Food is indeed a religion and if a chef is God, food bloggers are His Angels. After all, they are the ones who make the public aware of all the cuisines, eateries, restaurants, regional specialties and many a more. However, often, these bloggers remain in the oblivion. To give the bloggers their due respect and honour, the first edition of ‘Top Food Bloggers Awards’ was announced at a press conference at the Sonnet Hotel. The occasion was graced by Ms. Meeryung Hall, wife of Honorary US Consul General Mr. Craig Hall, Chess Master Dibyendu Barua, renowned dancer-choreographer Sudarshan Chakraborty, eminent actor and elocutionist Sujoy Prasad Chatterjee.
The event began with a brief introductory speech by Ms. Paromita Ghosh, Director of Candid Communication followed by the unveiling of the logo by all the dignitaries present. This was shortly followed by a brief speech by Mr. Ankur Siddiqui, director of Sidd’s hospitality who has conceptualized the event. Calling Bengal ‘the Mecca of food’, he further added ” Top Food Bloggers Awards 2018 takes a small initiative to unveil the amount of effort, time and dedication that these food enthusiasts offer in bringing to us the real experience of FOOD, a vital gastronomic horizon in us Humans.”
Mr. Rajib Choudhury, General Manager of The Sonnet Hotel emphasised on the role of the bloggers and said “They were never in the shadows. They are like the sun.” Ms. Ghosh further added that bloggers are “superstars” in their own right and this award is just an honour to appreciate the hard work they put in. Ms. Meeryung also graced the audience with a few but enlightening words. This was shortly followed by a few words by Sujoy Prosad Chatterjee and Dibyendu Barua.
The procedural aspects are as follows : To be eligible, the content must be published during 1st January, 2016 to 31st December, 2017. The awards will be distributed among 12 categories viz. Best Travel Blog, Most Inspired Weekend Dinners, Best Food Instagram, Best Drinks Blog, Best Baking and Sweets Blog, Best Style and Design Blog, Food and Culture Best Essay Award, Best Food Videos, Best Food Podcast, Best New Voice, Best Photography and last but the not the least The Obsessive Award : Best Special Interest Blog. The nominations will be open submissions from 22nd January, 2018 to 15th February,2018 at the official website. The entire thing will be judged by a panel of eminent judges chosen by the members of the Top Food Bloggers Committee and they will screen the entries and finally decide on the winner in each category.
All in all, it was a grand event they marked the beginning of a great initiative.
