Top chef cooks up property deal for home delivery food business

A top chef will create up to 20 jobs by moving his popular home-delivered food business into new premises in Birmingham.

Aktar Islam owns and operates two top restaurants in the city, Michelin starred Indian venue Opheem, and Argentinian restaurant Pulperia at Brindleyplace, but developed his Aktar at Home company when these venues were closed by COVID-19 restrictions.

There has been a surge for traditional home-cooking from top chefs during the lockdown, and while Aktar at Home currently operates from his restaurants he needed to find new space for when they reopened.

The food preparations for the Aktar At Home service will now be based in a 7,300 sq ft property at 41 New Bartholomew Street in Digbeth, one of Birmingham’s up-and-coming bases for entrepreneurs.

Islam said: “Aktar at Home is my new creation, tested and proven throughout the lockdown, where me and my team create excellent food with the best possible produce that is restaurant quality even after it’s delivered to your home and reheated.

“There’s been a huge demand for Aktar at Home, but more important than that is the fact that it has helped me and my team to support the needy in our local community by continuing to provide hundreds of meals weekly to local charities.

“We’ve been operating the new service from our restaurants, but once they reopen we will need our own space, and this will now give us the chance to create 15 to 20 jobs.

“We will be recruiting from the inner city, from areas that have high unemployment levels, helping some of the city’s disadvantaged people into work.”

Edward Siddall-Jones, director of Siddall Jones, said: “We spoke to Aktar regarding his requirements and immediately identified one of our properties that would be right for his proposed business use.

“After looking around the premises, Aktar quickly agreed terms and the deal was completed within two weeks.

“We’re really pleased to have been of assistance to Aktar. He already runs two of the city’s top restaurants and, despite facing all the challenges that COVID-19 has brought, it’s brilliant to see him still thriving with his new business.”

Legal advice was provided by Cotterhill Hitchman Solicitors.