Celebrating India's culinary diversity through food and restaurants that showcase perfection in taste, innovation and the talented people behind it all, the LF Epicurean Guild Awards, 2020 (LFEGA) is all set to honour the best in India. 


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Hosted by LF and curated by the honoured chef Manu Chandra, India's premium food awards have created a benchmark through their journey of three years and counting more. This year will see the jury handpick restaurants in 12 cuisine categories that have added to the Indian food story. Bringing to limelight lesser-known cuisines and establishments across India, LFEGA is the only award ceremony.  From the emerging and innovative to the traditional and trendy, the awards have been recognising and applauding the Indian food industry and will continue to do so with unmatched sincerity.


Chef Manu Chandra, Co-Curator, LFEGA says, “Food in every way is enthralling and all-encompassing while being an integral component of the universal food and beverage industry. A platform for our colourful nation to flaunt its interpretation of food via textures and flavours that contributes to the ever-evolving food landscape of our country. The Living Foodz Epicurean Guild Awards recognises and applauds those who make the Indian food industry what it is. It has been an exciting experience to curate these awards because perfection you see – needs to be rewarded”.


Set to mark its 4th edition on the 7th of February 2020, the LFEGA 2020 will not only review lounges and bars, home-grown wines and spirits, chefs who uphold sustainability, food influencers who influence the way food is consumed but also take food a notch above the regular. Always appreciating novelty, this year will also have new categories like The Oyster Club and Best Inclusive Establishments amongst others that will set a precedent for the coming years.


Like an oyster that filters the water to showcase the beauty of the pearl that it hides, The Oyster Club category will honour the lesser-known, quaint restaurants, cafes and little shacks in any part of the country. Excited to discover exceptional food that is quietly making waves in their respective towns and cities, the jury will unearth nothing but the best. 


Paying equal importance to the social impact of the hospitality sector, the Best Inclusive Establishments category recognizes institutions that provide a safe working environment with equal opportunity for people of all genders, economic backgrounds, languages and cultures. 


Applauding various hospitality initiatives and kitchens that employ differently-abled, or provide the opportunity to marginalised groups, this category sheds light on the dynamic side of the LFEGA 2020 with pride. An undying 'flame' to flaunt their talents, winners will be recognised amongst these categories. Like every year, the jury will also judge a special individuals category with titles such as Changemaker of the year, chef of the year, Lifetime Achievement Award and also Book of the year.


“Through LFEGA, our aim is to discover culinary spaces and individuals that have raised the hospitality experience in India. We have learned from each year's experience that we should add categories like Oyster Club, Inclusive F&B establishments as they all are worth celebrating. We follow a rigorous process which includes jury meetings, discussions, food trials and consensual decisions. Our esteemed jury members from the culinary world maintain the highest standards and well championed this property as the most credible one in the industry” says Amit Nair, Business Head, LF.


With an extensive and esteemed jury that have made a name for themselves in the industry, the awards are powered by the credibility of the team behind it all. 


Consisting of the best representation of the Indian food industry to judge from category pillars of cuisines, experience and individuals, the 4th edition will see an exciting addition of categories that will inspire the participants. Armed with a purpose to celebrate India's vivid culinary story, the jury will celebrate the nation's passion for food.


A perfect mix of food writers, sommeliers, bloggers, chefs, actors, authors and producers, the jury panel has worked hard to ensure that only the most deserving are awarded. Among them are Shuchir Suri, Antoine Lewis, Magandeep Singh, Ruth Dsouza, Kunal Vijayakar, Supriyo Bose, Shaun Kenworthy, Ashwin Rajagopalan, Diwan Gautam Anand, Sameer Seth, Romil Ratra, Rakesh Raghunathan, Anish Sood, Gauri Devidayal, Pooja Dhingra, Keshav Prakash, Narayan Manepally and Rocky Mohan.


The LFEGA nomination, shortlisting and selection process is transparent and rigorous and overseen by an external process validation agency. After two rounds of jury deliberation and one round of anonymous dine out, the jury is all set for the glittering evening to announce the winners. 


Excited to walk the red carpet on the 7th of February 2020, the jury is all geared up to give away the prestigious flames.