Iqbal Wahab

Iqbal Wahab, OBE (Order of the British Empire) -

Founder of the Tandoori Magazine

Businessman of the Year 2008, The Drinks Business

Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration, University of East London

Voted Restaurant Personality of the Year by Menu Magazine

Voted one of the Top 10 Restaurateurs in Britain in an Independent on Sunday survey

Retailer of the Year, Pig and Poultry Marketing awards 2009

Director of the Month January 2010, The Director magazine

Entrepreneur of the Year, Muslim News Awards 2010

Chair of the Government’s Ethnic Minority Advisory Group set up to discuss ways to reduce ethnic minority unemployment levels and sits on a Task Force with six ministers to formulate policies to this end

Chair, The Mayor’s Fund for London Business Club

Visiting Professor, London Metropolitan University Business School

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And there is so much more to him!!!!

So, who is Iqbal Wahab?????

Iqbal Wahhab, OBE is a Bangladeshi-born British businessman. Wahhab was born in East Pakistan, (now Bangladesh) and arrived in the United Kingdom at the age of eight months. He was educated in London and is a graduate of the London School of Economics.

After working as a journalist in the national press for three years, in 1991 he set up his own PR firm which specialised in food, drink and restaurants and then in 1994 he launched Tandoori Magazine.

He sold out of the magazine to launch the multi award winning Cinnamon Club in 2001 – a restaurant aimed to change the way of viewing Indian dining. In 2003 he co-authored The Cinnamon Club Cookbook and in 2005 opened Roast.

From 2012, Wahhab became chair of the Department for Work and Pensions' Ethnic Minority Advisory Group (EMAG), set up to discuss ways to reduce ethnic minority unemployment levels and sat on a Task Force with six ministers to formulate policies to this end. In 2012, he was invited to Gordon Ramsay's Bad Boys Bakery lunch at Brixton Prison.

In 2018 he decided to leave Roast so he could focus on other projects.

“Iqbal is a restaurateur par excellence, combining a passion for food with an art for communication, fine attention to detail and sound commercial acumen.”

Mark Price, Managing Director, Waitrose

“National Treasure”

The Times

Iqbal Wahab has gone through tough times to stand where he is today. He should be an inspiration to every restaurateur here. Unfortunately, not many know about him in the country of his origin.