And the Winner is..
Awards Ceremony brought surprises
Rosie Mitchell
Around 100 invited restaurateurs, plus representatives from The Standard, The Cheeseman and the new co-sponsors for 2011, gathered at the Stables Winery last Sunday to enjoy some hospitality from The Cheeseman, founder and sponsor of the Zimbabwe on a Plate, Zimbabwe in a Glass, Restaurants of the Year Competition and Awards since 2005, and before that, since 2002, in its previous incarnation. This of course is always a pleasant change for anyone engaged in running a restaurant – an often thankless task that demands gruelling hours and very hard work! With delicious food presented by Lee Vermaark, showing off The Cheeseman’s fare to best advantage, mellow saxophone music by Tony Vas, and a really relaxed, convivial atmosphere, all enjoyed the event, which held a few surprises.
A smaller and more intimate event than those of previous years, attendees thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and basked in the glory of being either a Finalist for an Award, or a Winner. For budgetary reasons a slightly scaled down affair, this event was the last Annual Awards Ceremony funded and hosted solely by The Cheeseman. It was accordingly, a very exclusive and lofty group of restaurateurs and service people who were invited along; just, the Award Winners for 2009 and the Finalists for 2010.
The 2011 Awards ceremony will be co-hosted and co-funded by The Cheeseman with three other official Zim on a Plate Sponsors of this well established competition, now in its sixth year. Mahatma Rice and Lake Harvest came aboard as co-sponsors for 2011 in April this year, and Sunday’s event saw the official announcement of their co sponsorship, as well as the welcome return of a previous co-sponsor – African Distillers. This brings the Sponsors to four, spreading the considerable load of funding this hifgh profile, year round competition.
The event kicked off with the formalities, so that invitees could then relax and enjoy themselves, no longer in suspense! Rosie Mitchell, the Competition’s Manager on behalf of the Cheeseman, since the competition was first launched, was the event’s Mistress of Ceremonies. She announced all of the Finalists and Award Winners, and in addition gave a speech about where Zimbabwe on a Plate is, today, paying full tribute to the Trade for their courage, tenacity and their achievements. Raphael Khumalo, the CEO of Alpha Media Holdings, also gave a speech, and presented some Awards, as did the Editor of The Standard, Nevanji Madanhire. Jackie Hunter and Gary Davidson of The Cheeseman presented most of the balance.
There were several surprises in store. While the 2009 winners already knew who they were, for the most part, the exception was the recipient of the last 2009 Award announced, and he could not have been more surprised, or delighted!
The Personality of the Year for 2009 was the celebrated Executive Chef, long-time of the Meikles Hotel Harare, Chef Gonzo. He was absolutely thrilled not to mention, taken aback! Chef Gonzo was later invited up to present the framed Finalists Certificates and Badges to the Finalists for the Service Personality of the Year Award 2010, as well as the specially embroidered waistcoat to the winner. This Award went to Fungai Muvodyo of The Inglenook Restaurant in the Cresta Churchill Arms in Bulawayo, also both amazed and delighted by her achievement. The Service Personality of the Year Award for 2009, was Harrington Mangoma, also thrilled with his waistcoat. At the time of the Award, Harrington was working at Pangolin Lodge, and has since moved to Amanzi.
The Deluxe Restaurant of the Year Award for 2010 went to a brand new winner, in a category dominated throughout the existence of Zim on a Plate by Makuwa-kuwa at the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge. The Livingstone Room at the Victoria Falls Hotel, part of the Meikles Group, pipped this illustrious multi-award winning restaurant, which won this Award for a fourth consecutive year in 2009, to the post, for 2010. The representatives from the Group who were present, from both the Falls and Harare, were absolutely thrilled with this surprise win! So, the competition is well and truly on, up in the Victoria Falls! Makuwa-kuwa and its sister restaurant still did inordinately well, however. Makuwa-kuwa, as well as collecting their 20090 Deluxe Restaurant of the Year Award, won Most Imaginative Menu for both 2009 and 2010, bring to five, the consecutive years for which they’ve scooped this prize! The Boma meantime, won Most Imaginative Dining Experience for both years. This Award, introduced in 2009, goes to the restaurant offering the most exciting, unusual, memorable and imaginative dining experience viewed as a whole package - which in addition is excellently and consistently executed. Previously The Boma had won the Award of Excellence, three years in a row. The Award of Excellence goes each year goes to an exceptional restaurant which has consistently excelled itself in every way, delivering a unique, creative and original dining experience to the highest of standards in every aspect.
A couple of particularly hardy Zimbabweans were also amazed to hear their own story of perseverance in adversity, over the past several daunting years being related by Rosie Mitchell - suddenly realising it was themselves being described! Pieter and Elise Oosthuisen of Spring Fever were named the Personalities of the Year for 2010, for their sheer staying power, after losing everything they’d ever worked for in Karoi, moving to the capital and starting from scratch, and after a series of challenges and difficulties, running a 5 Plate rated restaurant in Borrowdale (Mimi’s) very successfully before ultimately, resurrecting their popular Spring Fever restaurant recently, in Milton Park. Their Waiter, and before that, farm worker, of many, many years, Smart Saluti, was a proud Finalist for the Service Personality of the Year Award 2010.
Almost all the Finalists and Award winners made it to the event, with a few sad exceptions, who for various reasons such as illness. These included Andrew Sagamba of Victoria 22 and Ephraim Munyengwa of Arnaldo’s in Graniteside, both Finalists for Service Personality of The Year 2010, same Award, multi award winning Kusum Low, again Winner of Deluxe Coffee Shop of the Year 2009 with The Roasted Berry (which has since closed), and David Graham of the White Horse Inn in the Bvumba, the new winner the Deluxe Family Restaurant of the Year, 2010.
Another multi award winner over several years, Tony, of Tony’s legendary Coffee Shop in the Bvumba which has now won Coffee Shop of the Year for four consecutive years - every year since entering - was totally stunned to hear the Award of Excellence for 2010 being announced. His Coffee Shop, ‘located in the beautiful Bvumba mountains, has over many years and throughout many challenges, consistently delivered an extraordinary experience to any traveller who goes there to partake of its famous, outstandingly delicious cakes, imaginative teas and coffees, and an all round excellent experience which fully evokes the Wow! Factor’, read the citation. He could clearly hardly believe his ears!
The same award for 2009 went to The Coach House in the Nesbitt Castle, Bulawayo being ‘found by the judges to have been consistently delivering a memorable and excellent dining experience over many years and to be fully deserving of credit and recognition for so doing’.