Culinary Excellence Recognised at Prestigious Asian Oriental & Chef Awards
Top UK chefs will be honoured at the House of Lords on July 4th for the Asian Oriental & Chef Awards. Jiwal Lal of Babur won the competition, with other finalists recognised for their culinary excellence. Public nominations are encouraged.
On Election Day, July 4th, the House of Lords will be the venue for a prestigious celebration as many of the UK’s top chefs are honoured at the Asian Oriental & Chef Awards. Hosted by Lord Kamall in conjunction with the Asian Catering Federation (ACF), the event will recognize the exceptional culinary talents showcased in a recent live cooking contest held at the University of West London’s Pillars Restaurant on May 19th. This venue holds a special significance as it is the former alma mater of Home Secretary James Cleverly.
Jiwal Lal, the executive chef at the Michelin-ranked Babur in south London, emerged as the overall winner of the competition. He narrowly edged out Dev Biswal, owner of The Cook’s Tale in Canterbury, who finished as the runner-up by just one point. Third place was a tie between Jerome Jorda from Kas & Kin and Saroj Thapaliya from Panas Gurka, both based in London.
The other finalists who demonstrated their culinary prowess included Ajay Chaurasia from Bombay Delight in Wimbledon, Rafiqur Raza from Bangor Tandoori in north Wales, Vishal Verma from Mango Lounge in Windsor, and Ameen Ainiyappillai from Sajee in Lewisham.
Rajesh Suri, a prominent restaurant consultant formerly with Tamarind Collection and Grand Trunk Road, chaired the panel of judges. He praised this year’s competition, noting, “The cooking at this year’s event was on a different level compared to previous years. Competing chefs raised the bar, showing great technical ability and combining fresh ingredients to create some amazing dishes.”
The selection process for the finalists began with thousands of public nominations for their favourite chefs. These nominations were then meticulously reviewed, with candidates asked to submit detailed recipes. From these submissions, the finalists were chosen to compete in the cook-off, where they were required to prepare both a starter and a main course within an hour. The judges evaluated the dishes based on originality and creativity, technical skill, use of fresh local produce, presentation, and flavour.
“These awards are a motivating factor, encouraging chefs to strive for ever higher culinary standards and for restaurateurs to compete for more discerning customers on quality – not price,” said ACF Chairman Yawar Khan. He emphasised the importance of public support for local establishments, particularly in challenging economic times, by nominating them for accolades.
For those who are passionate about their local curry houses and other Asian dining establishments, nominations can be submitted at www.asiancurryawards.com.
The Asian Catering Federation, which represents the UK’s 30,000 Asian and Oriental restaurants and takeaways, organizes these awards. This year’s contest included chefs from a diverse range of cuisines such as Bangladeshi, Burmese, Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malaysian, Middle Eastern, Pakistani, Singaporean, Sri Lankan, Thai, Turkish, and Vietnamese. The sector, which employs over 100,000 people, contributes more than £5 billion to the UK economy.
In addition to the awards at the House of Lords, the ACF will also be hosting the Asian Restaurant Awards in Manchester on August 27th. For more information and to nominate your favourite restaurants, visit www.asiancurryawards.com and www.asianrestaurantawards.org.
