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A BIOGRAPHY TONY KARIM
Bangladeshi Chef and Hotelier
(June 9, 1961 – Present)
In Bangladeshi Television cooking shows, whenever a celebrity guest chef is called upon, who is popular for his healthy recipes, one of the first names that comes in the minds of cooking show lovers is Tony Khan or Tony Karim. He is considered one of the top-notch, high-profile chefs in Bangladesh. With his cooking skills and recipes, he has not only captured the hearts of Bangladeshi food lovers but also the hearts of foreign foodies. That is why he is an internationally acclaimed chef.
Tony Alal Karim Khan or as commonly known as Tony Khan or Tony Karim was born on 9 June 1961 in Khulna, Bangladesh. He is currently 62 years old. His father, Sarjan Ali Khan, is a shipping businessman and a filmmaker. Tony’s mother, Marium Begum Khan, is a housewife. Tony did not follow his father’s career path and instead chose a field that not many men in our country desire or have the guts to pursue.
He started off his education at Khulna Zilla School in Khulna and studied there till 1975. Then he moved to Dhaka and studied at Shaheed Suhrawardy College till 1977. After that, he went to Singapore and took training as an Apprentice Chef. From there, in 1978, he obtained a major in Economics from Woodlands Marsiling Secondary School. In 1992, he did a second major in human nutrition at the University of Sydney, Australia. Finally, in 1998, he studied Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.
At first, he started his career as an apprentice chef and later as Chef de Partie from 1978 to 1982 in the Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore. Then in 1982, as a Sous Chef, he joined Voyages Ayers Rock Resort, in Australia. From 1994 to 1999, he served as the Executive Chef and Food and Beverages developer on board the Carnival Cruise Line in Miami, USA. He then went to Saudi Arabia and joined the Hyatt Regency. There, from March 2003 to August 2006, as Executive Chef, he worked at different hotels. In September 2006, he returned to Bangladesh and joined Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel, Dhaka as Executive Chef and Food and Beverages. As Executive Chef and Manager of the Food and Beverages Administration, from 2009 to 2012, Tony worked at The Westin, Dhaka. Since May 2013., till now, he has currently working at Grand Sultan Tea Resort and Golf, Sreemangal, as a General Manager, Director of Food and Beverages, and Executive Chef. He is also the founder and serves as the President of the Bangladesh Chef’s Association. Furthermore, he is a member and thus still now serves for many international cooking associations like the Australasian Guild Of Professional Cooks, Chef’s Association of Pakistan, Industry Skills Council, and City and Guilds.
Besides working for himself, he likes to teach cooking to others too. He hosts and comes as a celebrity guest chef in different Bangladeshi cooking shows. Also, since 2015, his culinary institute, Tony Khan’s Culinary Institute, he taught amateur chefs to become internationally trained in the hotel industry.
In 1989, Tony contributed by helping intellectually disabled persons attain full-time restaurant jobs in Nunawading, Australia.
The internationally acclaimed chef Tony has won many awards and has global achievements.
In 1998, he was one of the “10 Best Chefs in the World”. In 1991, he was awarded the “Chef of The Year” by the South Pacific Tourism Board, Papua New Guinea. On 12 March 2020, Tony was honored with a “Special Recognition Award” at the House of Commons in London, England. He has been selected as the speaker for the South Asian Association for Gastronomy (SAAG).
