INAUGURAL ‘CHEFS DELIGHT CULINARY AWARD NIGHT‘ AN OVERWHELMING SUCCESS
(Posted 14th September 2016)
(Mr. Mansoor and Mrs. Nev Jiwani, the creators of Kenya’s first nationwide Chef’s Culinary Awards)
(All pictures courtesy of Go Places Kenya)
Just incase someone missed-out on the VIP ‘Red Carpet’ Culinary Event of the Year VIP Chefs Delight / Bar & Mixology Awards Kenya 2016 & Culinary Extravaganza, here is an exclusive insight on what took place last Friday evening and why everyone in the tourism and hospitality industry simply should have been there.
The events activities began with a superb networking cocktail where gold ticket holders, VVIP’s, foodies and invited guests got a chance to mingle over signature cocktails created by the events mixologists – this is where guests were able to witness the best hotel and individual bars in Nairobi being awarded as graded by their own paying customers.
Hon. Najib Balala, the Cabinet Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism in Kenya, Hon. Fatuma Hirsi Mohamed, the Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism in Kenya and Mrs. Jacinta Nzioka, CEO of the Kenya Tourism Board were in the room with the who is who of Kenyan Tourism Stakeholders. They were able to personally inspected over 25 different cuisine stations, which was part of the evenings experience, each meticulously crafted by some of Nairobi’s best chef & restaurant teams in the culinary extravaganza section before eventually cutting the red ribbon to officially begin the event.
Guests then entered into a glamorous banquet hall set-up to host over 1,200 attendees adorned in signature gold and black colours that match the awards brand insignia. The CEO of International Quality Awards Ltd. Mr. Mansoor Jiwani welcomed the guests with his opening speech, followed PS Fatuma Hirsi from the Ministry of Tourism giving her opening remarks on the importance of #Gastrotourism in enhancing hospitality & tourism products in the country, before inviting onto stage the charismatic Najib Balala, Cabinet Secretary at the Ministry of Tourism whose commanding presence and speech wowed the crowds.
(Kenya’s Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala, Principal Secretary Fatuma Hirsi on the right and the KTB CEO Jacinta Nzioka on the left as they toured the display stands)
What followed was a gala awards ceremony like no other that feted the BEST HOTEL RESTAURANT & CHEF TEAMS, the BEST INDIVIDUAL RESTAURANT & CHEF TEAMS, the MOST INNOVATIVE CHEFS IN INDIVIDUAL RESTAURANTS, the MOST INNOVATIVE CHEFS IN HOTEL RESTAURANTS… and ofcourse the evenings OVERALL WINNERS!!
With fantastic entertainment acts in between awards by local stars like Alisha Popat, Action in Focus and Scott the Violinist, over 25 different culinary displays by some of Kenya’s very best restaurant & chef teams, the evenings MC’s Fareed Khimani and Susan Wong kept the crowd engaged with fun and laughter while numerous cocktails and beverage experiences contributed to the mood of the night.
Here’s just a glimpse of who carried away the trophies on the night:
Winners of the night included: Sarova Hotels Kenya, Villa Rosa Kempinski Nairobi, Seven Seafood & Grill, Tamarind Group, Roy Kinyua of Nairobi Serena Hotel, Chef Archie Alvin Athanasius of Hemingways Nairobi, Chef Mohsine Korich of Fairview Hotel Nairobi, David Okoth of EkaHotel Nairobi, Chef Kiran Jethwa of Seven Grill & Lounge, Village Market, Chef Gavin Mitchell of Brew Bistro and Lounge, Chef Jongho Park of Haru Restaurant, Chef Agne Da Silva Costa of J’s Fresh Bar & Kitchen, CARNIVORE KENYA, Brew Bistro and Lounge Rooftop, Artcaffe the Oval, Artcaffe, Caramel Restaurant & Lounge – Nairobi, Budhaa Bar . Lounge . Cafe, Budhaa Bar Nairobi, Ocean Basket Kenya, Ocean Basket, the Hub Karen,
Key programme partners & sponsors included again some of Kenya’s best known brands such as:
Alpha Fine Foods, Al’s Kitchen, Daawat Rice & Pasta, Bidco Africa Ltd., Go Places Kenya Hospitality & Tourism Marketing & Global Image Group Ltd MoSound Events, LiveAD, Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC Kenya) , Modern Lithographic Kenya, DT Dobie Kenya, Safaricom Limited, Standard Chartered Kenya, Coca-Cola, @Sabco – Nairobi Bottlers Limited, Liquid Africa, Papyrus Africa, Essential Premium Spring Water and The Wine Shop.
The event was endorsed by the Ministry of Tourism – Kenya, the Kenya Tourism Fund, the Kenya Tourism Board, MagicalKenya, Nairobi City County & Live Love Nairobi
