pat Chapman, editor of the Cobra Good Curry Guide and Awards’ Chairman of Judges, earned a Lifetime Achievement Award. TV chef and hotelier Tony Khan, founder of the Tony Khan Institute in Bangladesh, and Satish Arora, Food Production Director at Taj Hotels, both received Special Recognition Awards.
ACF chairman Yawar Khan unveiled an exciting new partnership with the Tony Khan Institute to train young Bangladeshi chefs, help them with UK visas, and place them in curry house kitchens amid a growing skills shortage.
Brexit, Visas & Britain’s Curry Future
Khan praised the Government’s post-Brexit points-based immigration system for easing recruitment of skilled chefs from abroad. “For years we’ve lobbied ministers to loosen salary thresholds for non-EU workers,” he said. “The Asian Catering Federation supports the UK’s goal to become a high-skilled economy.”
The event also launched this year’s prestigious awards calendar:
- Asian Restaurant Awards – Manchester, 20 April
- Asian Restaurant Awards – Scotland, Edinburgh, 22 June
- Asian Curry Awards – London, 22 November
These are the UK’s only awards celebrating the full spectrum of Asian cuisines. Fans of spice and flavour are encouraged to nominate their favourite restaurants for a chance to shine.
