As a former journalist and the founder of a PR firm, Iqbal Wahhab knows how to spot a story. And he clearly relishes telling his own. Over breakfast at his London restaurant, Roast, he entertains with details of four start-ups. Unlike other entrepreneurs, his tale involves Salmon Rushdie, death threats, a brain tumour and walk-on parts for several of the UK's most influential people, including businessmen, politicians and artists.

His own take on why these things keep happening to him is simple. "I have too many ideas. Lots of people have lots of ideas, but I have this problem where I have to make them happen," he says.

The latest example is his vision for the 2012 Olympics to leave a real legacy in London's East End. Concerned that the only food at the Games would be McDonald's fare, he wrote to Tessa Jowell, the minister responsible, suggesting a "food village", comprising shops, restaurants, a market and a city farm. She replied, saying "good idea, do it". So, with two-and-a-half years to go, he plans to transform a 50-acre site into "something remarkable that will last long after 2012".

He's so keen on legacy that he sees the Games as almost peripheral. "No one involved in 2012 seems to understand the concept of legacy," he says. "I want to improve the options for eating in east London. I want this to become a tourist destination long after the Games." Asked what experience he has that makes him the right man to deliver this project, he replies honestly: "None at all. That's why it's so frightening."

But his determination is clear. He launched Roast in 2005 at a time when there wasn't much demand for British food, and early reviews reflected this. "Everyone had a memory of how their mother cooked Sunday roast and it was impossible to match that nostalgia. But we worked hard and the reviews improved."

Despite the critics, customers have always approved. Set in the heart of London's Borough Market, takings have increased yearly. Even in 2009, as the economy faltered, Roast was full of people seeking out its comforting food.

His first business was a PR firm specialising in Asian businesses. It followed a spell as a reporter on the Independent where during the Rushdie affair it became clear he was the "only Muslim on Fleet Street". One of his clients was Cobra Beer and this led him to launch Tandoori magazine with Karan (now Lord) Bilimoria.

Later, he turned restaurateur and launched the Cinnamon Club, an upmarket curry house that established his reputation. An active member of Britain's Asian business community, he is on the board of the Prince of Wales's Mosaic, Race for Opportunity and other social business networks. And he hopes these connections will help him to have his food village ready for the Olympics. "My ambition is one thing. I now need to get the people lined up who can help me deliver it."