Be Inclusive Hospitality (BIH) is a not-for-profit organisation, born out of the lack of representation of Black, Asian and minority groups at all levels of the hospitality, food & drink industry. Founded by Lorraine Copes in 2020, its mission is to accelerate racial equity in the industry.
The Spotlight Awards is the first of its kind for BIH, aptly named as it will shine a spotlight on businesses and individuals from Black, Asian and minority backgrounds by recognising their talents.
Not only will the Spotlight Awards give the winners and nominees a platform to be celebrated, it will also give them a chance to be seen on a much wider scale, and open the door for more opportunities in due course.
There will be 13 award categories selected by the public and shortlisted by the industry’s expert judging panel, which comprises:
TV presenter and celebrity chef, Andi Oliver
CEO and chairman of D&D London, Des Gunewardena
Food and diversity consultant, Mallika Basu
Masterchef winner and restaurateur, Shelina Permalloo
Author and chef, Mike Reid
Global rum ambassador, Ian Burrell,
Wine and sake educator, Shane Jones
CEO and founder of Umbrella Training, Adele Oxberry
Co-owner of Tayēr + Elementary, Monica Berg
Chef consultant, Jay Morjaria.
Decanter will be sponsoring the Writer of the Year Award, which will celebrate writers from across the industry.
The winner will be chosen by the panel and announced at a live ceremony on Monday 24th October 2022 at Percy’s London.
Meet the Writer of the
Year Finalists
Emanuele Mensah @cocktailswithlele
London-based author, bartender, photographer and videographer Emanuele Mensah has worked for some of the best cocktail bars in the world. Starting a YouTube channel in 2020, he grew his following with his “How to make…” cocktail tutorials. Mixing well-known cocktails, from simple to challenging classics for viewers to follow along at home.
Melissa Thompson @fowlmouthsfood
FOWL MOUTHS: Food & Recipe Project
Former national journalist Melissa Thompson is now a food writer and BBC Good Food Columnist. She is an advocate for race, diversity and inclusion and has written for The Guardian, Vittles, BBC Good Food, Waitrose Magazine and more.
Chetna Makan @chetnamakan
Chetna Makan was part of the ‘Great British Bake off’ in 2014 where she shared her passion for Indian food by incorporating Indian flavours with English bakes. She has since written six cookbooks and developed recipes for Waitrose magazine, BBC Good Food, Sainsbury’s and national newspapers.
David Jesudason @davidjes601
British–Asian freelance journalist David Jesudason has written for Good Beer Hunting, Pellicle, Vittles and BBC Culture, covering issues surrounding race. He has written his first book “Desi Pubs: A Guide to British-Indian Pubs, Food & Culture”, which is due to be published next summer.
Congratulations and good luck to all the finalists.
