The life and achievements of 60-year-old Mohammad Ajman Miah, better known as Tommy Miah, have been nothing short of a saga where he was brought down by challenges, but he rose up again with an increased passion for success.
Tommy is a Bangladeshi-born British celebrity chef, owner of an award-winning Raj Restaurant and founder of the International Indian Chef of the Year Competition. He is often recognised as the ‘Curry King’ in Britain.
Born in a village in Moulvibazar, Jalalabad, 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 working in the catering industry.
The rest of his successful journey so far was shared by the Curry King with Community recently as he was in Doha for a short period of time.
Introducing himself, the chef said: “The name Tommy was given to me by a teacher when I was 10-year-old working in the UK in 1969. I have a brother and two sisters. They were all are born in the UK. My wife and I have three children, one daughter and two sons.
“I left my village when I was 10 and had no formal education. In the UK, I went to a junior school but I could not concentrate on my education because my dad was not earning enough. I had to work and support him. I started washing dishes when I was 10. I started working with a restaurant Bengal Room. At the same time, I started learning how to cook at my home from my mother. I started working as a chef with Gaylord Restaurant in Birmingham in 1976.
“That was the start that has no ending so far. Cooking has become my passion because it gave me my life. I do not think if I had gone to some university, I would have supported my family the way I had. Cooking gave me everything. At the early age, I just wanted to earn some money. With the passage of time, I started loving cooking and thought I could add something valuable. Cooking is an art. You have to have basic knowledge and training and then you can create your own dishes.
Regarding how he started his own business, Tommy said: “When I was 17, I decided that I would not work for somebody. I wanted to have my own business. That was when I started my first take away business. I started a restaurant with the name of Miah’s Takeaway in 1977. My wife used to help me in the restaurant where we targeted low income class. The business was not good and I had to do two other part time jobs. I hired my first employee, a lady, but I could not pay her any wages. I used to give her my curry for her work.
“A real push came for me, when I moved to Edinburgh. On February 6, 1981, I started my fine dining restaurant with the name of Verandah in partnership with one of my friends. It was a Bangladeshi high end restaurant. It fast became a celeb restaurant. That gave us real recognition. Palak ghosht became one of our signature dishes.”
When asked what new recipes he has invented so far, the chef said: “Green Bengali fish is my signature dish. It was not too heavy. I also improved upon shatkora chicken and mezban ghosht.
“In 1983, I bought an old cinema building and converted it into a restaurant. I started the restaurant in 1986 with the name of The Raj. To attract more and more people, my restaurant was inaugurated by a famous elephant in UK. It gave me huge media coverage. There were queues outside my restaurant. I added new dishes. I promoted Bangladeshi cuisine. In 1987, I launched my first book Best of Bangladesh sponsored by British Airways. There were very few Bangladesh restaurants in the UK.
“I have written 20 cook books. I have written mainly for Bangladeshi market. The British press started calling me Curry King, I think some time in mid 1990s. Still they call me Curry King.”
When asked what it means to be a cook, he said: “Somebody has said that Tommy has made curry look sexy. They say that I have taken it to another level. In 1991, I launched International Chef of the Year competition. It still goes on.
“For me the art of cooking is like sharing my experience with others. I have 20, 000 students so far. I started from a small kitchen and now I have three campuses of my cooking institute. Cooking is my passion and my life. It is everything for me. My love for cooking has made me what I am today.”
About the role of UK in his success, Tommy said: “If I had stayed in the village where I was born, I would not have been where I am now. It taught me so much. I learnt through hard work and dedication. It gave me confidence. I am able to help others. I am running an orphanage in Bangladesh with 600 children.”
Advising the young aspiring chefs, he said: “My piece of advice is that you should have dedication, hard work and honesty. If you have that, you will be successful in your life.”
Regarding his plans in future, he said: “I feel l am still 20-year-old with my passion. If I have done something today, I will still be doing something tomorrow. I still have the hunger in me. I am always there to support younger generations with my hospitality institute that I have been running. Hospitality is a big industry.
Sharing some extraordinary incidents in his life, he said: “I have visited 10 Downing Street in 1990s. Her Majesty the Queen of England has written a forward to one my of cook books Recipes of The Raj. I have made curry for many celebrities of their choices. In 2013, I did a Bangladesh Food and Culture Festival at La Manga Club Spain. I have also done events in Tokyo and Brussels. I have introduced curry all over the world.”
CHEF’S WORLD: Tommy, left, with Sir Thomas Farmer, a Scottish entrepreneur, outside his restaurant. Photos supplied
