Aktar Islam (born 1980) is a multiple award-winning British Michelin starred

chef A chef is a trained professional cook and tradesman who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term ''chef de cuisine'' (), the director or head of a k ...

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 entrepreneur. He left the Lasan Group in 2016 to work on his new, flagship project, Opheem and launched his new Italian restaurant, Legna in winter 2018. His new group of restaurants concentrate on celebration of ingredients and are dedicated to gastronomy. Both Opheem and Legna have opened to critical acclaim and Opheem has received its first Michelin star in October 2019 and is the first and only Michelin starred Indian restaurant in the UK outside of London. Pulperia; an Argentine restaurant built around the celebration of beef opened its doors in March 2020 and has gone on to become the only Michelin listed Steak restaurant in Birmingham. AI Restaurant Group now has three restaurants and continues to grow, the group is steered by Aktar Islams focus on product led cooking whilst creating opportunities for young individuals from Birmingham. In 2009, Aktar Islam was crowned champion by

Gordon Ramsay Gordon James Ramsay (; born ) is a British chef, restaurateur, television personality and writer. His restaurant group, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, was founded in 1997 and has been awarded 17 Michelin stars overall; it currently holds a to ...

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

's '' The F Word''. In June 2011, he won the fish course in the final of the

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream ...

series '' Great British Menu''. He returned to the Great British Menu Kitchen as a veteran Judge in 2022.

Early life

Islam was born and brought up in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...

, England. His parents are from

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million pe ...

and came to Britain in the late 1970s. He is the second eldest of five sons. Islam attended Prince Albert School. At the age of 13, Islam's first job was working at his father's restaurant.

Career

Aktar Islam started working in the restaurant industry from the age of 13, his first restaurant project; Karma in Shirley Solihull was launched when he was 20. In 2007, he launched his cookbook and DVD, called the ''Spice of Life'', in collaboration with Warwick University Medical school. In 2010, Islam and sous chef, Aysan Shaikh, beat Curry Corner from Cheltenham on

's '' The F Word'' after beating Santa Maria (South American cuisine) and Sweet Mandarin (Chinese cuisine) in the semi-final. Aktar Islam then went on to win the overall final, after beating The Pheasant from Keystone. In June 2011, Islam won the Central regional heat to reach the final of the

series '' Great British Menu''. He went on to win the fish course in the final. Islam's other television appearances include '' Market Kitchen'', ''Perfect'', '' Saturday Kitchen'', and ''

The One Show ''The One Show'' is a British television magazine and chat show programme. Broadcast live on BBC One weeknights at 7:00 pm, it features topical stories and studio guests. It is currently co-hosted by Alex Jones, Jermaine Jenas, and Rona ...

''. He is a regular judge and mentor for MasterChef Professionals and Also a veteran Judge on Great British Menu. Along with other celebrity chefs, he attends the ''BBC Good Food Shows'', ''Autumn Fair'', ''Heart of England Fine Foods'', ''Food & Drink Expo'', ''

Taste festivals Taste Festivals is a company which runs a series of food festivals around the world. As of 2012, these have taken place in fifteen cities. The events typically have the prefix "Taste of", although the company also runs The World Restaurant Awards. ...

'', ''Grand Design LIVE'' and Sharon Osbourne's '' Mrs. Osbourne Presents''. Until 2017 Islam co-owned Indian restaurants; Lasan, Lasan Eatery (now known as Raja Monkey), Nosh and Quaff, and Argentinian restaurant Fiesta Del Asado. Islam has also attended a reception at Buckingham Palace, invited by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

and

Prince Philip Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from El ...

for his contribution to the British hospitality industry. Islam was selected by Marketing Birmingham to represent the city in their Birmingham Bites campaign. He left the Lasan Group in 2017 to work on his new, flagship project, Opheem which opened May 2018 and was awarded a Michelin Star in October 2019 making Opheem the first and only Michelin starred Indian restaurant outside of London. Legna was launched in winter 2018. He launched Pulperia in Brindley Place Birmingham in March 2020 and in due to launch another restaurant in Edgbaston Birmingham in 2021. Aktar at Home was launched in spring 2020 as a response to the national lockdown, this service has been praised by the Michelin starred chef community, has garnered support and praise from national press and the general public.

Awards

In 2010, Aktar won 'Best Local Restaurant' on Gordon Ramsay's The F Word. in 2019 he also won the biggest fish award In 2011, Aktar came first in the BBC TV Series, The Great British Menu. In May 2012, Aktar was named Birmingham Young Professional of the Year. In October 2019, Aktar Islam became the first British born Bangladeshi Chef to be awarded a Michelin star, and Opheem became the only Michelin starred Indian/Bangladeshi restaurant in the UK outside of London.

Personal life

Islam lives in Birmingham and has a son Alex (born 2007) Islam also supports charities including Birmingham Children's Hospital, NHS Organ Donor Campaign,

Oxfam Oxfam is a British-founded confederation of 21 independent charitable organizations focusing on the alleviation of global poverty, founded in 1942 and led by Oxfam International. History Founded at 17 Broad Street, Oxford, as the Oxford Co ...

and NHS/

Warwick University The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands (county), West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded i ...

Spice for Life campaign. Despite his name, he is not a Muslim.

References

External links

* https://opheem.com/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Islam, Aktar 1980 births Living people English people of Bangladeshi descent English chefs English restaurateurs English businesspeople Chefs of Indian cuisine People from Birmingham, West Midlands 20th-century Bengalis bn:আখতার ইসলাম