PARIS, Oct 5 — Top chefs and restaurateurs gathered in Paris this spring to discuss the mandate for the first World Restaurant Awards.
More details have been released on the highly anticipated debut of The World Restaurant Awards, a televised gastronomic event that will be broadcast out of Paris next year as the “Oscars” of the food world.
Created to rival the influential World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards, organizers of the World Restaurant Awards said previously that their aim is to bring the glitz and “glamour” of music, film and fashion awards shows to the world of haute gastronomy.
This week, creators Joe Warwick and Andrea Petrini revealed that unlike the format of the 50 Best — which ranks dining destinations against one another — their event will honor restaurants across 18 categories.
“The 18 categories for the inaugural edition of the awards, divided into ‘Big’ and ‘Small’ plates, were conceived to champion excellence and integrity, while trying to better promote the diversity of the world’s restaurant community,” they explain on the website.
Along with the predictable ‘Restaurant of the Year’ award, the event will also include more cheeky categories like best ‘Tattoo-free chef’ and ‘Instagram Account of the Year.’
It’s worth noting that the organizers have a bitter history with the World’s 50 Best: Warwick is the co-founder of the original awards, while Petrini is also the former regional France chairman for the ranking.
The rebel duo are outspoken critics of the list, having lambasted its “arbitrary pop chart approach.”
The World Restaurant Awards takes place in Paris on February 18, 2019.
Here are the categories:
Restaurant of the Year
Chosen from the winners of the other 2019 ‘Large Plates’
Arrival of the Year
Restaurants opened between September 1, 2017 and Sept. 30, 2018
House Specia
Restaurants defined by one particular dish
Off-Map Destination
Remote restaurants where the journey to get there is a story
Original Thinking
Highlighting envelope-pushing creativity and artistic expression
Enduring Classic
Exceptional restaurants open for at least 50 years
Event of the Year
Recognising restaurant residencies and pop-ups
Atmosphere of the Year
Considering restaurant service, acoustics and overall ambience
No Reservations Required
For places where it’s possible to turn up without a booking
Ethical Thinking
Rewarding environmental and social responsibility
Forward Drinking
Focusing on fresh ideas
Collaboration of the Year
Rewarding restaurants for the work with suppliers
Instagram Account of the Year
Picked from the restaurant world’s social media platform of choice
Trolley of the Year
For those that believe table-side service should always be in fashion
Tattoo-Free Chef
For toque stars whose bodies aren’t canvases
Red Wine-Serving Restaurant
For those who shun current fashion by still championing the red grape
Tweezer-Free Kitchen
Searching for a more hands-on style of plating
Long-Form Journalism
Because the world still needs in-depth restaurant writing. — AFP-Relaxnews
