Suleman Raza Explained

Birth Place:Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Nationality:British, Pakistani
Occupation:Restaurateur, entrepreneur, chef and activist
Style:Pakistani cuisine

Suleman Raza (born August 1980) is a British-Pakistani food entrepreneur, restaurateur, and activist.[1] [2] He is the founder of One Million Meals, a charitable campaign started in March 2020 from his own restaurant chain using GoFundMe in the UK.[3] [4] [5] He owned the cricket franchise Mirpur Royals in the Kashmir Premier League.[6] [7] [8] The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, awarded Raza the Points of Light award in 2021 for the One Million Meals campaign.[9] [10] The House of Lords awarded Raza with the Local Community Hero for his humanitarian services in London.[11] [12] [13] He has also been working as the co-chairperson of the UK Pakistan Business Council (UKPBC) to discuss the Pakistani business community concerns with the British prime minister Boris Johnson.[14] [15] [16]

Early and personal life

Raza was born in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.[17] He moved to London with his family during the year 2000.[18] Since 2004, Raza has been living in London, running his family business in the restaurant industry.[19] [20] He is married and has five children.[21] [22]

Career

In 2000, Raza and his brother began their career as a chef in a restaurant in Brixton, London. Four years later, they started a restaurant called Spice Village in Tooting, south London.[23] [24] By 2021, Raza owned multiple branches of his restaurants and served Pakistani cuisine in south and west London.[25] He also entered into the event business and owned a banquet, Grand Sapphire Hotels.[26] [27]

In March 2021, Raza initiated a drive-through in-car dining trend to revive the restaurant and venue business.[28] [29]

In August 2021, he entered into Pakistani sports as an owner of the Mirpur Royals squad for the KPL.[30] [31] [32] At the end of the series, Raza celebrated the success of the tournament with his team and congratulated the Kashmiris.[33] Raza left Mirpur Royals after the first season.[34]

Philanthropy

He has been running the campaign "No One Eats Alone on Christmas Day" annually since 2015 to serve homeless people in Croydon, South London.[35] On 23 November 2019, Raza signed an agreement with the Armed Forces Covenant with Rear Admiral Mike Bath from the Royal Navy to support the British armed forces community through his restaurant business.[36] On 1 April 2020, the One Million Meals campaign was launched to serve National Health Service key workers and other vulnerable people in London.[37] [38] By May 2021, the One Million Meals managed to serve more than 200 locations and 47 hospitals across UK.[39]

