Bazlur Rahman
Bazlur Rahman is the owner of the two restaurants Little Italy and Bella Italia. He is also a repeat return migrant who spent many years in the Middle East working in construction, before going to Italy where he learnt the art of Italian cooking which he brought back to Bangladesh to establish his own restaurant. He could not attend the Workshop, but provided us with a background of his experiences.

I am Bazlur Rahman, better known as Tapan, and owner of Little Italy and Bella Italia Restaurant. I started my career as an accountant in a pharmaceuticals firm. In 1980 I went to Iraq to work as a crane operator. After this I went to Oman to work as a Bulldozer Operator.

In early 1987 I went to Rome. At first I operated a locomotive in Romaviterbo line. It was after this that I changed my profession to cooking. It was here that I met the eminent restauranteur, Conti Danilo, and on his advice I joined as a cook. From then on there was no looking back. I worked very hard and worked with many expert Italian chefs. I joined many famous and diverse restaurants to gather experience. In 1994 I met the Councillor from Bangladesh Embassy in Rome, Mr. Kamaluddin, at a reception held at the restaurant. The Councillor was impressed by my ability to successfully manage such a big restaurant on my own.

When I saw that a hundred people enjoyed my cooking, I thought, why not bring what I know to Bangladesh so that the people here can enjoy Authentic Italian Food. That’s how the idea dawned on me and now I am here. From that day onwards I dreamt of opening a restaurant, but the time was not right. I moved with my family to New York where I worked as a chef in Manhattan’s famous Italian restaurants. In 1996 I returned again to Italy and worked with an organisation called Pan Food, gathered more experience and managed a large, 1000 person capacity, restaurant in Rome.

I arrived back in July 2000 with the plan to set up a restaurant here. I had already planned a tentative menu and brought many kitchen utensils not available in Bangladesh. On a previous visit I had found some suitable land in a good location. The restaurant opened on the 4th of November the same year. These four months had been some of the most challenging of my life.

I have to say that every step of the way my family and friends continually supported my decisions. Many Bangladeshis who had tasted my cooking while on holiday in Italy contacted me, wishing me the best and offering their assistance. As for trouble of any sort, I never thought about it, and thankfully was not affected by it. I had invested all my savings in making the restaurant, but within a few months I had a group of regular customers. They included ambassadors and businessmen as well as middle class families who loved the Italian food. I was then able to set up my second restaurant in Gulshan.

Bazlur Rahman’s story is a clear indication of why the concept of linear migration needs to be reconsidered. Having travelled back and forth between Bangladesh, the Middle East, Italy and America, he gathered experience and managed to save up money. His migration experience led him to diversify from accountancy, to construction and finally into the catering industry form cooking to management. This mobility, in terms of geography and labour, finally led him back to Bangladesh.