Latest news with #AnisaKhan
South Wales Guardian
02-08-2025
- Business
- South Wales Guardian
Ammanford Indian restaurant wins prestigious national award
My Indian on 19-21 Wind Street was named the winner at the 2025 Prestige Awards. The award comes after My Indian was named in the Top 100 Asian Restaurants in the United Kingdom, an accolade presented at The House of Lords, Westminster Palace by 2025 Apprentice finalist, Anisa Khan. The restaurant was named in the Top 100 Asian Restaurants in the UK. (Image: My Indian) A spokesperson for My Indian said: 'It's a high honour. We are very happy. It's a very big achievement. It's only been around a year since we first opened. 'We are a family-run restaurant, and it makes us feel extra proud to win this award together and be crowned the best Indian Restaurant of the Year. It's a great achievement. 'We are lost for words. Everyone has been highly supportive. We are so chuffed and excited. The support and feedback from the Ammanford community has been outstanding. 'It feels good to give back to the community. We are proud to represent Ammanford and Wales with this award. We work as a family, we live as a family, and we achieve as a family.' My Indian was previously awarded best Newcomer of the Year at the 2024 Asian Curry Awards after attending a ceremony held at Grosvenor Hotel in London. The restaurant has 29 reviews on Facebook and a recommendation ratio of 100%. A review from this month (July 2025) said: 'Beautiful food and amazing service. Staff are so friendly, kind and can't do enough for you. The food was absolutely delicious. Will definitely be going again!' Another review from last month (June 20250 added: 'Amazing and the family, are lovely and attentive and friendly. 'The food is outstanding, and the service is impeccable. I Thoroughly recommend dining in this establishment you certainly won't be disappointed. 'We were a party of 13, and food was served promptly even though they were busy. Highly recommend trying here, you won't be disappointed, it's fantastic.' My Indian also currently has 87 reviews on Tripadvisor and an average rating of 4.8 stars out of five. Apart from Tripadvisor and Facebook, the South Wales Guardian tried My Indian and wrote a review about the restaurant.
Entrepreneur
13-05-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Spice Meets Slice
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. You're reading Entrepreneur United Kingdom, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. When Anisa Khan stepped into the boardroom of The Apprentice, few could have predicted that her Bombay-inspired pizza brand would make it all the way to the final - let alone resonate so widely beyond the show. A second-place finish, it turns out, was just the beginning. "I grew up surrounded by vibrant Indian food, and it's always been a huge part of my identity," Khan says. "At the same time, pizza is such a universally loved comfort food. The idea of bringing those two worlds together came from wanting to create something that felt familiar yet exciting." That hybrid ethos - pairing paneer with mozzarella, tikka with tomato sauce - has captured imaginations and appetites across the UK. Step forward Bomay Pizza. Yet it wasn't just a matter of mashing flavours together. "When it comes to combinations, I think about Indian dishes people already love, then test how those flavours translate on a pizza base. It's all about balance - spice, texture, richness - and making sure it still feels like a pizza." But after the cameras stopped rolling, real life took over. A surge in orders, press attention, and curious customers meant the business faced its first real test. "Surviving, definitely," Khan says when asked which came first - scaling or surviving. "The attention was overwhelming in the best way, but it also came with a lot of pressure. My priority was to make sure every customer had a good experience and that the product quality never slipped." It's the kind of response you'd expect from someone used to tight deadlines and public scrutiny, but Khan is quick to acknowledge the deeper lesson of translating a viral moment into long-term viability. "A trend can open doors, but it won't keep the lights on," she says. "I've learned that consistency, operational systems, and understanding your numbers are just as important as the buzz." For many entrepreneurs of colour, authenticity often becomes a battleground - something to be preserved, negotiated, and, at times, defended. Khan approaches it with a quiet clarity. "For me, authenticity comes from staying rooted in my cultural background and being intentional with storytelling," she says. "Every flavour has a story, and I try to bring that through in everything - from the names of the pizzas to the way we present the brand. At the same time, I want the food to be accessible. I'm not just speaking to one community - I want everyone to feel welcome and curious to try something new." That spirit of openness, matched with resilience, may be her strongest asset - sharpened, unexpectedly, during her time on the show. "It taught me how to think on my feet and pitch under pressure - skills I use daily now. But more than that, it gave me a thick skin. Being in the public eye can be tough, and not everyone will see your vision, but I've learnt to stay grounded and focused on the long term." From a television set to supper tables across the country, Khan's Bombay Pizza isn't just a food trend. It's a cultural conversation - served hot.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Why The Apprentice films two endings and what it means for finalists
