From Toronto Kitchens to Bangladesh’s Hospitality Scene

For Nayeem Ashraf, becoming a chef was never simply about preparing food. It became a journey of learning, adapting, building businesses, teaching others, and eventually finding a way to contribute to the growth of Bangladesh’s hospitality industry.

His professional journey took shape far from home. When he travelled to Canada for his bachelor’s degree, he entered professional kitchens in Toronto and spent six years gaining hands on experience. Those years gave him more than technical knowledge. They introduced him to the discipline, pressure, teamwork, consistency, and international standards that define professional hospitality.

The experience eventually led him to Malaysia, where he trained at Le Cordon Bleu and later worked at Nobu Kuala Lumpur. Moving between different culinary environments helped him understand that becoming a successful chef requires much more than cooking ability. It requires curiosity, resilience, attention to detail, and the willingness to keep learning.

Today, those lessons are reflected in the way Nayeem approaches his work in Bangladesh.

Returning Home With a Bigger Purpose

After years of international exposure, Nayeem made the decision to return to Bangladesh. Coming home was not simply a career move. It was an opportunity to apply what he had learned abroad to an industry he believed had enormous potential.

Bangladesh has a growing food and hospitality culture, with restaurants, hotels, cafes, culinary businesses, and food entrepreneurs creating new opportunities. But Nayeem saw another important need: stronger professional training and a culture that encourages young people to view culinary careers as serious and rewarding professions.

That belief became an important part of his journey.

Rather than keeping his international experience limited to his own career, he began sharing it through restaurants, education, mentorship, and industry initiatives. His work has increasingly connected the kitchen with a larger purpose, creating opportunities for people who want to build careers in hospitality.

Building Restaurants With Personality and Purpose

One of the most visible parts of Nayeem’s current journey is his work as a restaurant entrepreneur. His focus includes CIAO and NAM, ventures through which he continues to explore food, hospitality, service, and the experience of dining.

CIAO in Banani reflects his belief that a restaurant should offer more than attractive interiors and a menu. The restaurant has been recognised for its Italian inspired food, particularly pizzas and pastas, while Nayeem has also developed a reputation for being closely involved with the guest experience.

That personal involvement says something about his philosophy.

For Nayeem, hospitality is not only what happens behind the kitchen door. It is also the interaction between a restaurant and its guests. It is the attention given to a plate, the consistency of a dish, the way a team communicates, and the feeling a customer takes home after a meal.

His approach shows that entrepreneurship in hospitality is not about stepping away from the kitchen. It can mean staying close to every part of the experience.

Turning Culinary Education Into a Mission

Perhaps the most important part of Nayeem’s work today is his involvement with SHINEE, the School of Hospitality Integrated Education Epicenter.

Founded in 2023, SHINEE was created around the idea that aspiring hospitality professionals need practical education alongside theoretical knowledge. Nayeem serves as Co Founder and Director of Academics, and the institution identifies him as its CEO and Culinary Instructor.

The school offers programmes covering culinary arts, patisserie, hospitality and tourism, along with certificate, diploma and degree pathways. Its curriculum is designed to combine culinary education with practical exposure and a broader understanding of the hospitality industry.

What makes this chapter of Nayeem’s career especially meaningful is the connection between his own journey and the students he teaches.

He knows what it means to learn through professional kitchens. He knows the value of international exposure. He also understands the gap between knowing something in theory and being able to execute it under real kitchen pressure.

That experience shapes his teaching philosophy.

At SHINEE, practical participation is an important part of the learning environment. Students are encouraged to work with functional kitchen stations, prepare food, taste dishes, receive feedback, and improve through hands on practice.

It is an approach that treats culinary education as an active process rather than something learned only from textbooks.

Changing the Perception of Being a Chef

Nayeem’s ambitions extend beyond creating successful restaurants or training technically skilled chefs. He also wants to change the way culinary careers are viewed.

In many societies, becoming a chef has not always received the same recognition as other professional career paths. Nayeem believes that this perception needs to change.

His own career provides a powerful example of what the profession can become.

A chef can be a creator, entrepreneur, educator, mentor, business leader and cultural ambassador at the same time. The kitchen can become a place where creativity meets discipline and where passion can develop into a sustainable profession.

This is one of the reasons mentoring young chefs has become such an important part of his work.

His message is simple: culinary careers deserve respect, investment and proper education.

Learning From Every Kitchen and Every Challenge

Nayeem’s journey also carries a lesson that goes beyond hospitality.

International experience may open doors, but it does not remove the challenges of building something meaningful. Working long hours, adapting to new environments, learning from mistakes and returning home to create a business all require patience.

His philosophy is rooted in continuous learning.

As Nayeem puts it, “Success does not happen overnight. It comes from consistency, patience, and being willing to learn from both failures and successes.”

That mindset has remained central to his career.

Instead of seeing success as a final destination, he treats it as an ongoing process. Every restaurant teaches something new. Every student brings a different perspective. Every kitchen presents another opportunity to improve.

Putting Bangladeshi Hospitality on the Global Map

Nayeem’s ambitions are now becoming increasingly international.

Having already built professional experience across Canada, Malaysia and Bangladesh, he wants to continue collaborating with international chefs and brands while creating culinary experiences that can connect Bangladesh with the wider hospitality world.

His vision is not simply to bring international food culture into Bangladesh. It is also about showing the world what Bangladesh can offer.

The country has a rich culinary heritage, talented young professionals and a hospitality sector with significant room for growth. Nayeem wants to be part of the generation that turns that potential into international recognition.

That means creating restaurants that can compete on quality, developing professionals who can work confidently anywhere in the world, and encouraging young chefs to believe that their careers can extend far beyond traditional expectations.

A Future Built Around People, Food and Learning

As Nayeem looks ahead, his goals remain connected to three areas: culinary entrepreneurship, education and mentorship.

He plans to continue developing CIAO and NAM while expanding SHINEE and creating new opportunities for students and hospitality professionals. International collaborations are also expected to remain part of his wider vision.

But beneath the businesses and professional achievements is a more personal ambition.

Nayeem wants to build a legacy.

For him, that legacy will not be measured only by restaurants opened or dishes created. It will also be measured by the people he inspires, the chefs he mentors and the opportunities he helps create.

His journey from Toronto kitchens to Le Cordon Bleu, from Nobu Kuala Lumpur to Bangladesh, and from chef to restaurateur and educator shows how international experience can become a tool for creating change at home.

The next chapter of his career is therefore not only about becoming a better chef. It is about building an ecosystem where more young people can become better chefs too.

That may ultimately be Nayeem Ashraf’s most meaningful contribution to Bangladesh hospitality: proving that passion can start a career, but learning, discipline and the willingness to create opportunities for others can turn that career into a lasting legacy.

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