This week we take a look a what it takes to win the coveted ‘ Restaurant of the Year’ at the prestigious Surrey Life Food and Drink Awards.
Last Thursday Nick Sinclair, Head Chef at Emlyn Restaurant at the foot of Box Hill took to the stage with his team of young and talented chefs and the front of house staff to collect the ‘Restaurant of the Year’ award. Now in its fourth year, the event was held at the Foxhills Club & Resort with some 300 people enjoying a locally sourced menu while celebrating the great and good of Surrey’s gastronomic scene. So just how much blood, sweat and tears - none of which made it into the food - does it take to walk away with the title after just 18 months at the pass?
First you have the synergy of the great ingredients:
- A talented and ambitious Head Chef in Nick Sinclair looking to redefine modern British dining, all the while nurturing a team of young chefs keen to make their mark.
- Classic flavors and dishes utilising the very best locally and regionally sourced ingredients and modern cooking techniques.
- Menus and dishes created to suit the season and the freshest ingredients, while taking care to reduce waste.
- A front of house and management team who are on the same journey and understand the direction and vision of Nick.
- An unbeatable location with a terrace overlooking Box Hill
- Finally a marketing and PR team which shares the vision and gets very excited by Nick’s passion (and food)!
Now for the method…
Once all of the above is in place, you then put it to the test for the five months in which nominations are open - remember the public vote counts towards the short list - the food, service and atmosphere must always be exceptional; there are no bad days when you run a restaurant of this standard.
However, you need the people through the door before they can nominate you and that is where the PR and marketing comes in. We engaged in a multifaceted campaign working with the local media & bloggers, reaching out to the Mole Valley community. The campaign included media reviews, news distribution, advertising, social media marketing, society events, public events and partnerships with local businesses to insure that the public’s awareness was at its peak in the run up to and duration of the campaign. So there, working together as a team, you have a recipe for success.
Here is a list to all the winners of the 2016 awards.
Contributor: Alexandra Pinhorn.
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