Source: Kazi Tahsin Agaz Apurbo

After studying in Scholastica and finishing his O and A Levels in private, Abdullah Tareq went off to TAFE University, Australia, to pursue a degree in Architecture in 2002. Or so he thought. After just one semester, Abdullah's interest was diverted towards the culinary arts.
“I was always a restless person. I hated sitting around for 5-6 hours straight and that is exactly what architecture required me to do,” says Abdullah. While studying Architecture, Abdullah was working in a kitchen for pocket money. “Working in that kitchen changed everything. Even though, I had no earlier experience in cooking, the idea of actually working in one and making it my career seemed appealing to me." Abdullah quit his journey to become an architect and instead took a two-year-long vocational course on 'Hospitality Management' that specialised in cooking, in the year 2003.
“I was a little hesitant to tell my parents," adds Abdullah. "I told them after I shifted majors. Initially, they were put off by the idea; considering the fact that my family is full of doctors and being a chef was an 'odd-job' to them. But eventually they came around.”
After finishing the course, Abdullah came back to Bangladesh in 2005. “By then my passion for cooking had increased tenfold and that's when my father showed his support by sending me to Taylor's University in Malaysia that had an affiliation with the University of Toullousse in France. There I acquired my Bachelor's Degree in Hospitality Management and French Cuisine”
Abdullah came back in 2009 and got his first job as a chef in a restaurant called Verbanella. His stay in Verbanella was short lived. However, it was just the experience he needed to kick-start his unique career. “As a part of the hospitality management course, I also studied kitchen designing. So, working in Verbanella helped me utilise all the skills that I learned. Alongside working as a chef, I helped design and set up their kitchen.” Shortly after leaving Verbanella, Abdullah and two of his friends opened up a consultancy firm -- Ideate Consultancy -- which helped restaurants start and/or repair their business by teaching them the basics of hospitality management.
During his days at Ideate, Abdullah's father passed away and he stopped working for a year and half. After carrying out responsibilities and spending time with his family, he opened his own catering service called Cinnamon Tree. Alongside that, some of his friends got together with him in the year 2013 and started the popular, hip place in Satmasjid Road, Dhanmondi -- Cilantro. Recently, Abdullah quit Cilantro and is focusing on his own catering service.
A couple of months ago, Abdullah began a new project with Bay Development Group on a venture to open a French Bistro, situated in Gulshan. “I am quite excited about this project and considering how things are going, this may become quite big. I plan on working with them as a consultant and also in the kitchen for a while. Apart from that I don't have too many plans for the future. I am just waiting to see where this goes!”