Mumbai :The recently concluded LF Epicurean Guild Awards 2019 organized by India’s premier lifestyle channel LF and co-curated by Chef Manu Chandra recognized the best in India’s hospitality industry. The third edition of this prestigious award ceremony was held on March 14th, 2019 at Mumbai’s Sahara Star Hotel. With a vision to celebrate taste, innovation and people, this edition saw new categories, a pan-India approach and a celebration of individuals.
To honor the best of food in India, the evening witnessed eminent personalities from the entertainment and food industry such as Maria Goretti, PrahladKakkar, Zeba Kohli, Camelia Panjabi, AD Singh, Atul Kasbekar, Sam Balsara, Chef Pankaj Bhadouria, Chef Ajay Chopra, Amrita Raichand, Chef Rakesh Raghunathan, Chef Ranveer Brar and many more. While the evening was a celebration of India’s evolving fine-dining and nightlife culture, the audience was delighted to watch a spectacular dance performance by the Terence Lewis’ Dance Group followed by Stand-upComedian Azeem Banatwalla’shysterical performance.
After a rigorous and transparent selection process, the co-curator Chef Manu Chandra along with some of India’s stalwarts from the industry as a part of the Jury identified winners across various award categories. The jury panel consisted of names like Kunal Vijayakar, Antoine Lewis, Kalyan Karmakar, Shuchir Suri, Rocky Mohan, Diwan Gautam Anand, Clinton Cerejo, RomilRatra, Karen Anand, Magandeep Singh, Gautam John, Palki Hatangadi, Nikhil Agarwal, Nicole Mody, Dr. Pradeep Rao, Ruma Singh, Ruth Dsouza and RushinaMunshaw-Ghildiyal.
Speaking on the occasion, Chef Manu Chandra, Co-Curator, LFEGA said, “I am happy to be associated with LFEGA yet again, a platform thatrecognizes the innovators in the fine-dining and nightlife space along with their contribution to the industry. It has been a gratifying experience to identify those who have contributed so much to the culinary journey of the country. ”
“Through LFEGA our aim is to discover culinary spaces and individuals that have changed the hospitality scenario in India. This year we have added new categories and we have not only categorized awards for restaurants but also individuals and experiences. Chef Manu Chandra and our talented jury members have done a spectacular job and creating this evening with them has been truly inspiring”, explains Amit Nair, Business Head at LF.
The venue had multiple engagement booths like Facebook LIVE corner, LF’s digital booth and a magazine booth. The menu for the evening was inspired from the shows of LF like Northern Flavors, Dakshin Diaries, 100% Veg, Station Master’s Tiffin and I want to Bake Free. This allowed the attendees to enjoy a wide array of cuisines such as North Indian, South Indian, Continental, Healthy and much more.
The award winners for 2019 were recognized across 20 categories- The ‘Cuisines’ included Traditional Indian, Progressive Indian, Emerging Indian, Seafood, Chinese, Multi-Asian Cuisine and Italian. The ‘Experiences’ included Nightlife, Best Indian Wine, Best Indian Craft Beer, New Restaurant of the Year, The Oyster Club, Most Inclusive F&B Establishment, Most Innovative Restaurant Concept and Iconic Restaurant and the ‘Individuals’ category included Lifetime Achievement Award, Chef of the Year, The Changemaker, Food Entertainer and the Best Food Instagrammer.
