Enam Ali

MBE FRSA
এনাম আলি
Born(1960-12-01)1 December 1960
Sylhet District, Sylhet Division, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh)
Died17 July 2022(2022-07-17) (aged 61)
London, England
NationalityBritish
Occupation(s)Businessman, publisher, editor
Years active1989–2022
Notable work
StyleBangladeshi, Indian Cuisine
SpouseS Ali
Children3
Websitewww.enamali.co.uk

Enam Ali MBE FRSA (Bengali: এনাম আলি; 1 December 1960 – 17 July 2022) was a Bangladeshi-born British businessman who founded The British Curry Awards, Spice Business Magazine, and Ion TV.

Early life

Ali was born in Sylhet District,[1] East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). In 1974, he went to the United Kingdom to study law but decided to pursue a degree in hospitality and management. While studying he worked part-time for the Taj Mahal restaurant group.[2]

Career

He opened restaurant Le Raj in 1989. In 1990, he became a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.[3]

In 1998, Ali launched Spice Business Magazine, a quarterly trade publication featuring articles in English and Bengali with information on the restaurant sector as well as community news. The magazine's average quarterly readership was more than 100,000.[4]

In 2005, Ali founded The British Curry Awards to recognize excellence in the UK curry industry and raise awareness of top British curry restaurants.[5]

In 2012, the restaurant he founded, Le Raj, was selected as one of the official food suppliers of the 2012 London Summer Olympics.[6] It supplied Bangladeshi halal curry and iftar during Ramadan for 17 days during the Olympics.[7]

Ali became a director and president of the British-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce, which was created in 1991.[8] He was a contributor and consultant for the hospitably industry, focusing on curry cuisine.[9][10]

In 2016, Ali expressed plans to launch Le Raj Academy, a catering academy, in partnership with North East Surrey College of Technology.[11] He launched a 24-hour TV channel, ION, to strengthen the British curry industry.[12] [13]

In late 2020 Ali launched the inaugural British Curry Day to support the pandemic curry industry and commemorate the elderly "curry pioneers" being lost to the Coronavirus. It raised large sums for local charities around the country. Under the slogan of ‘Back the Bhaji’, many restaurants donated money for each onion bhaji sold. Eaten by the million in Britain each week, with origins in the UK's native onion rings, the dish is symbolic of the unique British curry culture.[14] [15][16][17]

Personal life

Ali died from cancer in London on 17 July 2022, at the age of 61.[1]

Awards and recognition

In 2009, Ali was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)[18] in the 2009 New Year Honours for his services to the Indian and Bangladeshi restaurant industries.[19]

In 2008, he was a member of the Home Office Hospitality sector advisory panel, which ensures fairness in the treatment of the restaurant industry, by that department and by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.[20]

In 2011, Ali became the first Muslim and the first representative of the British curry industry to be granted Freedom of the City of London, in recognition of his contribution to the hospitality industry.[21] In the same year, he was awarded Best Business Personality of the Year by his local area of Epsom and Ewell at their Business Excellence Awards, in recognition of his contributions hosting charitable events, raising more than £1.02 million over the previous 26 years.

In January 2013, Ali was nominated for the Arts and Culture Awareness award at the British Muslim Awards.[22]

In August 2018, Institute of Hospitality recognised contribution made by Mr Ali to the Industry and among the most prominent British Asian personalities and the man behind revolutionary change in the curry industry.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "British Curry Award founder Enam Ali is no more". The Business Standard. 17 July 2022. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  2. ↑ "Enam Ali, the 'Curry Prince' of Britain". The Asians. 10 September 2011. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  3. ↑ "Enam Ali MBE, AHCIMA FIH, FRSA". Restaurant Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 2 April 2011.
  4. ↑ "Enam Ali". British Bengali Success Stories. BritBangla. Retrieved 6 May 2011.
  5. ↑ "Enam Ali – a charitable man". The British Curry Awards. 2010. Archived from the original on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  6. ↑ "Enam Ali introduced Asian food in Olympics 2012". The Asians. 1 September 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  7. ↑ "Bangladeshi-owned restaurant in UK gets Olympic relay torch to display". Daily Sun. 6 September 2012. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  8. ↑ "Board of Directors". British Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved 2 April 2011.
  9. ↑ Westland, Naomi (23 April 2014). "Curry crisis heats up in Britain". The Washington Times. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  10. ↑ Arsiwala, Nicole Dastur (16 December 2012). "India beats China in UK". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 3 April 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  11. ↑ Harding, Nick (21 July 2017). "UK's first curry college opens to teach new chefs as restaurants face crisis". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  12. ↑ Leftly, Mark (23 December 2016). "The restaurateur on a mission to save Britain's curry houses". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  13. ↑ "Spice Business Magazine starts British Curry Day | LACA". laca.co.uk.
  14. ↑ "British Curry Day Launched". 20 November 2020.
  15. ↑ Parker, Guy (23 November 2020). "British Curry Day Launched | Curry Culture". curryculture.co.uk.
  16. ↑ "Award winning Rye chef is supporting British Curry Day". www.hastingsobserver.co.uk.
  17. ↑ "Inaugural British Curry Day will celebtrate end of lockdown & help raise money for charity". 22 November 2020.
  18. ↑ "UK curry 'at risk': Enam Ali MBE hits back at PM immigration 'backtrack'". bighospitality.co.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  19. ↑ May, Lauren (31 December 2008). "Food and drink lead Surrey pair to New Year Honours list". This is Surrey. Archived from the original on 22 May 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  20. ↑ Karim, Mohammed Abdul; Karim, Shahadoth (July 2008). British Bangladeshi Who's Who (PDF). British Bangla Media Group. p. 36. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
  21. ↑ May, Lauren (14 November 2011). "Epsom restaurateur awarded Freedom of the City of London". Your Local Guardian. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
  22. ↑ "Winners honoured at British Muslim Awards". Asian Image. 31 January 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
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