Life of “Tony Karim” at a glance:
Real Name: Tony Alal Karim Khan
Birth Date: June 9, 1961
Age: 62
Birth Place: Khulna, the then East Pakistan, presently Bangladesh
Father’s Name: Sarjan Ali Khan
Mother’s Name: Marium Begum Khan
Education:
➢ Khulna Zilla School➢ Shaheed Suhrawardy College, Dhaka
➢ Major in Economics, Woodlands Marsiling Secondary School, Singapore, in 1978
➢ Major in Human Nutrition, University of Sydney, Australia, in 1992
➢ Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP), RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia, in 1998
Professions:
➢ Apprentice chef and later Chef de Partie, Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore, from 1978 to 1982
➢ Sous Chef, Voyages Ayers Rock Resort, Queensland, Australia, in 1982
➢ Executive Chef and Food and Beverages developer, Carnival Cruise Line, Miami, United States of America, from 1994 to 1999
➢ Hyatt Regency, Saudi Arabia
➢ Executive Chef and Food and Beverages, Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel, Dhaka, in 2006
➢ Executive Chef and Food and Beverage Manager, The Westin Dhaka, from 2009 to 2012
➢ General Manager, Director of Food and Beverages and Executive Chef, Grand Sultan Tea Resort and Golf, Sreemangal, Sylhet, since 2013
➢ Teacher, Tony Karim’s Culinary Institute, since April 2015
➢ Judge, culinary competitions like The Malaysian Palm Oil Shera Chef in 2011, Curry Chef Awards in 2015, Youth Tourism Skills Competition in 2015, and Nando’s Master Grillers’ Challenge in 2015
➢ Founding Member and President, Bangladesh Chef’s Association
Religion: Muslim
Nationality: Bangladeshi
Awards and Achievements:
➢ One of the “10 Best Chefs in the World”, in 1998
➢ “Chef of The Year” by South Pacific Tourism Board, Papua New Guinea, in 1991
➢ Special Recognition award, House of Commons, London, the UK, On 12 March 2020
➢ External Verifier, City and Guilds, the UK, since 2015
➢ Member, Australasian Guild Of Professional Cooks since 1986.
➢ Honorary Vice President, Chef’s Association of Pakistan
➢ Member, Industry Skills Council
➢ Speaker, South Asian Association for Gastronomy (SAAG)
Early Life
The globally recognized Bangladeshi chef Tony Alal Karim Khan, or shortly called Tony Khan or Tony Karim was born on 9 June 1961 in Khulna, the then East Pakistan, which is now Bangladesh. He belongs to a Muslim family. His father’s name is Sarjan Ali Khan, who is a shipping businessman and filmmaker. It is interesting to see that Tony did not follow his father’s footsteps to build his career later in his life. Tony’s mother’s name is Marium Begum Khan, who is a housewife.
Tony spent his childhood in Khulna. From there he started his primary education and later moved to Dhaka for further education and building a career.
Education
Tony Khan is not only a person who knows cooking but also quite a scholarly person who knows about different essential fields of life needed to live healthy and properly.
At first, he completed his primary education from Khulna district. He studied in Khulna Zilla School till 1975, that is till his SSC examinations. Then, for a better college education and completing his HSC examinations, he moved to Dhaka. For 2 years, till 1977, he studied in Shaheed Suhrawardy College. After passing from there, he left Bangladesh for Singapore to take training as an Apprentice Chef. Simultaneously, alongside the training, he obtained more academic degrees. He did a major in Economics, in 1978, from Woodlands Marsiling Secondary School, Singapore. After this, though he got busy with his career, he had a passion to study more. So, in 1992, he did a second major in human nutrition from the University of Sydney, Australia. In 1982, he went to Australia for his job. Finally, in 1998, he attended the RMIT University, in Melbourne, Australia to study Hazard analysis and critical control points(HACCP). This is a systematic preventive approach to food safety from biological, chemical, and physical hazards in production processes that can cause the finished product to be unsafe and designs measures to reduce these risks to a safe level. Therefore, we can see Tony Khan not only knows how to cook different foods, but also knows how to maintain safety, and reduce risks from foods. Not all chefs know such an important element of life. This is why Tony Khan’s recipes are popular among the especially health conscious people.
