Tommy Miah

Mohammad Ajman Miah (Bengali: মোহাম্মদ আজমান মিয়া), MBE FRSA (born 28 March 1959), better known by his nick name Tommy Miah, is a Bangladeshi-born British chef, owner of the Raj Restaurant and founder of the International Indian Chef of the Year Competition.[1] He is often recognised as the "Curry King" in Britain.

Tommy Miah
Born
Mohammad Ajman Miah

(1959-03-28) 28 March 1959
South Sylhet Mahakuma, Chittagong Division, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh)
EducationAston Manor School
Spouse
Rina Miah
​
(m. 1975)​
Culinary career
Cooking styleBengali cuisine
Current restaurant(s)
  • Raj Restaurant
Previous restaurant(s)
  • Curry Capital (formerly Rupali)
Websitetommymiahuk.com

Early life

Miah was born in a village in South Sylhet subdivision, Chittagong Division, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). He arrived at the age of 10 in Birmingham, England. He was interested in food and cooking due to which he began working in the catering industry.[2] He began by starting his own small takeout restaurant at the age of 17.[3]

Career

Miah established himself in Edinburgh and founded 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]

Miah has established the Tommy Miah Institute of Hospitality Management, which is an institution which trains Bangladeshis in the international hospitality industry. 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 and recognition

In 2004, Miah was elected a fellow of Royal Society of Arts.[8]

In 2017, Miah was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2017 Birthday Honours for his services to the hospitality industry and charity.[9]

References
  1. "Biography". tommymiah.com. Archived from the original on 30 December 2008. Retrieved 24 May 2009.
  2. "The new international flavour of ICDDR,B". ICDDR,B. 20 April 2011. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  3. Karim, Mohammed Abdul; Karim, Shahadoth (July 2008). British Bangladeshi Who's Who (PDF). British Bangla Media Group. p. 155. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2008.
  4. "The Indian Chef of the Year". Retrieved 24 May 2009.
  5. "Tommy Miah Heads SAARC Festival Team". Chup Magazine. Archived from the original on 8 September 2008. Retrieved 24 May 2009.
  6. "Curry King puts word of his recipes out by text". The Daily Ittefaq. Bangladesh. August 2006. Archived from the original on 20 August 2006. Retrieved 24 May 2009.
  7. "Tommy Miah". CurryPedia. Curries Online. Archived from the original on 1 May 2009. Retrieved 3 April 2009.
  8. "British Bengali Success Stories". BritBangla. 2003. Archived from the original on 15 October 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2011. Tommy Miah
  9. Furness, Hannah (16 June 2017). "Queen's Birthday Honours: Arise Sir Billy Connolly as Paul McCartney, JK Rowling and Delia Smith given honours". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 17 June 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
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