Chef travels 4,000 miles – to Gornal (From Dudley News)

Chef travels 4,000 miles – to Gornal

11:06am Friday 22nd September 2006

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HOW far would you go to get your favourite food?

One Gornal man has gone further than most by flying a top chef 4,000 miles to run his restaurant, the Green Dragon in Kent Street.

On a visit to India more than five years ago pharmacist Sushil Obhrai tucked into some top Indian cuisine.

He enjoyed the vegetarian delights so much he invited head chef Dhanna Ram to become head chef at his restaurant in Gornal.

Sushil said: "On a visit to India I was taken out for a meal at a vegetarian restaurant and the food was so good I met the chef (Dhanna Ram) to pay my gratitude for the fine food we had been served.

"A few days later I made contact with him and told Dhanna we didn't get quality vegetarian food like that in the UK and asked whether he would come and join us."

Despite years of hold-ups due to red tape surrounding working visas, the businessman finally got his man thanks to help from former Dudley North MP Ross Cranston.

The problems at the Green Dragon didn't end there however, after the building contractors went bankrupt.

But after years of anguish, Sushil, in partnership with his wife Marlene and business partners Raj and Davinder Sangha, are now reaping the rewards at their pure vegetarian eatery.

Sushil added: "At one stage we never thought the day we opened would come but we are now delighted we are open.

"It's proving to be really popular thanks to a lot of help from the local community."

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