As the launch of the English Italian Awards is nearing (Spring this year), I thought I’d share some more details on the awards and how you and your restaurant can get involved.
I met face to face with Michael MacFarlane – the Press and Events Coordinator for the awards, as well as Michael Allen and Warren Paul the Event’s organisers. Three lovely, humble, down to earth guys who love food and spectacular events, and who are on a mission to find England’s best Italian food spots. After all, being Scottish, they have already done this in Scotland – so now it’s our turn.
The awards are free to take part in, and any Italian business can enter (as long as the business uses Italian produce or is Italian run – you can enter). Once you have registered your interest, you will be sent a Voting Pack from the Italian Awards team. Then – the race begins, voting opens in Spring and the task then is to ask your customers to vote for you! The top 5 venues with the most votes for each category will be entered into the final – which involves an independent judging process. The Gala Awards final will be held later on in the year, a big event with lots of press and even Italian chef Aldo Zilli present on the night as celebrity judge!
Below is a full list of this year’s categories:
- Favorite Italian Business
- Best Italian Restaurant
- Best Pizza
- Best Pasta
- Best Bistro
- Best Multiple Operator
- Best Fish and Chips
- Best Front of House
- Best Newcomer
- Best Wine List
- Best Family Restaurant
- Most Romantic Restaurant
- Best Marketing Team
- Best Restaurant Design
- Best Deli
- Best Barista
- Italian Chef of the Year
- Best Ice Cream Parlour
When I met the team, I put a few questions to the guys, before chowing down on some scrumptious Italian food in Manchester. Over dinner we discussed their plans in detail, but I have summarised the most important pieces of information below. Remember, for a little more background on the awards, you can click here to go to my previous post. For now, here is all the detail you need to know on how to get involved:
Q. How do restaurants/businesses sign up to be nominated for an English Italian Award?
A. They simply have to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or email us (events@paramountcreative.co.uk) and let us know they want to be involved. We will then send an information pack out when voting opens in Spring.
Q. Can restaurants/businesses apply for multiple categories – if so, how many?A. There are no limits how many categories a venue wants to go for.
