Tony Singh (chef)

Singh was born in Leith to a second-generation Scottish Sikh family. While he was growing up, his father, Baldev Singh Kusbia, became one of the first Sikh lorry drivers in Scotland, while Singh's mother looked after their family home. As a youngster, Singh shared his home not only with his three siblings (two brothers and one sister) but with his aunts, uncles, grandmother and great grandmother. Singh was educated at Lorne Street Primary, then Leith Academy Secondary School, before moving on to Telford College at 16 where he earned an OND in Hotel Management. During his time at college, Singh also enrolled himself in a Youth Training Scheme where he earned an equivalent to City and Guilds 7061 and 7062 qualifications in Professional Cookery. == Career ==

After training at Telford College, he worked in restaurants in Britain, including the Balmoral Hotel, Gravetye Manor, The Royal Scotsman train, Greywalls Hotel, the Royal Yacht , and Skibo Castle. In 2001 Singh became the Chef Patron at "Oloroso", a rooftop bar and restaurant on Castle Street, Edinburgh. Singh was the former owner of "Roti" in 2005, an Indian restaurant in Scotland, and, in 2014, Singh released his own solo book Tasty. In 2015, Singh ran a pop-up restaurant for the Edinburgh Festival at the Apex Grassmarket Hotel which served a range of foods, including haggis pakora. Singh works with schools and colleges throughout Scotland for staff development and training. Singh became a resident feature at the Apex Grassmarket Hotel with his "Tony Singh's Roadtrip", while also opening another pop-up restaurant under its own name in Glasgow, based in the Alea Casino. == Awards and honours ==

Singh is known for his contemporary Scottish cooking, which combines his love of local Scottish produce with influences and additions from around the world. He is a member of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts, the Master Chefs of Great Britain, and the Craft Guild of Chefs. He has also received several awards including the Drambuie Chefs Association Best New Restaurant of the Year, Scottish Chefs Award Scottish Chef of the Year and SLTN Best Restaurant catering in Scotland Chef of the Year. In December 2016, he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by the Queen for his services to the Food and Drink Industry. == Charity work ==

Singh has supported and worked closely with the charities Sick Kids Edinburgh, Macmillan Cancer Support, the Scottish Blood Transfusion Service, Food Train, Scotland's Charity Air Ambulance, Water Aid, St. Columbus Hospice, and the Back-Up Trust. In 2015, he was a presenter on ''RBS – Finding Scotland's Real Heroes'', where he visited and spoke about the eventual winners of the Carer of the Year award, East Kilbride & District Dementia Carers Group. == Television ==

Singh first appeared on TV as a competitor in ITV's Chef of the Year in 2000, which he also won. He was also featured on Ready Steady Cook with James Martin in June 2008. Afterwards, he appeared in Series 3 of the BBC's Great British Menu which then lead to his reappearance in Series 5, 6 and 8. In 2013, Singh partnered with Cyrus Todiwala to present their own cookery show on BBC Two called The Incredible Spice Men. Singh was later featured in food and personality shows around the UK, including The One Show, ''The Paul O'Grady Show, Countryfile and Celebrity Mastermind as well as appearing on Radio Scotland, Radio 1, Radio 4 and BBC Radio Asia. In 2015 Singh and Todiwala paired up again and appeared on the Celebrity edition of the quiz show Pointless''. In the same year, Singh then starred as one of the chefs on BBC Two's A Cook Abroad. In that, Singh went to India during Diwali, where he presented traditional food in the Punjab and explored his Indian heritage. In September 2018, he appeared on the CBBC documentary Our School (TV series) as a guest head judge for the bake-off. In 2021, Singh appeared as a special guest on the show ‘Men in Kilts: A Road Trip with Sam and Graham’, starring Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish from the show Outlander. On ‘Men in Kilts’, Singh prepared a seafood dish for Sam and Graham, with his unique signature fusion of Scottish and Asian flavours. In 2022, he was on Series 2 of Cooking with the Stars. == Books ==

• (with Cyrus Todiwala) • ==References==