TINDS Spotlight · Banani, Dhaka
It’s a Thursday night at Ciao, and the man clearing your plate isn’t a busboy. He’s in casuals, moving table to table, and when he reaches yours he pauses and asks the only question that matters to him: “Did you enjoy it?” Regulars know him. First-timers usually don’t — not until someone whispers that the man doing the clearing is the chef whose name is on the door.
That’s Nayeem Ashraf, and it’s the whole philosophy of his restaurant in one gesture: hospitality before titles. His story joins TINDS’ Spotlight series on the people building Bangladesh’s food and creative economy from the ground up.
In This Feature
The Banani Chef Who Won’t Serve What He Doesn’t Eat
Ciao’s menu sounds straightforward — Italian dishes plated with care. But every dish on it is filtered through one non-negotiable lens: Nayeem won’t cook it unless he’d order it himself. That discipline shows. The pasta arrives with a weight that feels earned, the sauces layered. But there’s something else too — a reference point that’s not Rome or Milan. “My food is influenced by the flavors of Old Dhaka,” he says, and he means it not as a nod but as a foundational layer. The spicing, the approach to sourcing, even the rhythm of the kitchen’s day — they’re Bangladeshi at their core. The Italian technique is the vessel, not the destination.
That refusal to chase authenticity is, in its own way, a more demanding standard than claiming it would be. Anyone can call a dish authentic; proving a fusion works means the Old Dhaka influence has to earn its place on an Italian plate rather than sit on top of it decoratively. It’s the difference between a gimmick and a genuine point of view, and it’s a large part of why Ciao gets written about as more than just another Italian spot in Banani’s crowded restaurant scene.
How a Marketing Degree Turned Into a Kitchen — and Back Home
The path here wasn’t obvious. Nayeem studied marketing in Toronto — the kind of degree that’s supposed to lead somewhere predictable. Instead, a part-time restaurant job during school became the thing he actually looked forward to. “Growing up in Dhaka, food was always central,” he told TINDS. “But working in a Toronto restaurant made me realize that food was my calling.” He could have stayed in Canada, building a career the degree was designed for. He told The Daily Star plainly why he didn’t: “I could have stayed abroad. However, I felt there was more impact here.”
Home wasn’t entirely convinced at first. “Convincing my family that culinary arts could be a respected career” is, in his own words, the biggest challenge of his career so far — “it took a lot of determination.” That resistance says less about his family specifically and more about how young Bangladesh’s professional food industry still is as a recognized career path — a gap Nayeem has since spent as much energy closing for others as he did closing for himself.
💡 Did You Know
Ciao’s dough is fermented for seventy-two hours before it ever sees a wood-fired oven, and the kitchen buys ingredients fresh every single morning rather than stocking up in bulk — a discipline Nayeem says is non-negotiable, even on the busiest nights. A ferment that long develops more complex flavor and a lighter, more digestible crust than a same-day dough, which is part of why the kitchen builds its entire prep schedule three days in advance.
The Part of the Job Nobody Sees
Running a kitchen that’s both disciplined and personal is a daily balancing act. “I balance structure with freedom,” he says. “Clear processes keep the kitchen running, but I encourage my team to think creatively.” He’s also become vocal about a gap he sees in Bangladesh’s food culture: restaurant brands are known, but the chefs behind them rarely are. “I want to change that mindset,” he’s said. “Chefs work incredibly hard and deserve to be celebrated.”
Building the Next Generation of Bangladeshi Chefs
That mission goes beyond his own restaurant now. In 2022, Nayeem founded the School of Hospitality Integrated Education Epicenter (SHINEE), built specifically to train professionals rather than informal kitchen hands. “I didn’t want to create just cooks,” he’s explained. He’s also a judge on Shera Radhuni, now in its seventh and eighth seasons — a visible role, in a country where he thinks chefs deserve more of the spotlight, not less.
The expansion he’d talked about is already underway. In early 2026, he opened a second restaurant, Nam, a Thai concept — the first step in what he’s described as a small chain of chef-driven restaurants across Dhaka, with a Puran Dhaka spot built around dal-bhat and tehari still to come. Same discipline, same “I won’t serve what I don’t eat” standard, just a different cuisine. Between Ciao, SHINEE, and now Nam, the throughline is the same one he’s carried since that first restaurant shift in Toronto: food is worth the same seriousness as any other profession, and Bangladesh’s kitchens deserve the infrastructure to prove it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Ciao located?
Ciao is located on Road 10A in Banani, Dhaka, sharing its space with Dessert Boutique by Nadia Lakhani.
What is SHINEE?
SHINEE, the School of Hospitality Integrated Education Epicenter, is a culinary training school Nayeem Ashraf founded in 2022 to train professional cooks in Bangladesh rather than leaving the industry to informal, on-the-job learning alone.
Does Nayeem Ashraf have a second restaurant?
Yes — Nam, a Thai concept, opened in early 2026 in Dhaka. It’s the first step in a planned small chain of chef-driven restaurants, with a Puran Dhaka spot centered on dal-bhat and tehari still to come.
Why This Banani Chef Is Worth a Visit
Nayeem starts most mornings early — coffee, a workout, then the kitchen. “It clears my mind, energizes my body, and sets a positive tone for the day ahead,” he says. It’s the same steadiness that shows up on the plate and at the table: someone who came home on purpose, and treats the job as a craft worth respecting rather than a means to an end. If you’re in Banani, that’s reason enough to book a table at Ciao — and if you’re thinking about a career in food, SHINEE is where he’s trying to make sure the next generation doesn’t have to fight for the respect he had to earn. Discover more Dhaka food spots in TINDS’ Local Business section.
💬 Comments are open on this feature — tell us about your own Ciao order, or the Dhaka chef you think deserves the next Spotlight.
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More TINDS Spotlight: Mayesha Asmita: The Relentless Dhaka Makeup Artist. Discover more inspiring South Asian stories on TINDS.com.
Sources
- The Business Standard — “Ciao: An authentic slice of Italy in the heart of Dhaka”
- The Business Standard — “Nayeem Ashraf: The chef who serves, teaches, and judges”
- The Daily Star, May 19, 2026 — “Nayeem Ashraf returns to build Bangladesh’s culinary industry”
- Nam Restaurant — Instagram (@namthai.bd)
📍 Ciao — Road 10A, Banani, Dhaka. Second restaurant: Nam (Thai), Dhaka — exact address to be confirmed before publish. This is a living profile — update if Ciao’s or Nam’s location, hours, or Nayeem’s ventures change.
