Dorset Chef and Indian Food Expert Sarah Ali Choudhury recently presented a programme for BBC’s Inside Out highlighting Women in the Curry Industry. The programme featured locally, nationally and was translated and distributed internationally making global news on BBC World News.
Sarah Ali Choudhury took part in a Channel 4 Cookery show where she worked alongside Prue Leith CBE, Michael Caines MBE and Raymond Blanc. She was later awarded New Kid on the Block by The Small Awards where Sue Perkins presented her award.
The Federation of Small Businesses appointed Sarah as the National Lead for Women in Catering. Sarah is Senior President-Elect for Poole Bay Rotary Club and the district leader for equality, diversity and inclusion. She is Executive Director for The Bournemouth Chamber of Trade and Commerce. Sarah is an Independent Advisor to Dorset Police.
Sarah was recognised as ‘The Curry Queen’ by Forbes magazine and is listed in the F:Entrepreneur #ialso100 List for being in the top 100 Female entrepreneurs in the UK. Sarah also received a Recognition Award at The Commandants Parade by The British Armed Forces for her contribution to the catering industry.
Indian and Bangladeshi restaurants and takeaways are under threat with two closings every week in the UK. A lack of skilled kitchen staff is often blamed, and on Inside Out, chef and Industry expert Sarah Ali Choudhury explored the issue.
These restaurants are lacking staff because the government has made it impossible for them to bring experienced workers from abroad, and the government finds the industry an easy target. The catering industry is the third biggest privately owned industry, therefore one of the biggest taxpayers in the UK.
Below, Sarah Ali shares her views with us on the current culinary crisis, for her new upcoming show with the BBC.
WHY ARE THERE STAFF SHORTAGES IN INDIAN RESTAURANTS AND HOW SERIOUS ARE THEY?
There are a few reasons why – one is changes to immigration laws that mean skilled chefs coming from outside the EU need to be earning more than £29,500. Some small family businesses can’t afford that. Another is that younger generations often have their own careers and can’t or don’t want to take it over.
ON INSIDE OUT SOUTH, YOU LOOKED AT WHAT THE SOLUTION COULD BE – WHAT DO YOU THINK IT IS?
These affected restaurants need chefs, second chefs and tandoori chefs. It is being advised that training colleges would sort the staff issue, but the problem is that training to the level that is required will take a lot of time. Systems can and are being put in place for the future to overcome this problem; however, that does not address the problem here and now.
I think a big part of the solution is getting more women into the British Asian catering industry. Only one in five chefs in Britain are female. Those figures aren’t recorded anywhere so while researching for the programme, the Inside Out team rang one hundred Indian restaurants across the South and South West and found that only one EIGHT had female chefs working there.
LESS THAN 10%! WHY DO YOU THINK THERE ARE FEWER WOMEN THEN MEN IN THE INDUSTRY?
As the stats say, professional kitchens are male-dominated, and I think they have been for a long time, and this can put people off. Luckily it hasn’t put my Mum, Helen off, who is head Chef at our own family restaurant. But she says she’s noticed it as well.
AND IS THERE A REASON – YOU THINK – THERE MAY BE EVEN FEWER FEMALE CHEFS IN INDIAN RESTAURANTS SPECIFICALLY?
In my experience, it’s mostly men who work in professional Indian kitchens; women cook in the home. My Dad, Rafique Choudhury, always encouraged the whole family to be involved in the running of our restaurant, hence why my Mum and I are such a big part of the business. When we rang those hundred restaurants, some people they spoke to laughed when they were asked if they had a female chef. I want to change that perception as it’s just not right and could be the answer to the ongoing problem.
