Shabir Hussain, the celebrity chef known as the “king of curry” who claimed to have invented the “hanging naan”, has died age 56.
Hussain founded a chain of Indian restaurants in the UK and owned dozens of food venues across the north of England, the Midlands and Scotland.
His restaurant, Akbar’s, announced Hussain’s death on its social media on Wednesday and said its establishments would be closed until 5pm on Friday as a result.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Shabir Hussain, founder of Akbar’s Restaurant Group,” the post said. “Please remember Shabir Hussain in your prayers. May Allah (SWT) grant him the highest rank in Jannah and bring peace and strength to his family during this difficult time.”
Hussain first opened a 28-seat restaurant in Bradford in 1995 before expanding to cities across the UK, including Leeds, Sheffield, Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow and Birmingham. He opened his latest restaurant in Blackburn earlier this year.
The chef, who has been described as a “pioneer in the Indian food world”, claimed this year that he had invented the “naan tree”, a vertical metal stand that holds large naans or Asian flatbreads.
Speaking to the CEO Club podcast, Hussain said: “I’m the guy who invented the naan tree – my biggest regret is I could have patented it … It’s actually now used everywhere by everybody.”
The restaurateur said it was initially designed as a “space-saver” that later turned into a “craze”. “People started coming to the restaurant just to see it,” he said.
“The idea was to build a heavy base so it doesn’t fall over, bring it upwards, and in the beginning there was only hooks on one side,” he told the podcast. “Now we put hooks on both sides so you can hang two naans on it.”
The editor of the Asian Standard, Fatima Patel, described Hussain as a “generous and soft human being”.
Speaking to the BBC, Patel said: “He revolutionised the curry industry when he went into it, he created lots of new ways to present curry, not just to the non-Asian community but to the Asian community as well.”
Referencing Hussain’s innovative way of serving naan, Patel added: “It was a wow factor when you sat down for your curry and this giant naan arrived, and then obviously lots of other restaurants copied that concept.
“It was a remarkable vision he had, not just as someone who was able to produce amazing food, but that marketing and entrepreneurial spirit he just had a knack for.”
The Labour MP for Bradford West, Naz Shah, said she was “deeply saddened” by the culinary star’s passing. Posting on X, she said: “A huge loss to his family and the world of business, not just in Bradford but across the UK as his brand reached many cities. His entrepreneurial triumph was exporting the best of Bradford’s curry scene throughout the country.”
