Top Asian and Oriental Chefs cook their best

WHO ARE THE TOP Asian and Oriental chefs in the UK? Thanks to the Asian Catering Foundation (ACF), which organised an Awards competition at the end of February, hungry diners can now track them down.

Chefs who entered the awards competition first had to submit details of an original two course meal. The entries were judged by a panel chaired by Pat Chapman of the Good Curry Guide and including Thomas Chan, Chair of the Chinese Catering Association and Co-Chair of the ACF; S.B. Faruk, Course Director of the Royal Society of Public Health; and Chad Rahman, a chef from the Craft Guild of Chefs.

The judges selected ten finalists, who all attended a cook-off at the University of London. The winners were chosen on the basic of their technical skills, innovation and creativity, along with the nutritional value of the meals and the food hygiene measures employed in the cooking process.

Around 100 members of the Asian catering industry attended the final, including Professor Hafiz Khan of the University of West London; Yawar Khan, ACF Chair; and Pashupati Bhandari, the Nepal Tourism Board’s Head of Public Relations. The winners will receive their awards at the launch of the tenth annual Asian Curry Awards, which will be held in the House of Commons on 12th March.

•Finalists included:
Ram Paudal of Panas Gurkha in Lewisham
Mohd Al Amin of the Millennium Balti in Royal Leamington Spa
Mahabur Rahman of Royston Toadoori in Hertfordshire
Amdad Rahman of Spice Lounge in Burford
Suna Meah of Tamarind Lounge in Burford

•The winners were:

Asian Chef category
Joint winners:
Daya Shankar Sharma of Grand Trunk Road, South Woodford
Shanker Pandey of the Everest Inn group of restaurants
Runner up:
Mohammed Najib Ali of Maya Bar & Restaurant

Oriental Chef category
Winner
Jie Chen of Canton Restauran in London’s West End
Runner up:
Chak Fung “Jacky” Chan of the Golden Dragon in Port Tennant, Swansea

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