The Hawke’s Bay Hospitality Awards return for the 9th year to recognise outstanding workers in all areas of Hospitality. The awards are presented this year by the Restaurant Association of New Zealand, the national organisation representing restaurants, cafés and other hospitality businesses, who took over the awards from Food Hawke’s Bay when they ceased operating late last year.
Restaurant Association chief executive Marisa Bidois says it’s imperative the hospitality industry recognises its champions as it provides not only a peer benchmark for excellence but also serves to give consumers valuable insights on the best places to visit.
Ms Bidois said, “We currently serve the hospitality industry nationally and run a number of these types of awards around the country. That means we bring experience and an understanding of the challenges our industry faces. We think it’s an important platform for highlighting the industry’s success and an opportunity acknowledge their achievements”.
The awards have been a significant part of the local event calendar and are an important ingredient for a region recognised globally for its distinction in wine and food.
The same principles of the Hospitality Awards voting process will apply and only Hospitality Industry workers in Hawke’s Bay are eligible to participate. It starts with the nomination process opening on Tuesday 3rd May when workers get to nominate who they believe is the best in up to 13 different categories. When nominations close they are counted and the top four become the finalists in each category. The industry will then again vote for the ‘most outstanding’ in their field.
Events like this do not happen without the support of sponsor businesses who believe in this industry and are willing to be part of such an exciting event. Ms Bidois says “we are very pleased to have repeat sponsors on board once again and also welcome new national sponsors OneMusic and Spark to support this years’ event.”
Categories for 2016 Hawke’s Bay Hospitality Awards include:
Steinlager Pure – Outstanding Bar
Clearview Estate – Best Ambience/Style
Outstanding Café
Outstanding Coffee Establishment
Sacred Hill – Outstanding Chef
Hawkes Bay Today – Outstanding Ethnic Restaurant
EIT – Outstanding Front of House Team
Simply Squeezed – Outstanding ‘Local’
Outstanding Wine & Beverage List
Outstanding Winery Experience
Restaurant Association of NZ – Outstanding Winery Restaurant
OneMusic – Outstanding Restaurant
Spark – Outstanding Supplier / Sales Rep
If you are part of the industry and need further information on how the nomination and voting process works, please go to the website www.hawkesbayhospoawards.co.nz
