Oli Khan Explained

Oli Khan
Honorific Suffix:MBE, FRSA, PHF
Birth Name:Bengali: অলি খান
Birth Date:28 November 1973
Birth Place:Rajnagar, Moulvibazar, Sylhet, Bangladesh
Nationality:Bangladeshi
British
Style:Indian/Bangladeshi cuisine
Fusion cuisine
Restaurants:
  • Surma Takeaway
  • Spice Rouge
Awards:
  • MBE
  • BCA Caterer of the Year (2015)[1]

Oli Khan MBE,[2] FRSA[3] (Bengali: অলি খান) is a British-Bangladeshi chef and restaurateur. Khan operates the restaurants Surma Takeaway and Spice Rouge in Stevenage.[4] [5] [6]

Khan and the team of Surma Takeaway Stevenage hold the Guinness World Record for cooking the largest onion bhaji.[7] He received his MBE (Member of the British Empire) title at the Queen's Birthday Honours for 2020.[8]

Early life

Khan grew up in the Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Rajnagar region of northeastern Bangladesh. He moved to the UK with his mother and siblings to join his father in late 1980s.[9] His father Late Alhaj Ayub Ali Khan was a businessman and runs several family business of curry houses in Kent, in Bedfordshire and in London.[6]

Career

Khan opened his first restaurant, Tandoori Knight, at the age of 17.[9] At the age of 23, he opened Kismet, his first curry house, with his brother-in-law in Linlithgow in 1995.[6] Khan sold Kismet and moved south of Linlithgow after his father's death from cancer.[6]

Khan eventually became the owner of some curry houses in Stevenage and Luton.[6] Surma Takeaway was opened in 2002.[10] Stopsley Surma was also opened, and Spice Rouge, which was formerly the White Hart pub until Khan bought and converted it into a curry house in 2010.[5]

Khan served as the BCA's Senior Vice President and Secretary General at different points in his career.[2] He has also held the positions of London Regional President and Director of the UKBCCI.[11]

Prior to the UK's withdrawal from the EU, Khan spoke to several media outlets such as CNN,[12] Al Jazeera,[13] The Independent,[14] and the Wall Street Journal[15] about the crisis faced by British curry houses and the potential effects of Brexit on the curry industry.

In February 2020, Khan and his team at Surma Takeaway also broke the Guinness World Record for largest onion bhaji.[16] It weighed 175.48 kg (386 lb 13.8 oz).[17]

Khan previously served as the Senior Vice President and as the Secretary General of the Bangladesh Caterers Association UK.[18] [13]

Khan has participated in the British Curry Festival in Bangladesh and India.[2] He has been nicknamed the "Curry King" by various media outlets.[19]

Khan has written for publications such as The Guardian[20] and Society Today.[21]

Philanthropy

In 2020, when Khan won the Guinness World Record, for the largest onion bhaji, it was used to feed more than 500 people, including 300 homeless people in London and the proceeds from the event were donated to the East London Mosque Trust.[22]

In 2022, he donated dried food to around 2,000 people in his hometown of Rainager in Bangladesh during Ramadan.[23]

Awards

At the Queen's Birthday Honours for 2020, Khan was awarded with MBE honours for his services to the hospitality industry and his charity efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK and abroad.[24]

Affiliations

Khan is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA).[3] and is President of the Bangladesh Caterers Association UK.[25]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: BCA Caterer of the Year 2010 nominees announced. bighospitality.co.uk.
  2. Web site: Chef Oli Khan awarded MBE. November 24, 2020.
  3. Web site: Lockdown Diaries: Oli Khan's Surma Takeaway to distribute thousands of free hot meals to frontline workers in the UK. Smita. Sarkar. April 30, 2020.
  4. Web site: Stevenage chef says new rules are a 'recipe for disaster' for curry houses. Oliver. Pritchard. August 28, 2015. The Comet.
  5. News: The great British curry crisis. Malcolm. Moore. Financial Times. January 8, 2016.
  6. Web site: Who killed the curry house? | Bee Wilson. January 12, 2017. the Guardian.
  7. Web site: All the incredible world records that have been achieved in Herts. Charlie. Reynolds. May 20, 2020. HertsLive.
  8. Web site: The Queen's Birthday Honours list 2020 in full. Harriet. Brewis. October 9, 2020. www.standard.co.uk.
  9. https://www.currylife.uk/profile-of-a-multi-tasking-entrepreneur/ Curry Life
  10. Web site: Oli Khan Wins Major Curry Life Award. www.ukbcci.org.uk.
  11. Web site: Oli Khan – UKBCCI Director creates new world record with his team. www.ukbcci.org.uk.
  12. Web site: Britain's curry chefs spice up Brexit immigration debate. CNN. 11 June 2016.
  13. Web site: British taste for curry has changed, but appetite remains strong. Samira. Shackle. www.aljazeera.com.
  14. Web site: Half of Britain's curry houses risk being shut in the next decade. February 23, 2017. The Independent.
  15. News: U.K. Curry Industry Battles for 'Brexit' as EU Debate Gets Spicy. Saabira. Chaudhuri. Wall Street Journal. June 2, 2016. www.wsj.com.
  16. Web site: Largest onion bhaji. Guinness World Records.
  17. Web site: Bhaji for UK homeless.
  18. Web site: Naan starter: UK curry restaurants feel betrayed by Brexit. 31 March 2017.
  19. Web site: Luxury Hospitality Magazine October 2015 by Lapthorn Media - Issuu. issuu.com.
  20. Web site: I swallowed the Brexit lies. Now I regret telling curry house workers to vote leave | Oli Khan. February 15, 2019. the Guardian.
  21. Web site: UK's Hospitality Sector Needs a Vaccine of Hope – Society Today.
  22. Web site: February 6, 2020 . Chef feeds hundreds of homeless people with world's largest onion bhaji . The Independent.
  23. Web site: Kay . Jaimie . 2022-02-14 . Herts chef's 2-year journey to make the world's 'largest' onion bhaji . 2022-10-15 . HertsLive . en.
  24. Web site: Pride of Stevenage Awards 2020 recognises work in community throughout coronavirus pandemic. Georgia. Barrow. October 26, 2020. The Comet.
  25. https://bca1960.com/