The winners were announced at a glitzy event hosted by TV presenter and chef Ravneet Gill at Percy’s in Kensington, west London, on Tuesday 25 October and celebrate diverse talent within the hospitality industry in the UK. The glitzy awards ceremony was held in London at Percy's Kensington and was hosted by TV presenter, author and pastry chef.
The judging panel was co-chaired by industry luminaries TV presenter and celebrity chef Andi Oliver and co-founder of D&D London Des Gunewardena. They were joined by food and diversity consultant Mallika Basu; MasterChef winner and restaurateur Shelina Permalloo; author and chef Mike Reid; global rum ambassador Ian Burrell; wine and sake educator Shane Jones; CEO and founder of Umbrella Training Adele C Oxberry; co-owner of Tayēr + Elementary Monica Berg; and chef consultant Jay Morjaria.
Keep pubs alive
In the running for the Best Pub/Bar award with winner Lucy Do of the Dodo Micropub, in Hanwell, west London, were Clement Ogbonnaya of the Prince of Peckham, Peckham, south London; Erika Haigh of Moto, Covent Garden, central London; and Chandramauli Dwivedi, of the Brewers Inn, Cambridge.
Meanwhile, Drinks Professional of the Year was won by Imie Augier of Soda and Friends, in London, who was up against Nina Dornoo-Dornor – Cocktail Mania, London; Rod Eslamieh - Chapter 72, London; and Deano Moncrieffe – Hacha Bar, London.
Do of the Dodo Micropub told The Morning Advertiser: “After the past couple of years that all pubs have been through, this is a really nice acknowledgement of all the efforts we’ve all gone through. It’s a nice time to pause and shout about our achievements for a little bit and then continue with the journey of trying to keep pubs alive.
“I think we won because the wonderful people of the Hanwell ‘massive’, which is the community here. They have got behind the pub so enthusiastically and I know several of them put their 10 pence worth in on the nominations front. It gives us the edge to build on something that people want to be part of – which is great.
“These awards are massively important. I’m really grateful Be Inclusive Hospitality exists because the awards shine a light on those who have typically been marginalised and overlooked throughout their life or their careers.”
Amazing and insipring
Judge Oliver said: “The nominees have been amazing and inspiring – it’s so wonderful to get an insight into how the cross cultural creative culinary minds are ticking across the country. I am so hopeful for the future of our industry and the potential for true growth and inclusion.”
Gunewardena added: “Reviewing, judging and scoring the 44 finalists was a formidable task... like a business version of the Eurovision Song Contest. I loved doing it. I was really impressed and touched by the stories behind so many of the people showcased here.”
BIH founder Lorraine Copes was overwhelmed by the first awards night and said her mission was to put a much-needed spotlight on the achievements of black, Asian and ethnic minority communities working in the sector.