The Apprentice has two filmed endings for the final of the 2025 series but there can only be one winner. Pizza entrepreneur Anisa Khan is going up against air conditioner businessman Dean Franklin in the final. Lord Alan Sugar makes the final decision on who he would like to be his latest business partner, offering them the £250,000 investment prize money. His decision is based on the final task, the boardroom and their overall performance in the series. Of making the final, Khan has said on her Instagram: "I grew up thinking I'd always have a corporate career. Coming from an academic background, it felt like the 'right' path. And I did it — but I realised what I really wanted was freedom, flexibility, and to build something of my own. "One of my biggest life goals has always been to become a mother (iA). I don't have kids yet, but I think about them all the time. The reason I'm working so hard on my business now is because I want to create a life where I can be present for them. I want to be a rich, flexible mum who's built her own empire — not just for herself, but for her family too. My 20s are for planting the seeds, so I can reap the benefits later. That's the dream — and I'm chasing it every day." Meanwhile, Franklin said on Instagram: "Wow!! Can finally say i have made it to the Final 2. What an emotional rollercoaster of a journey, you have seen me Laugh, cry, stumble on my words, make some pizzas, catwalk in a fish costume, make some bangin sauce, flog some scunchbums, make a easter log and mess up a kids banking app and you know what i wouldn't change any of it!!" While Lord Sugar makes the decision on the final day of filming after the boardroom meeting, it is kept a secret from the rest of the production team and the finalists themselves. Not even his close aides Tim Campbell and Baroness Karren Brady know about the winner until it's coming up to transmission. Instead two endings are filmed to ensure that the identity of the winner remains a secret until The Apprentice airs, according to BBC's website. This year's finalists told Yahoo UK that they were informed of the decision on the day of filming You're Hired — that is a week before the finale airs. The Apprentice line-up included a hair transplant consultant and a pizza company owner. (BBC) Although BBC films two endings, Baronness Brady puts the show's success down to its authenticity. She said at a press Q&A: "This show is great, and I hope you will forgive me for saying because, Alan, he's done it, he's been successful, he's honest, he's straight to the point, he's candid, he's unscripted and he's authentic. "And I think people really like that. Lots of people have tried to recreate the show, do a business show, and have completely failed, and this show continues to go from strength to strength." Former The Apprentice 2023 winner Marnie Swindells — who is Lord Sugar's business partner for Bronx Boxing Club — told Yahoo UK this year of filming two endings: "I don't know how much I can give away... But there is an element of surprise where we don't know [who has won] until a little bit later." However, the businesswoman did share her feelings on finding out she was the winner after months of waiting. She elaborated: "I was absolutely adamant I would have put money on it that I hadn't won the show. When I found out I had, I was floored by it. "I thought in the final boardroom that edit was quite kind to me but in reality, he gave me such a hard time and I thought I've really thrown it away at the last hurdle." The 2024 finalist Phil Turner, who lost out to Rachel Woolford's gym business, revealed it was exciting waiting to find out who had won the process. He said on Instagram stories last year: "We don't know who has won until you guys know. This is pretty common knowledge so I don't think I'm giving anything away here. "So basically there's two endings filmed. Nobody knows. The only person who knows who has won is Lord Sugar. I assume they just put whoever's won on the end. We'll find out who's won pretty much at the same time as you guys, which is really exciting." Also the 2022 finalist Kathryn Burn, who lost out on the £250,000 investment to Harpreet Kaur, revealed her own theory on why two endings are filmed. She told The Sun last year: "I think he likes to go away and have a look at the business plans in detail so he's not being rushed... It's a lot of money to be investing in a business and he needs to make the right decision, so I don't think he does it that quickly." The pyjamas guru said: "I knew I hadn't won a week before it was aired. But I was genuinely happy for Harpreet. It was weird not knowing whether I had won or not but even getting to the final felt like a win-win." Yahoo UK has reached out to representatives for The Apprentice. The Apprentice finishes at 9pm on Thursday on BBC One.
