Sudbury Mughal Express takeaway chef showcases skills on national stage in Bangladeshi Caterers Association cook-off

A Suffolk chef showcased his culinary skills on the national stage as part of an annual celebration of the best of Bangladeshi cuisine.

Rohel Ahmed Robi, from the Mughal Express takeaway, in Sudbury, competed at the Bangladesh Caterers Association (BCA) Curry Chef of the Year cook-off in London last month.

Rohel, who is executive chef of the Mughal group, which also includes the Mughal Knight restaurant, in Clare, was one of 75 chefs invited to take part in the final at Hammersmith and Fulham College.

Accompanied by Zak Chowdhury, Sunny Chowdhury and Arif Hussain, he was given one hour to create a dish, using a mystery box of ingredients supplied by the BCA.

The team prepared Mughal’s signature sharisha chicken dish for the panel of experienced industry judges.

“It was an honour to compete against some of the finest chefs in our industry,” said Rohel.

“I hope I impressed the judges at the cook-off – the competition was fierce but I really enjoyed showing the panel my skills.”

A statement from Mughal Express takeaway said: “This was a special invitation-only event; where we prepared our signature dish for a special panel of judges to taste.

“It was a great cook-off with fellow restaurateurs and takeaways from the region.”

The finalists are now being short-listed, with the winner set to be announced at the 2024 BCA Awards, taking place at the InterContinental, London, on October 28.

Oli Khan, president of the BCA, which represents 12,000 restaurateurs nationwide, said: “Being able to thrive and grow as an industry means we need to invest in the talent of the next generation of chefs.

“These awards help us to nurture young chefs and give them a platform to showcase their incredible flair and talent.

“The level of cooking was incredible. I’m looking forward to seeing who comes out on top.”