Career
He began his career by working as an apprentice chef at the Shangri-La Hotel, in Singapore as soon as he arrived there for the training purpose. It is a luxurious and high rated hotel there. From 1978 to 1982, he held the position of Chef de Partie, in the same hotel, and gained experiences as a chef and kitchen manager. After that, in 1982, he left for Australia and started working as a Sous Chef at the Sheraton Ayers Rock Hotel, which is now called Voyages Ayers Rock Resort. It is situated in Queensland. Later, from 1994 to 1999, he worked for a cruise company as an Executive Chef and Food and Beverage Developer on board the Carnival Cruise Line in Miami, Florida, the USA. Then he set out to join Hyatt Regency, located in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He oversaw and worked as anExecutive Chef at 10 different five-star rated hotels between March 2003 and August 2006, in addition to offering corporate support and assistance at the Marriott and Intercontinental Hotels. In September 2006, he returned to his own motherland, Bangladesh and started working as an Executive Chef and Food and Beverage Manager at the Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel in Dhaka. After that, he worked as an Executive Chef at The Westin, Dhaka of Starwood Hotels in 2009, and there he managed the food and beverage administration until 2012. Currently, since May 2013, he has been employed at the Grand Sultan Tea Resort and Golf, Sreemangal, Sylhet, where he serves as the Executive Chef, Director of food and beverages. Additionally, he works there as a General Manager.
Not only does he work only in the kitchen or behind the camera, he is quite a common face for the media. He has come for different Bangladeshi Tv channels to judge in several culinary shows. He has judged the 2015 Nando’s Master Grillers’ Challenge, the Malaysian Palm Oil Shera Chef, the 2015 Curry Chef Awards, and the 2015 Youth Tourism Skills Competition.
He also comes as celebrity guest chef for different Bangladeshi television cooking shows. The dishes shown by him helps Bangladeshi food lovers to get familiar with the western dishes as well as to be aware of the benefits of eating healthy yet delicious foods.
Contributions:
In 1989, when Tony Khan was working in Australia, he played a significant role in the lives of intellectually disabled persons by aiding them to attain full-time restaurant jobs in one of the Australian cities named Nunawading.
He has helped people by giving out his recipes in books such as Cancer Society, Eat and Enjoy, and Restaurant Secrets.
Tony did not forget to help his countrymen. That is why, in April 2015, he established his culinary institute naming it Tony Karim’s Culinary Institute. From there, he teaches amateur chefs who aspire to become internationally trained in the hotel industry. Many people got jobs at different top-rated hotels both in Bangladesh and internationally after taking training from his institute.
Awards and Achievements:
Tony is globally well-known for his eclectic cuisine. His cooking philosophy is reported to be centered around preparing healthy and nutritious meals. That is why in 1998, he was named as one of the “10 Best Chefs in the World” according to a report by the Bangladeshi newspaper The Daily Star. Furthermore, in 1991, he was awarded the “Chef of The Year” by the South Pacific Tourism Board, Papua New Guinea. Recently, on 12 March 2020, Tony was honored with a “Special Recognition Award” at the House of Commons in London, England. The award was given by the Asian Catering Federation Chairman, Mr. Yawar Khan during the launch of the Asian Restaurant Awards and Asian Curry Award.
Besides these official awards, Tony has numerous other international achievements. In 1986, he was selected as a full member of the Australasian Guild Of Professional Cooks and since then he has been serving there. He is also considered a member as well as Honorary Vice President of the Chef’s Association of Pakistan. He has been given membership of the Industry Skills Council, which is funded by the International Labor Organization (ILO) and operated by the National Skills Development Council (NSDC), Prime Minister’s office, Government of the People Republic of Bangladesh. He has been selected as the speaker for the South Asian Association for Gastronomy (SAAG). Lastly, he has been appointed and certified by the ILO as the External Verifier for City and Guilds. This is an educational organization in the United Kingdom.
Conclusion:
Tony Khan is one of the prides of Bangladesh. With his excellent cooking skills and knowledge, as well as his kindness and passion to help others, he has been representing Bangladesh to the world. He brings forward the Bangladeshi cuisines and dishes to the western food lovers. Also, he teaches and makes general people aware of the food safety, and nutritious value. We are lucky to have such an internationally recognized person who belongs from Bangladesh.
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