Honours and awards

In 2021, he received the Points of Light award by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the GG2 Spirit in the Community Award by the Royal Navy for running 'One Million Meals' campaign through his restaurant.[40] [41] [42] On 7 September 2021, he was recognized as the Local Community Hero by the House of Lords for his charity work in London.[43] [44] By coincidence, Raza was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to business and philanthropy at the same time that his voluntary organisation, Spice Village Uplyft, was awarded the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service (which is equivalent to an MBE) in the 2022 Birthday Honours.[45] [46] [47]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Admin. 6 December 2020. How will 6 muslim entrepreneurs lift the economy post Covid19. 3 November 2021. British Muslim Magazine. en-GB.
  2. Web site: 7 September 2020. Pakistani activist starts One Million Meals campaign with David Beckham. 8 November 2021. Daily Pakistan Global. en.
  3. Web site: 15 July 2020. Businessmen took on different day jobs to help heroes tackle Covid-19. 3 November 2021. EasternEye. en-GB.
  4. Web site: 17 September 2021. 'Local Community Hero' and restaurateur recognised for 'One Million Meals' charity campaign. 3 November 2021. South London News. en-GB.
  5. Web site: 22 April 2020. One Million Meals. 11 December 2021. Chris Philp. en-US.
  6. Web site: 5 August 2021. Suleman Raza buys Mirpur Royals to promote Mirpur globally. 3 November 2021. Daily Times. en-US.
  7. Web site: 6 August 2021. Suleman Raza pays tribute to Mirpuri culture through Mirpur Royals. 3 November 2021. Daily Pakistan Global. en.
  8. Web site: 12 August 2021. Mum's prayers credited for thriller KPL win for Mirpur Royals. 7 November 2021. BaaghiTV English. en-US.
  9. Web site: 12 May 2021. One Million Meals. 3 November 2021. Points of Light. en-GB.
  10. Web site: 21 May 2021. PM Boris Johnson honours four Pakistanis for humanitarian service. 3 November 2021. Global Village Space. en-US.
  11. Web site: 15 September 2021. Spice Village owner & others recognised as 'Local Community Heroes' for charity work. 3 November 2021. Feed the Lion. en-GB.
  12. Web site: FNB News – Local community hero recognised for one million meals charity campaign. FNB News. 3 November 2021.
  13. Web site: 16 September 2021. Croydon hotelier wins Local Community Hero award for charity work. 3 November 2021. Develop Croydon. en-GB.
  14. Web site: Pakistanis furious over red listing, community members tell Boris Johnson. 3 November 2021. geo.tv. en.
  15. Web site: 9 August 2021. Co-chairman of UKPBC, Suleman Raza writes to PM Boris Johnson. 7 November 2021. Business Central. en-US.
  16. Web site: 2 May 2021. Suleman Raza Suggestion of Vaccination For Restaurant Workers in the UK. 8 November 2021. Business Central. en-US.
  17. Web site: Suleman Raza: The 'One Million Meals' campaign founder. 3 November 2021. geo.tv. en.
  18. Web site: 5 June 2022 . Pakistani man wins double honours at Queen's Jubilee celebrations . 17 July 2021 . The Express Tribune . en.
  19. Web site: Irfan. Anmol. 10 September 2020. David Beckham Lends His Support to 'One Million Meals' Program. ProPakistani.
  20. Web site: UK restaurant boss asks fellow businessmen to sell Pakistani cuisine with pride. 3 November 2021. The News International. en.
  21. Web site: 25 March 2021. Businessman gives diners the full restaurant experience from their cars. 3 November 2021. South London News. en-GB.
  22. Web site: 21 April 2021. Meeting Suleman Raza, the trendsetter in Car Dine-In in the UK.. 5 November 2021. Business Central. en-US.
  23. Web site: 9 May 2019. Pakistani UK Restaurant Chain Owner Urges Others To Sell Pakistani Cuisine With Pride!. 4 November 2021. ZIPit. en-US.
  24. Web site: Spice Village London – Reviews, Location, Photos. 8 November 2021. HungryFoody. en.
  25. Web site: 16 September 2021. Croydon hotelier wins Local Community Hero award for charity work. 8 November 2021. InYourArea.co.uk.
  26. Web site: O'Connor . Tara . 3 July 2020 . How coronavirus is 'killing' one of Croydon's most popular wedding venues . 17 July 2022 . MyLondon . en.
  27. Web site: Owner speaks out after popular venue is forced to cancel more than 160 weddings. 3 November 2021. Your Local Guardian. en.
  28. Web site: O'Connor. Tara. 22 March 2021. Croydon restaurant gets round lockdown by serving curry in cars. 3 November 2021. MyLondon. en.
  29. Web site: mediabest . 23 March 2021 . Curry house gets around lockdown by serving curries in cars with incredible invention – . 17 July 2022 . en-US.
  30. Web site: UK businessman buys KPL's Mirpur Royals franchise. 3 November 2021. The News International. en.
  31. Web site: Mirpur Royals' Owner Compares Salman Irshad To Malinga. Cricket Holic.PK. 3 November 2021. en-US.
  32. Web site: About Club. Mirpur Royals. 7 November 2021. en-US.
  33. Web site: Mirpur Royals owner congratulates Kashmiris on successful KPL 2021. 8 November 2021. The News International. en.
  34. Web site: 14 July 2022 . Season-II of KPL to be more thrilling, entertaining: Abdul Razzaq . 15 July 2022 . Pakistan Today . en-US.
  35. Web site: FtL . 20 December 2021 . Spice Village launches annual "no one eats alone" campaign for Christmas holidays . 17 July 2022 . Feed the Lion . en-GB.
  36. Web site: How multi-award winning Spice Village in Croydon is making a difference. 3 November 2021. Your Local Guardian. en.
  37. Web site: The brothers providing one million meals for frontline workers. 3 November 2021. King's College London. en-GB.
  38. Web site: Shahid. Syeda Sadia. 22 May 2021. PM Boris Johnson honours four Pakistanis for 'One Million Meals' campaign. 8 November 2021. LAbout Pakistan. en-US.
  39. Web site: 13 May 2021. PM Boris Johnson honours Four Pakistanis on Eid. 4 November 2021. The Express Tribune. en.
  40. Web site: Asian Media Group. GG2 Leadership & Diversity Awards 2021 – Winners 2020. 4 November 2021. gg2leadershipawards.co.uk. en.
  41. Web site: UK PM honours four Pakistanis for humanitarian services. 7 November 2021. The News International. en.
  42. Web site: Armed Forces Covenant.
  43. Web site: Asian Curry Awards Launched at House of Lords. 5 November 2021. Food4Media.
  44. Web site: 'Local Community Hero' And Restaurateur Recognised For 'One Million Meals' Charity Campaign – Todayuknews. 23 August 2020 . 8 November 2021. en-US.
  45. Web site: 3 June 2022 . 'Queen's Birthday Honours highlight great contribution Asians have made to the UK' . 22 June 2022 . EasternEye . en-GB.
  46. Web site: 5 June 2022 . Pakistani man wins double honours at Queen's Jubilee celebrations . 22 June 2022 . The Express Tribune . en.
  47. Web site: 1 June 2022 . Queen's Birthday Honours List – June 2022 . 22 June 2022 . Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) . en-GB.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Suleman Raza".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.