Hot in the kitchen: Fisherman’s Pier restaurant’s Tyler Vakidis duels with Vue Grand’s Caleb Fleet over the Golden Plate Awards as the Independent’s Sam McKenzie tries to intervene.
Restaurants and cafes are honing their menus for six months of judging in the region’s premier hospitality awards.
Golden Plate Awards 2011 general manager Pamela Jewson said this year’s judging format included a new level of rigour, with an “independent accounting firm” to audit all scores.
“We don’t know of any other hospitality awards that go to this level,” she said.
“We believe we are setting another benchmark.”
Ms Jewson said the seventh annual Golden Plates would again have a 36-point judging criteria. The five major categories would cover food quality and presentation, customer service, value for money, coffee, wine quality and ambience.
Ms Jewson said six professional judges would scrutinise entrants, “which will keep venues on their toes”.
Judging panel president Rita Erlich was looking forward to hot competition.
“We were thrilled with the quality of participants in last year’s awards and we hope our task will be even more onerous this year, with more great restaurants and cafes,” Ms Erlich said.
“If our job is difficult then everyone benefits, especially the consumer.”
The Golden Plate Awards will this year enjoy expanded coverage after the Independent signed on as a sponsor.
The Independent will use its weekly circulation of 92,000 papers to keep readers updated on the competition as well as providing a comprehensive report on the winners.
Independent hospitality advertising executive Sam McKenzie said she was thrilled the paper was supporting the awards.
“The Golden Plates have built a tradition of excellence in promoting the exceptionally high standard of dining across our region,” Ms McKenzie said.
“With our huge circulation, the Independent will play a big part in promoting this exciting sector of local industry to more readers than ever.”
Ms Jewson said Golden Plate winners would be announced at an awards presentation night in late October.
She asked anyone who wanted to have their say on favourite dining venues to visit www.goldenplateawards.com.au.
