A man who came to Nottingham from the Himalayas has been appointed the head chef of Nottingham's new Island Quarter fine dining restaurant Cleaver and Wake. Hira Lal Thakur, who appeared on MasterChef: The Professionals in 2020, moved to the UK in 2013.
It was growing up in a remote village north of Shimla that Hira developed a passion for food. He picked apples from the family orchards and was taught to cook by his mother. When he arrived in the UK, he enrolled at NCN College where he received the student of the year award and completed his professional chef diploma, equipping him with essential skills, knowledge and qualifications.
He has worked at some of Nottingham's top restaurants including The Cumin, Chino Latino, World Service, Restaurant Six - alongside Tom Sellers who has two Michelin stars to his name. It was at the Old Vol, in Caythorpe, where Hira achieved his first head chef role. When restrictions allowed, during lockdown, the talented chef ran a fine dining takeaway service and a private dining experience from home.
