About us

IQBAL WAHHAB  OBE, Founder

Iqbal Wahhab was born in Bangladesh and came to Britain at the age of eight months. He was educated in London and is a graduate of the London School of Economics. After working as a journalist in the national press for three years, in 1991 he set up his own PR firm which specialised in food, drink and restaurants and then in 1994 he launched Tandoori Magazine.

He sold out of the magazine to launch the multi award winning Cinnamon Club in 2001 - a restaurant and bar aimed to change the way we view Indian dining. In 2003 he co-authored The Cinnamon Club Cookbook and in 2005 opened Roast.

A series of new commercial projects are soon to be launched.
 
Iqbal is chair of the Government's Ethnic Minority Advisory Group set up to discuss ways to reduce ethnic minority unemployment levels and sits on a Task Force with six ministers to formulate policies to this end.
 
Patron, Concern Worldwide www.concern.org.uk

Chair of Advisory Board of The Quilliam Foundation http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/

Chair, The Mayor's Fund for London Business Club

Visiting Professor, London Metropolitan University Business School
 
Arts: 
 
Ambassador, Rivington Place http://www.rivingtonplace.org/ 
 
Advisor, The Delfina Foundation http://www.delfinafoundation.com/ 
 
Board Memberships: 
 
The Prince's Mosaic
http://www.bitc.org.uk/princes_programmes/mosaic/ 
 
Race for Opportunity - Business in the Community
http://www.bitc.org.uk/workplace/diversity_and_inclusion/race/
 
Bright Ideas Trust http://www.brightideastrust.com/ 

The Mayor's Fund for London http://www.mayorsfundforlondon.org.uk/ 

Awards
 
Businessman of the Year 2008, The Drinks Business
 
Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration, University of East London
 
Voted Restaurant Personality of the Year by Menu Magazine 
 
Voted one of the Top 10 Restaurateurs in Britain in an Independent on Sunday survey 

Retailer of the Year, Pig and Poultry Marketing awards 2009

Director of the Month January 2010, The Director magazine

Entrepreneur of the Year, Muslim News Awards 2010
 

"Iqbal is a restaurateur par excellence, combining a passion for food with an art for communication, fine attention to detail and sound commercial acumen." Mark Price Managing Director of Waitrose on waitrose.com 
 
"National Treasure" - The Times

Iqbal received an OBE in the 2010 New Years Honours list for public service and services to the hospitality industry

LAWRENCE KEOGH, Head Cook 
 
Our head cook is Lawrence Keogh, formerly of The Avenue, The Goring, Kensington Place and The Ritz. Lawrence regularly appears on television food programmes such as Masterchef and Saturday Kitchen.
 
He is the author of Food For Life - a renal dietician cookbook for which all proceeds went to the National Kidney Foundation.  
 
 
SERGEI GUBARS, General Manager
 
Our General Manager is Sergei Gubars, formerly of The Cinnamon Club. Sergei is also our head wine buyer and Roast has a Notable Wine List award from the AA.

ESTHER MEDINA, Bar Manager

Esther Medina has taken Roast Bar back to its roots.

Esther Medina Cuesta arrived to London from Spain 7 years ago.

As a teacher (a skill she has discovered you never lose!) who couldn't speak fluent English, she found herself working at Bar Madrid.

Realising the potential for career bartending as a serious profession, she started studying both the arts and sciences of the bar by earning positions at some of London's most revered establishments. Starting at LAB in Soho, she moved to manage the Whisky bar Albannach on Trafalgar Square before returning to Soho and earning yet more stripes at the world famous bars The Player, Milk & Honey and head bartending at the infamous Ronnie Scott's.

Today, with her wealth of experience, she is one of the most respected and appreciated personalities in the trade.

From Esther:

I believe in Professor Jerry Thomas' first aim for an efficient bartender: 'please the guest'.

The origins of alcohol take us to its medicinal and social roots. When I mix, I choose ingredients that will be beneficial for the drinker by being: seasonal, fresh and home made. These are the key words for my concoctions. However, we should all know that it's not just the drink but the whole experience. It's about the pleasure of discerning drinking and it's here at Roast that I found the perfect environment to develop my style of this noble craft.