Entrepreneur Laxmishanker G. Pathak

L.G. Pathak arrived in the UK in 1956 from Kenya with his wife and 6 children, only £5 and a life insurance policy in his pocket. Career : After quitting his job as a London street sweeper to indulge his passion for making samosas, jalebi and kulfi, he started to make and sell samosas in his tiny 5ft x 6ft kitchen and eventually raised sufficient money to buy his first shop, No. 134 Drummond Street, London in 1958. In 1962 the 'h' was dropped from the brand name and 'Patak's' was born.. LG Pathak decided to extend the range that he and his wife manufactured to include other authentic products, including pickles and chutneys. The quality of the products spread by word of mouth and orders from shops, housewives and students flooded in. L.G. Pathak also started catering for functions at the Indian High Commission. Following a disastrous distribution arrangement, Kirit Pathak was forced to leave his studies at the age of 17 to help his father as the business had taken a turn for the worse to give new impetus to a rag to riches story. Mr L.G. Pathak passed away in 1997.