Mohamed Najib Ali of the Maya Bar & Restaurant in Altherstone in the Midlands, has been crowned the winner of the prestigious Asian & Oriental Chef Awards in London.

Contestants were drawn from the hundreds of public nominations for their favourite chefs, who were then invited to submit recipe details and photos for a proposed two-course meal.  These were whittled down to 8 finalists. The contestants then took part in a live cook-off event in the training kitchen at the Pillars Restaurant at the University of West London in Ealing on 21^st June.

Regional awards went to Kamrul Hoque of Kushi in Romford – the overall runner-up, who was also named Best Indian Chef (London Suburbs); Daya Sharma Heritage, Dulwich, Best Indian  Chef (South London); Mohammed Al Amin Ali, Millennium Balti, Royal Leamington Spa, Best Indian Chef (Midlands); Maratree Melross, Guard House, Royston, Best Thai Chef (Midlands); Jackie Chan of Gales Garden, Bethnal Green, Best Chinese Chef (East London); Humayun Rashid, Kushi, Best Indian (Essex); Danny Yeung, Mandarin Palace, Horchurch, Best Chinese (Essex).

Commenting on the standard of entries, Asian Catering Federation (ACF) chairman Yawar Khan, who organised the awards, said; “The pandemic has been devastating for the hospitality industry, but more forward-thinking chefs used their enforced lock down to considerable effect, experimenting with different ingredients and taste fusions.  The results have greatly impressed the judges today.”

The winners will also be feted at a special presentation dinner at the House of Lords on 7^th September host by Lord Sheikh – postponed from 5^th July because of the delayed easing of lock down restrictions.

The event will also promote the ACF’s other annual awards: the 5^th Asian Restaurant Awards, being held at the Mercure Piccadilly, Manchester on Tuesday 31^st August and Edinburgh at the Sheraton Grand on Monday 20^th September 2021, plus the 11^th Asian Curry Awards taking place at the Grosvenor House on Sunday 21th November 2021.

Spice lovers can vote for the favourite restaurants via www.asiancurryawards.com and www.acfederation.org.

All ACF awards are open to professional chefs working in Bangladeshi, Burmese, Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malaysian, Middle Eastern, Pakistani, Singaporean, Sri Lankan, Thai, Turkish and Vietnamese restaurants and takeaways.

The Awards’ main sponsors is Just Eat, the market-leading online food ordering and delivery platform.  The awards are also supported by Booker Wholesale.