City needs a college for curries, say chiefs

That's the message from Bradford's Asian restaurants concerned at a shortage of chefs at the city's 200-plus curry eateries.

Fazal Hussain, leader of TAARO, the Trade Association of Asian Restaurant Owners, is writing to the Department of Education and Employment to open a curry college in the city.

He said: "There are 10,000 Asian restaurants in the UK and the industry is worth £6 billion a year but in Bradford our restaurants are having difficulty finding chefs.

"We have about 210 restaurants of all sizes and about 80 are in TAARO. The restaurants are growing in number and in size but the number of chefs is staying the same. It is more difficult to bring chefs in from overseas so all we can do is train the people we have got."

There are some 1,000 chefs in the city's Asian food businesses. The move follows the Aagrah restaurant's decision to open a chef training centre at the former Willowfield School in Legrams Lane, Bradford.

It will be offering training to its 100 staff as well as unemployed, enthusiastic people with ambition to be chefs.

Managing director Mohammed Aslam said: "In Bradford there is a lot of talent. Every family has a speciality and we want to create an atmosphere where they can relax, put their ideas across and get paid for it."

The National Faith Millennium Experience will also be offering training in Asian catering in its top-floor restaurant, when the visitor attraction opens at St Peter's House, in front of Bradford Cathedral, in Easter 2000.

But Mr Hussain said the efforts have his support but more needs to be done.

"It's a good start. But we need an independent college, like Bradford & Ilkley College which will be run forever."

A Bradford & Ilkley Community College spokesman said there were many Asian students learning other types of cookery, but no courses running primarily to teach Asian cuisine.

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