Enam Ali

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title: "Enam Ali" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1960-births", "2022-deaths", "deaths-from-cancer-in-england", "bangladeshi-muslims", "british-muslims", "bangladeshi-emigrants-to-england", "british-people-of-bangladeshi-descent", "naturalised-citizens-of-the-united-kingdom", "british-restaurateurs", "british-publishers-(people)", "bangladeshi-businesspeople", "people-from-sylhet-division", "people-from-epsom", "bangladeshi-members-of-the-order-of-the-british-empire", "fellows-of-the-royal-society-of-arts"] description: "Bangladeshi-born British businessman (1960–2022)" topic_path: "technology/web" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enam_Ali" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Bangladeshi-born British businessman (1960–2022) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

Field	Value
name	Enam Ali
honorific_suffix
image	Enam Ali MBE.JPG
image_size	220px
native_name	এনাম আলি
native_name_lang	bn
birth_date
birth_place	Sylhet District, Sylhet Division, East Pakistan
death_date
death_place	London, England
nationality	British
occupation	Businessman, publisher, editor
years_active	1989–2022
notable_works	{{Plainlist
style	Bangladeshi, Indian Cuisine
spouse	S Ali
children	3
website
::

| honorific_prefix = | name = Enam Ali | honorific_suffix = | image = Enam Ali MBE.JPG | image_size = 220px | alt = | caption = | native_name = এনাম আলি | native_name_lang = bn | birth_name = | birth_date = | birth_place = Sylhet District, Sylhet Division, East Pakistan | death_date = | death_place = London, England | death_cause = | resting_place = | nationality = British | other_names = | citizenship = | education = | alma_mater = | occupation = Businessman, publisher, editor | years_active = 1989–2022 | employer = | organization = | agent = | known_for = | notable_works = {{Plainlist|

• Spice Business Magazine
• The British Curry Awards | style = Bangladeshi, Indian Cuisine | net_worth = | height = | television = | title = | term = | predecessor = | successor = | party = | movement = | opponents = | boards = | spouse = S Ali | partner = | children = 3 | parents = | relatives = | callsign = | awards = | module = | website = | footnotes =

Enam Ali (; 1 December 1960 – 17 July 2022) was a Bangladeshi-born British businessman who founded The British Curry Awards, Spice Business Magazine, and Ion TV.

Early life

Ali was born in Sylhet District, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). In 1974, he went to the United Kingdom to study law but decided to pursue a degree in hospitality and management. While studying he worked part-time for the Taj Mahal restaurant group.

Career

He opened restaurant Le Raj in 1989. In 1990, he became a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

In 1998, Ali launched Spice Business Magazine, a quarterly trade publication featuring articles in English and Bengali with information on the restaurant sector as well as community news. The magazine's average quarterly readership was more than 100,000.

In 2005, Ali founded The British Curry Awards to recognize excellence in the UK curry industry and raise awareness of top British curry restaurants.

In 2012, the restaurant he founded, Le Raj, was selected as one of the official food suppliers of the 2012 London Summer Olympics. It supplied Bangladeshi halal curry and iftar during Ramadan for 17 days during the Olympics.

Ali became a director and president of the British-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce, which was created in 1991. He was a contributor and consultant for the hospitably industry, focusing on curry cuisine.

In 2016, Ali expressed plans to launch Le Raj Academy, a catering academy, in partnership with North East Surrey College of Technology. He launched a 24-hour TV channel, ION, to strengthen the British curry industry.

In late 2020 Ali launched the inaugural British Curry Day to support the pandemic curry industry and commemorate the elderly "curry pioneers" being lost to the Coronavirus. It raised large sums for local charities around the country. Under the slogan of 'Back the Bhaji', many restaurants donated money for each onion bhaji sold. Eaten by the million in Britain each week, with origins in the UK's native onion rings, the dish is symbolic of the unique British curry culture.

Personal life

Ali died from cancer in London on 17 July 2022, at the age of 61.

Awards and recognition

In 2009, Ali was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours for his services to the Indian and Bangladeshi restaurant industries.

In 2008, he was a member of the Home Office Hospitality sector advisory panel, which ensures fairness in the treatment of the restaurant industry, by that department and by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

In 2011, Ali became the first Muslim and the first representative of the British curry industry to be granted Freedom of the City of London, in recognition of his contribution to the hospitality industry. In the same year, he was awarded Best Business Personality of the Year by his local area of Epsom and Ewell at their Business Excellence Awards, in recognition of his contributions hosting charitable events, raising more than £1.02 million over the previous 26 years.

In January 2013, Ali was nominated for the Arts and Culture Awareness award at the British Muslim Awards.

In August 2018, Institute of Hospitality recognised contribution made by Mr Ali to the Industry and among the most prominent British Asian personalities and the man behind revolutionary change in the curry industry.

References

References

1. (17 July 2022). "British Curry Award founder Enam Ali is no more". The Business Standard.
2. (10 September 2011). "Enam Ali, the 'Curry Prince' of Britain". The Asians.
3. "Enam Ali MBE, AHCIMA FIH, FRSA". Restaurant Hall of Fame.
4. "Enam Ali". BritBangla.
5. (2010). "Enam Ali – a charitable man". The British Curry Awards.
6. (1 September 2012). "Enam Ali introduced Asian food in Olympics 2012". The Asians.
7. (6 September 2012). "Bangladeshi-owned restaurant in UK gets Olympic relay torch to display". Daily Sun.
8. "Board of Directors". British Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce.
9. Westland, Naomi. (23 April 2014). "Curry crisis heats up in Britain". [[The Washington Times]].
10. Arsiwala, Nicole Dastur. (16 December 2012). "India beats China in UK". [[The Times of India]].
11. Harding, Nick. (21 July 2017). "UK's first curry college opens to teach new chefs as restaurants face crisis". Daily Mirror.
12. Leftly, Mark. (23 December 2016). "The restaurateur on a mission to save Britain's curry houses". The Guardian.
13. "Spice Business Magazine starts British Curry Day | LACA".
14. (20 November 2020). "British Curry Day Launched".
15. Parker, Guy. (23 November 2020). "British Curry Day Launched | Curry Culture".
16. (2 December 2020). "Award winning Rye chef is supporting British Curry Day".
17. (22 November 2020). "Inaugural British Curry Day will celebtrate end of lockdown & help raise money for charity.".
18. "UK curry 'at risk': Enam Ali MBE hits back at PM immigration 'backtrack'". bighospitality.co.uk.
19. May, Lauren. (31 December 2008). "Food and drink lead Surrey pair to New Year Honours list". This is Surrey.
20. (July 2008). "British Bangladeshi Who's Who". British Bangla Media Group.
21. May, Lauren. (14 November 2011). "Epsom restaurateur awarded Freedom of the City of London". Your Local Guardian.
22. (31 January 2013). "Winners honoured at British Muslim Awards". Asian Image.

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