A Moray restauranteur’s lifetime in catering was marked at the Scottish Curry Awards this week.
Liaqat Ali opened the Qismat tandoori restaurant on Elgin’s High Street in 1987, and since then the eatery has gone on to become a local institution.
His story curried favour with judges and on Monday, he received a lifetime achievement award at the national ceremony in Glasgow.
Mr Ali, who picked up the cut glass statuette on the eve of his 56th birthday, said the honour came as a surprise to him.
He said: “I had no idea I would be getting it, I think they told my son just to make sure I was there.
“There were 500 people at the ceremony, and when I realised I would have to make an acceptance speech I was very nervous. My face went bright red.
“I just thanked everybody who decided to give me the award and those who made it such a good evening.
“I’m really chuffed that my years at Qismat have been recognised. I’ve been in Elgin for 27 years and I still love it here.”
Originally from Faisalbad in Pakistan, Mr Ali joined his father in Scotland in 1978 when he was 19.
He first got into cooking at Shalimar Indian restaurant in Glasgow, where he was promoted to head chef within a year.
He worked there for four years before opening his own establishment in Saltcoats.
After selling that diner, he moved to Elgin and opened Qismat with brothers Shaukat and Mubarik.
However, Shaukat was killed in a road accident while visiting family in Pakistan in 2004. The 38-year-old, who was known as ‘Shauky’, was well-liked in the local community.
Mr Ali now runs Qismat with his son Atif.
Despite receiving recognition for a lifetime in the industry, Mr Ali said he has no plans to retire in the foreseeable future.