Muhammad Siraj Ali ( bn, মুহাম্মদ সিরাজ আলি; born 24 November 1954) is a Bangladeshi-born British
restaurateur
A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspec ...
and philanthropist.
Career
In 1979, Ali bought the New Curry Centre, in
Stanford-le-Hope. At the time Ali's family was the first
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
family in
Thurrock
Thurrock () is a unitary authority area with borough status and unparished area in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. It is part of the London commuter belt and an area of regeneration within the Thames Gateway redevelopment zone. The l ...
Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
.
Ali runs the Maharaja restaurant in
South Benfleet
South Benfleet is a town and former civil parish, now in the unparished area of Benfleet, in the Castle Point district of Essex, England, 30 miles east of London. It is adjacent to the village of North Benfleet. The Benfleet SS7 post town include ...
, Essex.
Since 1991, the restaurant has held charity nights raising close to £2 million for hundreds of charitable causes including;
Multiple Sclerosis Society,
NSPCC
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is a British child protection charity.
History
Victorian era
On a trip to New York in 1881, Liverpudlian businessman Thomas Agnew was inspired by a visit to the New Yor ...
,
British Red Cross
The British Red Cross Society is the United Kingdom body of the worldwide neutral and impartial humanitarian network the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was formed in 1870, and is a registered charity with more ...
and Breast Cancer Awareness amongst others.
Ali has been involved in the Indian catering industry since the 1970s, with a career spanning 40 years.
Ali is the founder chairman of both the Thurrock Bangladesh Welfare Association and the Thurrock Islamic Educational Cultural Centre. He is the general secretary of the Castle Point Bangladeshi Education and Cultural Centre, as well as governor of the Hajji Soyed Ali Primary School and the chairman of the advisory committee of the Essex Bangladesh Welfare Association.
He is chairman of the Interim Committee Arbitrator and former treasurer of the Balagonj Education Trust, which aims to provide life skills and education to disadvantaged children in Bangladesh.
He is also vice-chairman of The Bangladeshi Catering Association (Essex region).
Awards and recognition
In 2009, Ali won the
Channel S
Channel S is a UK-based, free-to-air television channel targeting the British Bangladeshi community. The channel was established on 16 December 2004 by Mahee Ferdous Jalil, a Bangladeshi businessman in London. On Sky it at first had a timesha ...
Award for years of charity work in south Essex.
In 2011, he was awarded the ''
British Bangladeshi Who's Who
''British Bangladeshi Who's Who'' is an annual publication highlighting the accomplishments, contributions and achievements of successful British Bangladeshis. It was established in 2008 and also holds an annual award ceremony in London, England. ...
'' 'Outstanding Contribution' Award for his long standing contribution to the hospitality and catering industry.
In 2009, Ali was the joint winner of the
Bangladesh Caterers Association 'Caterer of the Year' for the South East.
In 2015, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by ''
Curry Life'' magazine.
Personal life
Ali lives in Stanford-le-Hope, Essex.
He is married to Begum Momtaj Khanom, and they have one son, Ansar, and three daughters, Shahena (who is a celebrity television chef on
The Food Channel
The Food Channel (not affiliated with Food Network) is an American consumer Web site with food recipes, news, reviews and advice. The site compiles information to produce food industry trends and aims to be a gateway for all things food.
Site ...
)
Shareena and Jasmine.
Ali has arranged around 200 charity events per year for 20 years, raising around £600 to £1,500 an event. It is estimated that he has helped raise £3 million for charity.
See also
*
British Bangladeshi
British Bangladeshis ( bn, বিলাতী বাংলাদেশী, Bilatī Bangladeshī) are people of Bangladeshi origin who have attained citizenship in the United Kingdom, through immigration and historical naturalisation. The term ...
*
Business of British Bangladeshis British Bangladeshis are people who arrived from Bangladesh to the United Kingdom, and throughout the years have started to create new businesses throughout the country, especially in Brick Lane, where there are many Bangladeshi restaurants. Bangl ...
*
List of British Bangladeshis
This is a list of notable British Bangladeshis ( bn, উল্লেখযোগ্য বিলাতী বাংলাদেশীদের তালিকা). This includes Bangladeshi immigrants settled or residing in the United Kingdom a ...
References
External links
Maharaja Restaurant website ''Ethnic Now''. 24 July 2007
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ali, Siraj
1954 births
Living people
Bangladeshi emigrants to the United Kingdom
British restaurateurs
Bangladeshi businesspeople
British philanthropists
School governors
People from Stanford-le-Hope