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Suleman Raza
MBE
BornAugust 1980 (age 44)
Rawalpindi, Pakistan
NationalityBritish, Pakistani
Occupation(s)Restaurateur, entrepreneur, chef and activist
Known for
  • Founder of One Million Meals
  • Owner of Spice Village
StylePakistani cuisine
Honours

Suleman Raza MBE (born August 1980) is a British-Pakistani food entrepreneur, restaurateur, and activist.[1][2] He is the founder of One Million Meals, a charitable campaign started in March 2020 from his own restaurant chain using GoFundMe in the UK.[3][4][5] He owned the cricket franchise Mirpur Royals in the Kashmir Premier League.[6][7][8] The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, awarded Raza the Points of Light award in 2021 for the One Million Meals campaign.[9][10][11] The House of Lords awarded Raza with the Local Community Hero for his humanitarian services in London.[12][13][14] He has also been working as the co-chairperson of the UK Pakistan Business Council (UKPBC) to discuss the Pakistani business community concerns with the British prime minister Boris Johnson.[15][16][17]

Early and personal life

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Raza was born in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.[18] He moved to London with his family during the year 2000.[19] Since 2004, Raza has been living in London, running his family business in the restaurant industry.[20][21] He is married and has five children.[22][23]

Career

[edit]

In 2000, Raza and his brother began their career as a chef in a restaurant in Brixton, London.[21] Four years later, they started a restaurant called Spice Village in Tooting, south London.[24][25] By 2021, Raza owned multiple branches of his restaurants and served Pakistani cuisine in south and west London.[26] He also entered into the event business and owned a banquet, Grand Sapphire Hotels.[27][28]

In March 2021, Raza initiated a drive-through in-car dining trend to revive the restaurant and venue business.[29][23][30]

In August 2021, he entered into Pakistani sports as an owner of the Mirpur Royals squad for the KPL.[31][32][33] At the end of the series, Raza celebrated the success of the tournament with his team and congratulated the Kashmiris.[34] Raza left Mirpur Royals after the first season.[35]

Philanthropy

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He has been running the campaign "No One Eats Alone on Christmas Day" annually since 2015 to serve homeless people in Croydon, South London.[36] On 23 November 2019, Raza signed an agreement with the Armed Forces Covenant with Rear Admiral Mike Bath from the Royal Navy to support the British armed forces community through his restaurant business.[37][38] On 1 April 2020, the One Million Meals campaign was launched to serve National Health Service key workers and other vulnerable people in London.[39][40] By May 2021, the One Million Meals managed to serve more than 200 locations and 47 hospitals across UK.[11]

