By Rafiq Vayani
KARACHI: All Pakistan Restaurant Association (APRA), is the only representative body of restaurants and caterers in Pakistan. It is licensed by Directorate General Trade Organization (DGTO), Ministry of Commerce and Government of Pakistan. They hosted an all-exclusive press conference at the Lal Qila restaurant, announcing the APRA Awards will recognize and reward the best performing restaurants in Karachi (Phase 1) from different food categories. Award shows are already an entertainment industry staple but restaurant awards will be a welcome addition for Pakistan.
Beyond the trophies and glamor, the All Pakistan Restaurant Awards aim to recognize and acknowledge special features of restaurants including food and service excellence, outstanding dining and delivery experiences by giving the public and regular patrons of APRA access to voting and having a voice that counts. Thereby increasing competition locally and ultimately raising the level of food quality and the standards of service in the Pakistani restaurant industry.
After the short introduction to the All Pakistan Restaurant Awards, the media was introduced to the jury members who are on the panel and award participants and categories as well as the selection process and criteria of these Awards were presented. The five prominent jury members on the panel are:
- Chef Saadat – Celebrity Chef and an avid wanderer who loves writing about cooking and serving great things.
- Chef Abdul Hadi – Cofounder at Master Class Pakistan Hospitality Business School, Director Research and Projects/Consultant Chef at College of Tourism and Hotel Management (COTHM) Karachi and Managing Partner at Horeca Edge.
- Sumera Hussain – Officer Executive Provincial Services Government of Sindh presently posted as Deputy Director Operations of Sindh Food Authority (SFA). She has conducted inspections and audits of various food eateries and manufacturing units in terms of hygiene, quality of food and good manufacturing practices. Currently she is also part of the regulatory authority, administratively managing to implement the standard operating procedures of SFA.
- Dr Sadia Safdar – She has been reviewing food since 2010, is an ex CEDO at the SWOTS guide, currently owner of The Beat Pakistan, Food Beat, Food Beat Pakistan, Beat Pakistan Food Business domain. A traveler who enjoys different cuisines and firmly believes that taste is subjective.
- Ali Sultan – CEO of Imperial whose love for food takes him beyond boundaries and has made him brave enough to try some of the weirdest food in China and other far eastern countries
All Pakistan Restaurant Awards will have a total of 20 Awards, five of which will be Jury Awards and the remaining 15 Customer Choice Awards
