G PLUS FEB 25 - MAR 03, 2017
7
Buzz
Guwahati Food Awards 2017 receives over 1,60,000 votes
Ronmi Bora
With over 1,60,000 votes for 106 food joints over 186 nominations across 25 categories, the Guwahati Food Awards is set for the grand finale on 26th February to award and fete the best of the best in Guwahati’s food & beverages industry Guwahati Food Awards, initiated in the year 2015, is aimed at bringing together the best in the food fraternity and recognizing top performers who have set benchmarks in the city’s food & beverage segment. Overwhelmed with the response and goodwill generated from the local food and beverage industry and the masses alike in the past two years, GFA intends to carry forward the practice in its third edition which would definitely treble the excitement of all involved. This one-of-a-kind award provides a unique platform to both established players and emerging ones to make their presence felt within the industry and nominate themselves within the different categories in the sector. The gala awards ceremony is scheduled on 26th February, 2017 at Vivanta by Taj. Mr. Riyaz Amlani, Restaurateur & President, National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) will be the chief guest. With 25 categories up for grabs, the awards will cater to the entire spectrum of the eating out space and the 3rd edition of the G Plus Guwahati Food Awards 2017 promises to be an ever bigger and more engaging event this time around with the participation of 106 joints from over 250 food joints in the city. An Interactive Workshop on Restaurant Management and Marketing will also be conducted on 25th February 2017 by industry experts. The session will highlight the evolution and innovation in the F&B industry, latest trends, pricing, location, understanding customer’s requirements, training & orientation of staff, marketing and various other tips for a new cafe and restaurant. The jury panel comprising of local food connoisseurs, chefs and experts is headed by Dr. Ashish Chopra, culinary historian and a celebrated food critic. Mr. Suresh Hinduja, CEO Gourmet India & Editor, Times Food Guide has been the Advisor to the Guwahati Food Awards since its inception. “In the last few years, there has been a slow change and the food standards of the restaurants here in Guwahati are improving. Guwa-
hati Food Awards have contributed immensely to increase the healthy competition and bring up the best in the local F&B industry. According to me, all the restaurant owners should take up the challenge with great enthusiasm and strive hard to excel more than their competitors,” said Mr. Suresh Hinduja in conversation with G Plus. The panel shall ensure the highest standards, credible process and unbiased judging parameters to select the very best that Guwahati has to offer. The winners shall be selected via a two stage process comprising an independent consumer survey, i.e. voting through the G Plus app, sms, website and mobile platforms followed by jury selection. The Guwahati Food Awards voting closed this year with over 1,60,000 votes which includes over 1,00,000 website votes, over 20,0000 SMS votes. This is 1,00,000 more votes than its previous edition showing phenomenal reach to the city’s taste buds. The highest nominations received were for the “Most promising new entrant” category. “As a jury member I can see and feel the real hard work backstage. A very good platform for all the enterprising people who offer the Guwahatians the different food options in the city and of course a big thank you to GFA for organizing such an event,” said Pinky Bharali, one of the jury members of Guwahati Food Awards 2017 and proprietor of Loyans, one of the city’s widely loved bakeries with multiple joints, in a conversation with G Plus. This year, the process saw over 100 restaurants from the city nominating themselves across 25 categories. The voting period continued for 2 weeks while a distinguished jury team visited the restaurants and participating outlets for inspection and re-
views. A cumulative score shall now be arrived at through a very credible process and the awards in the respective categories shall be announced at a grand awards night on the coming Sunday, 26th of February, 2017. Sunit Jain, the Publisher of GPlus and architect of Guwahati Food Awards said, “We are overwhelmed with the massive public support that we have received this year through engaging participation of the restaurants and their patrons. The Guwahati Food Awards have helped raise the benchmark of city’s foodscape.” Guwahati Food Awards 2017 also added a new category for ‘Home Bakers’ for the first time this year to encourage bakers to develop their hobby and passion into a profession by recognizing them at this platform. The
home bakers were asked to present a cake, and a savoury item to the jury panel consisting of Ms. Kashmiri Nath, owner at XOXO cupcakes, food blogger, recipe developer and expert on Assamese cuisine and Mr. Amit Chatterjee, Patisserie Chef, Vivanta by Taj. Guwahati Food Awards is an initiative of the city’s leading English weekly – GPlus, supported by Blender’s Pride Reserve Collection Music CDs, powered by Airtel, co sponsored by IO Plus Salt, Magic Cook Atta, Radio partner-Red FM, hospitality partner Vivanta by Taj, Guwahati, Outdoor partner-Outreach Advertising Pvt Ltd. The most coveted categories are “Restaurant of the Year” and “Most promising new entrant.” The restaurants nominated for the ‘Restaurant of the year’ are Three Guys Restaurant, Shahi Darbar, Nagameez, 6 Ballygunge
Registrations Categories Nominations Votes
Place, Barbeque Nation Hospitality Limited, GM Gopal Maharaj, Chennai Kitchen, Paradise, King Chilly, Spectrum Dine, Shoolin Grand and Underdoggs Sports Bar & Grill. The highest nominations were received for the ‘Most promising new entrant’ category. Innovative new food joints that are the latest happenings in the city and have joined the race for the coveted prize are AHA TFT, Vaah India, Mughals-Taste Meets Tradition, Raja Mircha, Nirvana, Spectrum Dine, Hotel Shoolin Grand, Night Life, Krazzy Kitchen, Bellini, Barks Belly, Arabian Broost Chicken, Friends Adda, Tribal Kitchen, Blackboard Café, Titiksha’s Bakery, Iris Bar, Shoolin Grand, Chicago Pizza, The Basement Café, Back benchers Café, Naga Food Konspiracy, Brooklyn Blues and The Zouq.
GFA Snapshot 2015 2016 62 82 22 24 150 157 17,000 Above 45,000
2017 104 25 186 Above 1,60,000