The third edition of the LF Epicurean Guild Awards 2019 was held recently at Mumbai’s Sahara Star Hotel. It was organised by lifestyle channel LF and co-curated by Chef Manu Chandra to recognise the best in India’s hospitality industry with a vision to celebrate taste, innovation and people. This edition saw new categories with a pan-India approach. It will be telecast on March 30 at 8 pm.
The evening witnessed eminent personalities from the entertainment and food industry such as Maria Goretti, Prahlad Kakkar, 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 others. The audience watched a dance performance by the Terence Lewis’ Dance Group followed by stand-up comedian Azeem Banatwalla’s performance.
Co-curator Chef Manu Chandra along with some experts from the industry as a part of the jury identified winners across various award categories. The jury panel consisted of names such as Kunal Vijayakar, Antoine Lewis, Kalyan Karmakar, Shuchir Suri, Rocky Mohan, Diwan Gautam Anand, Clinton Cerejo, Romil Ratra, Karen Anand, Magandeep Singh, Gautam John, Palki Hatangadi, Nikhil Agarwal, Nicole Mody, Dr. Pradeep Rao, Ruma Singh, Ruth Dsouza and Rushina Munshaw-Ghildiyal.
Chef Manu Chandra, Co-Curator, LFEGA, said, “I am happy to be associated with LFEGA yet again, a platform that recognises 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 categorised 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,” said 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. The attendees enjoyed a wide array of cuisines such as North Indian, South Indian, Continental, Healthy and much more.
The award winners for 2019 were recognised 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.
The winners of this year’s Epicurean Guild Awards were:
Cuisines:
Best Traditional Indian Restaurant: Karavalli, The Gateway Hotel, Bengaluru
Best Progressive Indian Restaurant: Indian Accent, Delhi
Best Emerging Indian Restaurant: Oota Bangalore, Bengaluru
Best Chinese Restaurant: Yauatcha, Mumbai
Best Multi-Asian Restaurant: Pan Asian, ITC Maratha, Mumbai
Best Italian Restaurant: Vetro, The Oberoi, Mumbai
Best Seafood Restaurant: Bastian, Mumbai
Experiences:
Iconic Restaurant: Bukhara, ITC Maurya, Delhi
Best Nightlife Experience: The Hong Kong Club, Andaz Delhi
New Restaurant of the Year: The Smoke Co., Bengaluru
Best Innovative Restaurant Concept: Masque, Mumbai
Best Indian Wine: Sette by Fratelli
Best Indian Craft Beer: White Rhino IPA
Recognising the Oyster Club:
Adaminde Chayakkada, Calicut
Maison Perumal, Puducherry
Kareema, Srinagar
Matamaal, Gurugram
Kappa Chakka Kandhari, Chennai
Honouring Inclusive F&B Establishments:
Mirchi & Mime, Mumbai
Sheroes’ Hangout
Popular Restaurants by Swiggy (Non-Jury Award)
Indigo Delicatessen in Mumbai
Berco’s in Delhi
Truffles in Bengaluru
Individuals:
Lifetime Achievement Award: Chef Manjit Gill
Chef of the Year: Chef Thomas Zacharias
Honouring the Changemaker: ISKCON
Food Entertainer of the Year: Ranveer Brar
Food Instagrammer of the Year: Meghna (@meghnasfoodmagic)