Honours and awards

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In 2021, he received the Points of Light award by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the GG2 Spirit in the Community Award by the Royal Navy for running 'One Million Meals' campaign through his restaurant.[9][41][42][37] On 7 September 2021, he was recognized as the Local Community Hero by the House of Lords for his charity work in London.[14][43][44] By coincidence, Raza was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to business and philanthropy at the same time that his voluntary organisation, Spice Village Uplyft, was awarded the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service (which is equivalent to an MBE) in the 2022 Birthday Honours.[45][46][47][48]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Admin (6 December 2020). "How will 6 muslim entrepreneurs lift the economy post Covid19". British Muslim Magazine. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Pakistani activist starts One Million Meals campaign with David Beckham". Daily Pakistan Global. 7 September 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  3. ^ "Businessmen took on different day jobs to help heroes tackle Covid-19". EasternEye. 15 July 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  4. ^ "'Local Community Hero' and restaurateur recognised for 'One Million Meals' charity campaign". South London News. 17 September 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  5. ^ "One Million Meals". Chris Philp. 22 April 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  6. ^ "Suleman Raza buys Mirpur Royals to promote Mirpur globally". Daily Times. 5 August 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  7. ^ "Suleman Raza pays tribute to Mirpuri culture through Mirpur Royals". Daily Pakistan Global. 6 August 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  8. ^ "Mum's prayers credited for thriller KPL win for Mirpur Royals". BaaghiTV English. 12 August 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  9. ^ a b "One Million Meals". Points of Light. 12 May 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  10. ^ "PM Boris Johnson honours four Pakistanis for humanitarian service". Global Village Space. 21 May 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  11. ^ a b "PM Boris Johnson honours Four Pakistanis on Eid". The Express Tribune. 13 May 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  12. ^ "Spice Village owner & others recognised as 'Local Community Heroes' for charity work". Feed the Lion. 15 September 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  13. ^ "FNB News – Local community hero recognised for one million meals charity campaign". FNB News. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  14. ^ a b "Croydon hotelier wins Local Community Hero award for charity work". Develop Croydon. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  15. ^ "Pakistanis furious over red listing, community members tell Boris Johnson". geo.tv. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  16. ^ "Co-chairman of UKPBC, Suleman Raza writes to PM Boris Johnson". Business Central. 9 August 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  17. ^ "Suleman Raza Suggestion of Vaccination For Restaurant Workers in the UK". Business Central. 2 May 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  18. ^ "Suleman Raza: The 'One Million Meals' campaign founder". geo.tv. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  19. ^ "Pakistani man wins double honours at Queen's Jubilee celebrations". The Express Tribune. 5 June 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  20. ^ Irfan, Anmol (10 September 2020). "David Beckham Lends His Support to 'One Million Meals' Program". ProPakistani.
  21. ^ a b "UK restaurant boss asks fellow businessmen to sell Pakistani cuisine with pride". The News International. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  22. ^ "Businessman gives diners the full restaurant experience from their cars". South London News. 25 March 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  23. ^ a b "Meeting Suleman Raza, the trendsetter in Car Dine-In in the UK". Business Central. 21 April 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  24. ^ "Pakistani UK Restaurant Chain Owner Urges Others To Sell Pakistani Cuisine With Pride!". ZIPit. 9 May 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  25. ^ "Spice Village London – Reviews, Location, Photos". HungryFoody. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  26. ^ "Croydon hotelier wins Local Community Hero award for charity work". InYourArea.co.uk. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  27. ^ O'Connor, Tara (3 July 2020). "How coronavirus is 'killing' one of Croydon's most popular wedding venues". MyLondon. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  28. ^ "Owner speaks out after popular venue is forced to cancel more than 160 weddings". Your Local Guardian. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  29. ^ O'Connor, Tara (22 March 2021). "Croydon restaurant gets round lockdown by serving curry in cars". MyLondon. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  30. ^ mediabest (23 March 2021). "Curry house gets around lockdown by serving curries in cars with incredible invention –". Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  31. ^ "UK businessman buys KPL's Mirpur Royals franchise". The News International. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  32. ^ "Mirpur Royals' Owner Compares Salman Irshad To Malinga". Cricket Holic.PK. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  33. ^ "About Club". Mirpur Royals. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  34. ^ "Mirpur Royals owner congratulates Kashmiris on successful KPL 2021". The News International. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  35. ^ "Season-II of KPL to be more thrilling, entertaining: Abdul Razzaq". Pakistan Today. 14 July 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  36. ^ FtL (20 December 2021). "Spice Village launches annual "no one eats alone" campaign for Christmas holidays". Feed the Lion. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  37. ^ a b "Armed Forces Covenant" (PDF).
  38. ^ "How multi-award winning Spice Village in Croydon is making a difference". Your Local Guardian. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  39. ^ "The brothers providing one million meals for frontline workers". King's College London. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  40. ^ Shahid, Syeda Sadia (22 May 2021). "PM Boris Johnson honours four Pakistanis for 'One Million Meals' campaign". LAbout Pakistan. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  41. ^ "GG2 Leadership & Diversity Awards 2021 – Winners 2020". gg2leadershipawards.co.uk. Asian Media Group. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  42. ^ "UK PM honours four Pakistanis for humanitarian services". The News International. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  43. ^ "Asian Curry Awards Launched at House of Lords". Food4Media. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  44. ^ "'Local Community Hero' And Restaurateur Recognised For 'One Million Meals' Charity Campaign – Todayuknews". 23 August 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  45. ^ "'Queen's Birthday Honours highlight great contribution Asians have made to the UK'". EasternEye. 3 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  46. ^ "Pakistani man wins double honours at Queen's Jubilee celebrations". The Express Tribune. 5 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  47. ^ "Queen's Birthday Honours List – June 2022". Muslim Council of Britain (MCB). 1 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  48. ^ "No. 63720". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 June 2022. p. J11.
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