Tony Singh

Rajinder Tony Singh Kusbia

Rajinder Tony Singh Kusbia, also known as Tony Singh, was born in Edinburgh in 1971. His grandfather was among the first members of his family to migrate to Britain in 1948, following the partition of India. Soon after, Tony’s father, Baldev Singh, arrived on 19 March 1956. Father and son worked together as pedlars in Edinburgh. However, at age 17, after his father's sudden and tragic death, Baldev took on as much work as possible as a driver of lorries and buses to support his family. Tony grew up in the working-class area of Leith with his parents, two brothers and sister, as well as extended family. His aunt is Trishna Singh, the founder of Sikh Sanjog, whose grandfather co-founded Scotland's first gurdwara.

In an interview with Kushwant Singh for the project ‘The Global Sikh Trail’, Tony Singh credited his culinary skills to cooking langar for gurdwara functions, as well as events in his home. Working in his own family kitchen inspired Singh to pursue a more formal culinary education.

Singh’s first formal experience of the food sector was on a Youth Training Scheme (YTS) with the brewery Scottish & Newcastle, aged 16. The YTS, which was introduced by Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government in 1983, was one of the few ways Singh could acquire formal culinary skills given the high rates of youth unemployment across Britain. Moreover, as a Sikh man who presented with a turban in the 1970s, it was generally very difficult to secure formal waged work. Singh subsequently attended Telford College, where he obtained qualifications in cookery.

Singh began his career specializing in French cuisine. His early experiences included securing prestigious positions at the Balmoral Hotel, the Royal Scotsman and Royal Yacht Britannia, where he was head chef. In 2000 he won ITV Chef of the Year, which marked his first television appearance. He subsequently owned several restaurants. His first flagship restaurant was Oloroso, followed by establishments including Roti and Tony’s Table.

In 2013 Singh co-hosted the BBC show The Incredible Spice Men, with Indian Parsee chef Cyrus Todiwala. The show, from which a cookbook was produced in 2013, intersected British and Indian cuisine. In 2014 Singh published a self-authored cookbook titled Tasty. In 2015 he hosted an episode of A Cook Abroad, in which he explored the connections between his Sikh faith and Punjabi food. Singh has also made several appearances on various popular television shows.

In 2017 Singh was awarded an MBE for his services to the British food industry.