THE STORY BEHIND

THE LOVE OF FOOD

Award winning and Grammy-nominated producer, Naughty Boy, is ready to open his heart, share his passion and pay homage to his proud Pakistani heritage and the food cooked by his beloved mother.

It has been quite the ride for the award-winning music producer Shahid Khan, aka Naughty Boy. His journey started with a vision he worked hard to gain a grant from the Prince’s Trust and battled it out on Deal or No Deal, utilising the cash prize and putting it straight into his music. In just over a decade, he has established a glowing music career, working alongside world-class artists including; Beyonce, Rihanna, Tinie Tempah and Ed Sheeran. He is also responsible for discovering and launching the careers of successful artists including Emeli Sandé and Sam Smith.

He is a true storyteller and this narrative plays an important role in everything he does often using his own life experiences for inspiration. In 2012, he released his highly-anticipated debut album, Hotel Cabana, which told the story about a Hotel of Fame, stimulated by his own experiences working in a high-end restaurant. 10 years later, he’s back in the kitchen and flipping the game once again. Bringing the same heart and passion for storytelling to his latest culinary venture only this time, it’s inspired by the flavours of his childhood and proud Pakistani roots.

Born and raised on a council estate in Watford, Khan spent his youth cooking with his family, adding his mother’s special sauce to traditional British favourites such as a delicious twist on the classic fish fingers sandwich! With food always being at the heart of family life, his mother’s cooking was an important daily ritual. This tradition continued even once Khan left home, where she sent him three meals a day to ensure he didn’t miss these home comforts.

Over the years, he has kept up his mother’s ethos, enjoying cooking for others, sharing his mother’s passion and creating his own sense of family. Great food brings loved ones together around the kitchen table, and his guests include the likes of long-term collaborator and good friend, Emeli Sandé whose dedication to vegan food has encouraged him to experiment with different ingredients and ideas, catering for all.

In 2018, Khan made his professional culinary debut, with a hands-on collaboration with global burger brand, Shake Shack. Inspired by the spice and flavour of his youth, Khan worked with Shake Shack’s Culinary Director, Mark Rosati, to create The Naughty One, a deliciously crispy chicken burger, topped with his mother’s secret raita-style sauce recipe a memory from his childhood where his mother would have pots of the yoghurt sauce prepared in the fridge as a snack for after school.

Sharing Shake Shack’s philosophy that good food and good music go hand in hand, the pair released The Naughty One alongside the Shack Sounds initiative, giving an opportunity for unsigned talent aged between 16-35 to take part in a coveted development program. Five fantastic acts were chosen to take part in a mentoring scheme. The project not only allowed him to come full circle with the flavours of his youth, but in-turn, offered the chance to mentor young artists who, like him, needed a little leg up to launch their career.

Following the success of this collaboration and his continued passion for food, Naughty Boy is throwing his heart and soul back into the kitchen once again only this time he is going one step further with his own culinary venture  The Naughty Kitchen.